Vitamin D - a remarkable micronutrient

[John]

Vitamin D is a really hot topic in medical circles at the present time, and is being found to be able to prevent and ease many types of disease. It has been found to prevent infections, improve immunity, reduce fracture risk, reduce the risk of developing MS, lower death risk generally, improve heart health, relieve chronic pain, slow cognitive decline, improve wound healing, cut cancer risk and slow cancer development, and perform many other valuable functions... The medical journals are currently awash with vitamin D studies, and I can supply web references to research on any of the topics above, if anyone is interested - just post your request below.

The current recommended daily dose of vitamin D is 200 IU for people up to age 50, 400 IU for people aged 51 to 70, and 600 IU for people over age 70.

However, Boston University vitamin D expert Michael Holick, MD, PhD, recommends a dose of 1,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per day for both infants and adults - unless they're getting plenty of safe sun exposure.

And the US Vitamin D Council recommends that healthy adults take 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily - more if they get little or no sun exposure.

A simple blood test -- the 25(OH)D or calcidiol test -- can tell your doctor whether your vitamin D level is low. The Vitamin D Council recommends that 25(OH)D levels be between 40 and 65 ng/mL. The U.S. National Institutes of health notes that 25(OH)D levels over 30 ng/mL are optimal, and that there is "insufficient data" to support recommendations for higher levels.

For more detail, see:

http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/ne...e-of-vitamin-d

From what I have read, the general consensus amongst experts seems to be that 1,000 IU per day is a good dose to aim for from supplements.

Of particular interest at the moment, with the so-called 'swine flu' spreading around the world, is the fact that, if you maintain an optimum level of vitamin D, you shouldn't need to worry at all about flu or any other infection.

Vitamin D has profound effects on human immunity, increasing production of broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides that rapidly destroy the cell walls of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, including the influenza virus.

If you are getting 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day, you are certainly unlikely to come down with flu, a fact demonstrated by the experience of a group of Dr Cannell's patients reported in a remarkable article at:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php

If, however, you are unfortunate enough to get the flu, it can still be treated by taking 50,000 IU of vitamin D per day for three days. Start taking this dose as soon as you realise that you're coming down with flu, and follow Dr Mercola's general advice detailed at:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...Swine-Flu.aspx

On the question of which form of vitamin D is the best to take, there are two main forms used in supplements -- D2, or ergocalciferol, which is synthesized by plants, and D3, or cholecalciferol, which is synthesized by humans in the skin when exposed to ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays from sunlight.

The D2 form used in supplements is usually derived from irradiated fungus, and the D3 form from the fat of lambs' wool. The latter form, vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), is generally considered to be the better form for human consumption, as this is the natural form of vitamin D that our bodies make from sunlight.

On a personal level, I have found vitamin D remarkably effective as a treatment for rhinitis. It relieves the dreadful congestion that one can get with this condition, without any of the side effects of pharmaceutical decongestants or steroids.

John

[John]

On another forum, Lizzie makes a very good point when she complains that doctors are not telling their patients about the importance of vitamin D, and Mike Adams offers a reason for this omission in a hard-hitting new article at Natural News. In this he says:

"We already know that vitamin D, all by itself, can prevent nearly 4 out of 5 cancers (http://www.naturalnews.com/021892.html). It also helps prevent heart disease, diabetes, depression, seasonal flu and kidney disease. Distribute free vitamin D supplements across the entire population and you solve the doctor shortage problem in one year as the public gets healthier and reduces doctor visits.

It's a simple, cost-effective solution that any intelligent nation would embrace without a second thought: Invest a few pennies in the health of the population and save yourself many dollars in reduced health care costs. Regular vitamin D supplementation has no negative side effects and requires no prescriptions, no injections and no visits to the doctor. What's not to like about that?

Except the sick care industry doesn't like it at all. Drug companies, hospitals, conventional doctors, med schools, medical journals and now even the mainstream media all generate extreme profits from the ongoing business of sickness and disease. Vitamin D would disrupt their profit agenda and send people home healthy and well instead of bringing them back into the hospital sick and diseased."

Anyone wanting the truth about the remarkable benefits of vitamin D will have to educate themselves, but at least they will no longer have to spend hours surfing the net, because all the science and best advice on this amazing nutrient is now available on the Vitamin D Council website. I recommend that everyone familiarize themselves with the entire contents of this site and sign up for the Council's newsletter, which will keep them up-to-date with all the latest developments as they occur.