Vitamin D Deficiency: The Real Pandemic

Frida Kahlo "Sun and Life" 1947

According to the July 2007 issue of the Washington Post, "One billion people don't get enough vitamin D."

How many people know vitamin D isn't a vitamin? Or as Mr. Gibson asks, "When is a vitamin not a vitamin?"

Steve Gibson, a health researcher and founder of Gibson Research Corporation, has done a bang up job of presenting the facts--both obvious and obscure about vitamin D clearly and with minimal scientific jargon.

Here's a little known fact I just learned from Steve. Vitamin D is actually a hormone: "it is the most powerful steroid hormone in our bodies."

Gibson wisely cautions that Vitamin D,"doesn't cure anything." Sufficient levels of vitamin D circulating in our bodies quite simply-- enables our bodies to do what our bodies were designed to do--protect against disease and ensure optimum health.

Thanks to internet health celebrities like Dr. Mercola, lifesaving information about vitamin D has gone viral.

Most of you reading this already know that Vitamin D is naturally created by our bare skin in conjunction with sunlight, or specifically Ultra Violet (UV) radiation. The UV radiation has to be strong enough for the conversion of a cholesterol in our skin called, 7-Dehydrocholesterol into the vitamin D precursor called, "cholecalciferol."

Ultimately, this precursor ends up in the liver where it is stored in its so called"inactive form." When you get your vitamin D blood test, it is this storehouse of "inactive" vitamin D in the liver that is measured.

Fact: Blood tests indicate that most of the USA population is severely deficient in vitamin D. Dr Mercola states: 'It's likely you are among the estimated 85% of people who are "silently suffering from vitamin D deficiency."

Contemplate this: Vitamin D is responsible for the regulation of 2-3,000 genes in your body. The latest research confirms that vitamin D "decreases cancer overall by 50 to 60%!"

Bad News: It's very difficult to get therapeutic levels of vitamin D from food alone. Vitamin D is found abundantly in relatively few foods like fatty fish, raw milk, and eggs. And as we age our ability to synthesize Vitamin D decreases dramatically.

For example, at 50 years of age vitamin D production drops a whopping 50% compared to its original levels. Amazingly, at 65 production is a mere 25% of what it once was.

The bottom line is this: most of us simply don't get enough sunlight and our routine dietary habits often exclude foods rich in vitamin D.

Therefore we need some form of supplementation in addition to daily, direct sun exposure, or mini-sun baths of about 10 to 20 minutes duration.

Don't get me wrong. Sun exposure is still the preferred method for obtaining vitamin D.

Factors for determining optimal sun exposure time are commonly based on one's altitude, position of the sun (time of day), if it's cloudy or not, the season (angle of the sun in relation to where you are on the earth), and the color of your skin.

Obviously, if you have fair skin you would spend less time in the sun than someone with dark skin.

Opinions vary widely as to the amount of bare skin that needs to be exposed to the sun in order for the skin to create precursor vitamin D. I've read from some sources that it's necessary to expose as little as 10% of bare skin, while others recommend full body exposure!

Some key factors to consider for vitamin D by sunlight exposure: the farther away from the equatorial zones you live the weaker the UV rays of the sun. Additionally, we have the seasonal shifts, which determine the angle of the sun's rays hitting the earth, along with cold, overcast weather in many winter climates which often push people indoors (especially the elderly).

Most people need some form of vitamin D supplementation in the winter months, as this is when vitamin D levels are at their lowest ebb precisely due to insufficient sun exposure. If you've ever considered the tanning bed vitamin D option go here: Are Tanning Beds Really as Dangerous as Arsenic and Mustard Gas?

How Much Vitamin D Do We need?

The amount of vitamin D required varies from person to person. Obese people need more vitamin D than their svelte counterparts, because vitamin D is fat soluble it's "tucked away in their body fat." Dark skinned people need more vitamin D than fair skinned people, as well as the elderly who typically spend more time indoors than younger folks.

Prior to beginning oral supplementation, it's always advisable to obtain a blood test from a reputable lab to determine your exact vitamin D supplemental dosage. Dr. Mercola recommends that you regularly monitor your vitamin D levels with lab tests to make sure you do not overdose.

The type of vitamin D supplement you use is critical.

Vitamin D2 is synthetically derived by irradiating yeast. This form of vitamin D is used extensively in the commercial food industry, especially dairy. Think: "vitamin D fortified."

Although, at first blush it appears that vitamin D2 fortification is beneficial for our health, the truth is our bodies have a difficult time utilizing (bio-availability) vitamin D2. It's simply not the form of vitamin D that's indigenous to our bodies.

Vitamin D2 supplements should be avoided. It's unfortunate but hardly surprising that many physicians and pharmacists routinely recommend Vitamin D2.

In comparison, vitamin D3 supplements are a naturally derived substance extracted from sheep's wool (causes no harm to sheep). The vitamin D created via sun exposure is vitamin D3.

In short, Vitamin D3 supplements are considered bio-identical and therefore significantly more bio-available than Vitamin D2.

It's an established scientific fact that Vitamin D3 is converted 500 times faster into its "active form" than synthetic vitamin D2.


Recommendations for the best type of vitamin D3 supplement to use vary. Dr. Mercola pushes Krill oil and a transdermal vitamin D3 spray, the Weston Price Foundation promotes Cod Liver Oil, while Steve Gibson recommends 5,000 IU of "Now Foods" vitamin D3 capsules. Do your own research and then choose the best, quality supplement for your budget considering your preferred delivery method.

It's worth noting that many health experts, including Dr. John Cannell, the executive director of the vitamin D Council, recommend 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily.

Perhaps, you're wondering about toxicity levels and the 5,000 IU recommendation? Read what Dr. Cannell has to say about vitamin D toxicity.

Bottom line: adequate amounts of vitamin D3 is essential for good health. A plethora of diseases can be traced to inadequate vitamin D levels -- including cancer.

What about vitamin D3 and the flu ? Nothing but good news here!
Vitamin D3 acts as a flu preventive. You need to start taking 5000 IU of vitamin D3 on a daily basis NOW.

According to Dr. Cannell vitamin D3 prevents "cytokine storms." And Dr. Mercola reveals a vitamin D3 protocol that will cure the flu. You can watch the Dr. Cannell and Dr. Mercola vitamin D3 'flu' videos on this blog. BTW if you don't know what a "cytokine storm" is (you need to know) go to: cytokinestorm.com.

P.S. This is a good video overview of vitamin D: Essential Information About Vitamin D

New Research Shows Vitamin D Slashes Risk of Cancers by 77%!

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