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Hi everyone!
This month actually starts part 1 of a series of related newsletters. All total, I'll be writing about 5 vitamins and 5 minerals that may or may not be well-known, but need to be expounded upon nonetheless. This month's newsletter is devoted entirely to Vitamin D3
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The information that vitamins and minerals are necessary for vital health is fairly universal. But when it comes to supplementation, specific vitamin and mineral knowledge is limited to a common few such as: vitamins A, B, C, D and E, as well as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Yet, there are quite a few essential vitamins and minerals that, while lesser-known, are of equal importance. Our discussion will focus on several of these and will highlight their use and significance.
We begin with a vitamin that has been generating a
lot of attention recently: vitamin D3. Most of us are generally familiar
with vitamin D, but many do not realize that it is actually made up of two
distinct forms: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3
(cholecalciferol). Vitamin D2 is naturally present in very few foods
and must be added to "fortified" products such as milk, juices and cereals.
The lack of this form of vitamin D is attributed to bone disorders such as
rickets. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), is the form that is synthesized
by the skin when it's exposed to the sun or ultraviolet light.
Recent evidence suggests that D3 may
be more effective than D2 in promoting calcium absorption and thus
bone growth and remodeling. It prevents softening of the bones in both children
(rickets) and adults (osteomalacia). It also helps modulate neuromuscular and
immune function while reducing inflammation.
Individuals with limited sun
exposure need to include good sources of vitamin D3 in their diet
from food or supplements. Primary sources of this vitamin are fish and fish
oils, beef liver, cheese and egg yolks. There are also an appreciable number of
flowering plants in the Solanaceae family, that contain vitamin D3
and its hydroxylated derivatives.
Recommended D3 daily
intake for infants to 50 years of age is approximately 200 IU (international
units), between 51-70 years - 400 IU, and over 71 years - 600 IU.
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There's a continuous debate about how much vitamin D3 is actually required by the body for health. Some recent schools of thought are elevating the amount of vitamin D3 recommendations to what I consider unhealthy or even dangerous levels. I've included a recent response I wrote to a doctor who felt my recommendations were outdated and that 2,000 to 5,000 mg of vitamin D3 should be consumed by all adults.
Thank you for writing. Occasionally we receive questions
about the quantity of vitamins, minerals, etc., in our products and the first
thing I'd like to mention is that Dr. Drucker took great care to formulate the
ratio and amounts of every single nutrient involved. Please keep in mind that
when one is receiving nearly 100% of the included nutrients, megadoses are not
necessary. Most supplements only achieve a cellular infusion percentage of
10-15%, so in order to receive what the body may require, it's often necessary
to consume higher doses.
As far as the range mentioned, I think there is an
increasingly dangerous practice of over-supplementation depending on the
popularity of what I call the "vitamin du jour". What I've noticed is that along with the
growing focus on a particular vitamin comes recommendations to increase the
amount of that vitamin. We only need look at the excessive consumption of
vitamin C years ago that was supposedly the cure for many ailments. People began consuming several grams of supplemental vitamin C and the result was an
increase in GI distress in various forms and severity. Those recommendations
were subsequently lowered.
I personally think that some current vitamin D
recommendations are set too high. There's always the potentially serious danger
of hypervitaminosis from overconsumption of supplemental vitamin D (not
from diet or sun exposure) which can lead to hypercalcemia and symptoms such as
nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, weakness, confusion, heart
arrhythmia, and kidney stones. There's also the consideration of those with
health problems, such as liver or kidney disease or those taking thiazide-type
diuretics which can make vitamin D overconsumption even more risky.
The Institute of Medicine
(2009) recommends the same amount of daily vitamin D I've suggested. Although the amounts do vary depending on the source, they are
generally close. For example, the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics recommends
closer to 300-400 IUs for children. Unofficially, we are seeing more
recommendations for higher and higher levels of daily D. A level of up to 800
IUs for adults has been suggested for lowering the risk of osteoporosis, but
that is nowhere near the megadose of 2000 to 5000 IUs you recommend.
Increasing the serum blood levels of vitamin D is not
necessarily a good test to determine vitamin D absorption and utilization. Also,
a complicating factor in determining how much vitamin D we need to get from diet
or supplements is one's exposure to sunlight which can produce (naturally) and
can convert several thousand IU's of beneficial vitamin D in as little as 15
minutes of exposure.
Logically and practically, if we look at a healthy diet,
say the Mediterranean diet which consists primarily of grains, fruits and
vegetables as well as some meats and fish, that person is getting at least
500-700 IUs of vitamin D from a 3 ounce piece of fish or meat. However, since
most people are NOT following that kind of healthy diet, but are eating
according to the Standard American Diet (SAD), they are generally consuming much
more meat and dairy and are thus receiving far more vitamin D than the current
DV recommendations.
In my opinion we should not make blanket megadose
recommendations for vitamin D levels without taking into consideration
individual differences which overconsumption may wind up doing more harm than
good.
Thank you once again for your attention to this important vitamin!
Until next month I remain yours in good health.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mike
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