More than a decade ago (even just a few years ago) alternative MDs that used supplements and suggested patients take Vitamin D above the RDA of 400IU/day were called quacks.    The inaccurate ‘truth’ stated over and over again is that above 400IU/day you can get Vitamin D toxicity.    Read the rest of this entry

I know so many friends, especially ones with young kids, that have such a fear of sunlight. We need sun and it is my belief that children need to be in the sun, not coated with chemicals that are toxic and cause cancer! Yes sunscreen can cause cancer because we are lathering on chemicals that then cause oxidative damage to our DNA. The current medical thinking is that the most important reason we want to be in the sun is to increase our Vitamin D levels. Michael Holick MD a researcher at Boston University (an alma mata of mine) has a great presentation about Vitamin D and sunlight. Read the rest of this entry

Vitamin D was named the “Vitamin of the year” a couple of years ago by the nutrition journals.  There are new articles coming out every month about the impact this vitamin/hormone and its amazing amount of physiological functions.  There have been several studies that show Vitamin D’s role in modulating the immune system  including this one just published last week.  What this study tells us is that if you often gets upper respiratory infections then you may have low vitamin D levels.   So do ask your PCP to order you a Vitamin D panel.  Read the rest of this entry

There is an increasing awareness how a large percentage of the population is vitamin D deficient and the ill health effects caused by inadequate Vitamin D levels. If someones blood work comes back as below 30ng/ml I usually dose them with at least 10,000IU/day for 3 weeks then cut down to 5000IU/day for a couple of weeks then wait a week of no supplementation and retest. I usually hear comments about vitamin D toxicity, but as BU researcher Michael Holick has stated – “doctors have never seen a vitamin D toxicity – it is all theory”. Read the rest of this entry

In a study involving data from 18,883 subjects 12 years of age and older, low vitamin D status was associated with increased odds of recent upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). While 24% of subjects with 25(OH)D levels less than 10 ng/mL were found to have had a recent URTI, 20% of those with 25(OH)D levels between 10 and less than 30 ng/mL were found to have a recent URTI, compared to only 17% of those with 25(OH)D levels of 30 ng/mL or greater. The
median serum 25(OH)D for subjects with a recent URTI was 29 ng/mL. After adjusting for potential confounders, low 25(OH)D levels were still found to be associated with recent URTI (OR=1.36), with a greater association found in persons with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR=5.67; OR=2.26, respectively). The authors
conclude, “Randomized controlled trials are warranted to explore the effects of vitamin D supplementation on RTI.”

“Association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and upper respiratory tract infection in the
Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,” Ginde AA, Mansbach JM, Camargo CA Jr, Arch Intern Med, 2009; 169(4): 384-90. (Address: Emergency Medicine Network, Massachusetts General Hospital, 326 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA).

Source Vitasearch.com 37818

The news has been loaded with a plethora of articles touting the benefits of vitamin D reported in nutrition journals. Based on research of the past few years it appears that Vitamin D plays a large role in regulating the immune system. Most recently the American Academy of Pediatrics have doubled its recommended daily dosage of Vitamin D for kids. Read the rest of this entry