Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, essential for development bone growth and density but also for proper immune function and for functioning of the nervous system.

Everyone knows this vitamin is vital for strong healthy bones. Deficiency causes rickets (child bone mineralization failure), poor growth, bone deformities such as osteoporosis and joint pain. It can be found in our diet (fish oils especially) or manufactured by the effect of sunlight on skin.

Less appreciated is that vitamin D is a vital mediator in immune function. Without it, T-lymphocytes don't perform and that leads to several possibilities: allergies, increased infections and cancer.

If you are battling with cancer be sure you are not deficient in vitamin D. The important form is called D3. You can get it tested. Make sure your physician orders the correct test: 25-OH Vitamin D and 1,25(OH)2 Vitamin D are common but only the former (in bold) is accurate enough to save your life. Suggest DiaSorin Labs, which are the best.

Dr Michael Hollick recommends your vitamin D level should not be below 32 ng/ml. 50 ng./ml is great. Any levels below 20 ng/ml are considered serious defiency states and will increase your risk of breast and prostate cancer and autoimmune diseases like MS and rheumatoid arthritis.

[Holick MF. Calcium and Vitamin D. Diagnostics and Therapeutics. Clin Lab Med. 2000 Sep;20(3):569-90]

Sources of vitamin D

Vitamin D is usually obtained from sunlight. Food sources include dairy products, fish oil, liver and egg yolk. Margarines may be fortified with vitamin D. Your best dietary source by far is good cod liver oil. It also contain vitamin A, to prevent vitamin D toxicity and omega-3s, which themselves are anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory.

Vegetarians and vegans will need to resort to supplementation. Note that vitamin D is not properly absorbed if there is a concomitant calcium deficiency.

DOSE: 2,000 IU daily is safe (5 micrograms = 400 IU). The RDA is 400 IU and is dangerously and stupidly low.

Interactions

Long-term treatment with anti epilepsy medication can affect hepatic metabolism of vitamin D. Cholesterol-lowering medication and antifungal drugs may decrease intestinal adsorption of vitamin D.

Digoxin and calcium channel blockers (-azem and -ipine type names) will interact with vitamin D.

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