Vitamin D - The Basics

I'm sure most of you have heard of vitamin D. Recently it has become known as something of a "super vitamin." I say this because low vitamin D has been linked to a whole host of health problems and diseases. Low vitamin D has been linked to cancer, autoimmune illness, chronic pain, depression, diabetes, heart disease, hyperparathyroidism, hypertension, influenza, myopathy, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis and increased rates of C-sections.

I have decided to briefly touch on the basics of vitamin D, just to educate and raise awareness of the importance of this amazing vitamin.

A unique vitamin

First, vitamin D is a pretty unique vitamin.  Calcitriol is a product of vitamin D and has over 2,700 places it can attach in human genome. Those attachments are situated near genes that are involved in a lot of major diseases we are battling today.  Although vitamin D is produced by your skin when it is exposed to unfiltered sunlight, multiple factors can affect how much, if any, you produce when out in the sun. 

Factors that decrease vitamin D production

• Advancing age
• Northern latitudes
• Skin Tone
• Sunscreen use

Food sources

Milk and Salmon are two foods that contain vitamin D and are often cited as "good sources" of vitamin D.  The truth is, there are no good food sources of vitamin D.  The amount of vitamin D in these foods is not enough to get any noticeable benefit.

Am I deficient?

Chances are, you are deficient in vitamin D. The only way to be sure is to have a vitamin D blood test. The typical cutoff for being deficient is 30ng/ml (70nmol/L). However, research indicates that this cutoff may be too low. Most beneficial effects are seen when your levels are at 50ng/ml (125ng/ml) or higher. 

My level is low. What do I do?

There are two forms of vitamin D available for the treatment of a deficiency. Vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. D2 is most often prescribed but D3 is the preferred form to treat a deficiency and is recommended by most vitamin D experts.

The amount needed to raise levels to 50ng/ml or higher varies from person to person.  During the winter, I take no less than 5,000IU/day. A good baseline to start from is 2,000IU/day. While those levels may seem high, keep in mind that the average person generates upwards of 10,000IU, with just 20 minutes of direct sun exposure. 

Just remember that vitamin D is an extremely important vitamin that many people are deficient in. Please have your levels checked by your doctor and supplement accordingly.

References

www.vitamindcouncil.org

Chan J., Jaceldo-Siegl K., Fraser G.E. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status of vegetarians, partial vegetarians, and nonvegetarians: the Adventist Health Study-2. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 May; 89 (5): 1686S-1692S.

Välimäki VV, Löyttyniemi E, Välimäki MJ Vitamin D fortification of milk products does not resolve hypovitaminosis D in young Finnish men. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Apr; 61 (4): 493-7.

van Groningen L., Opdenoordt S., van Sorge A., Telting D., Giesen A., de Boer H. Cholecalciferol loading dose guideline for vitamin D-deficient adults. Eur J Endocrinol. 2010 Apr; 162 (4): 805-11.

More references available upon request.