The Importance of Vitamin D

Throughout this wellness series we have been talking about the genome centric lifestyle and what nutrients our bodies require to maintain its self-healing and self-regulating properties. Most the nutrients that our body needs can be found in the foods that we eat, however, over the years we have become deficient in three key essential nutrients Omega-3’s, Vitamin D and probiotics.

What is Vitamin D and where to get it

In this blog, we are going to specifically look at Vitamin D. Vitamin D is a hormone produced in the body via exposure to Ultraviolet B radiation and cannot be produced by the body without exposure to the sun. According to research, well over half of the population is deficient in Vitamin D. Even those in sunny climates rarely get enough sun exposure due to clothing and sunscreen. In this case, quality Vitamin D supplementation is recommended. 

Supplementing Vitamin D

As said above, the best source of Vitamin D is from the sun. Vitamin D is naturally found in very few foods and can be fortified in some. If not getting Vitamin D from natural sources it is best to look into quality supplementation. Like all supplements, be sure you know your source and read the ingredients – the less the better. The product we have in our office is made of two ingredients: Vitamin D and olive oil. The difference between capsules and oil is not much when it come to what is in the product, however, sublingual drops have a more effective absorption rate into the body. I usually recommend the sublingual drops for my patients for this reason.

The roles of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is crucial in virtually every human function including: growth and development, brain and nerve function, emotions and behavior, maintenance and repair of skin and bones, regulation of healing and inflammation, cholesterol levels, digestion, heart function, immune function, vision, vitamin production, digestive system function, cardiovascular health, etc.

How much Vitamin D does one need?

This can be a tricky question and it all depends on how much sun exposure one is getting. The Vitamin D Council recommends that healthy adults take 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily — more if they get little or no sun exposure. There’s evidence that people with a high amounts of body fat need more vitamin D than lean people. I recommend to my patients that during the winter months to be taking around 4,000 – 6,000 IUs daily and even more depending on size and symptoms. In the late spring, summer and early fall, I recommend that the best way to get Vitamin D is to be in the sun midday without sunscreen for 20 minutes in a swimming suit (for proper skin exposure) and for young kids 10 minutes. This will give enough daily Vitamin D. After the 10 or 20 minutes is up, please put on sunscreen. If someone is not comfortable going out into the sun for that amount of time without sunscreen, then that is perfectly fine, however, this person will need to continue supplementing at the recommended dose. The great thing about Vitamin D is it is very hard to overdose, so although one must be aware of how much they are taking, small to moderate amounts of Vitamin D are perfectly fine.

Preventing disease with Vitamin D

According to the Vitamin D Council, conditions associated with Vitamin D deficiency include: 

  • cancer
  • cardiovascular disease
  • diabetes and other endocrine diseases
  • infections and autoimmune disorders
  • mental health
  • learning disorders
  • musculoskeletal disorders
  • neurological disorders including autism and multiple sclerosis
  • dental caries and periodontal disease
  • respiratory diseases such as asthma and allergies
  • skin disorders
  • low fertility in women and men
  • PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)

This is the short list of disease that can be linked and attributed to Vitamin D deficiency.

Depression, pain and autoimmune

Signs of Vitamin D deficiency are different from person to person but most include altered moods and/or depression, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, chronic illness, frequent infections. The active 1,25(OH)2D form of vitamin D is a potent modulator of inflammation, and may play a role in turning off chronic inflammatory response. (Liu, 2018) Knowing this, Vitamin D should be recommended for anyone and everyone, but especially clients with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or chronic musculoskeletal pain. Stewart Leavitt, Ph.D. states that “some researchers have found that vitamin D deficiency occurs in up to 85% of chronic musculoskeletal pain cases, especially those involving the lower back” (Faraj, 2003, 177).

Cancer prevention

Vitamin D-sensitive cancers are responsible for 257,000 deaths in 2007 – 46% of all cancer deaths in the U.S. in 2007 according to Jemal A, et al. (2007) Colon cancer could be reduced by 50% with vitamin D levels maintained above 34ng/ml and breast cancer could be reduced by 50% with vitamin D levels maintained at 52ng/ml (n.p.).

Just because cancer runs in your family, doesn’t mean you can’t try to prevent it. It all goes back to the principles of epigentics – we can determine the expression of a gene via our environment.

Cold and flu prevention

In study performed by Aloia, J et al., taking 800 IU/day of Vitamin D reduced the incidence of cold/flu by 70%, and decreased incidences of cold/flu by almost 100% for those taking only 2.000IU/day of Vitamin D. In children taking 1,200IU/day of Vitamin D during the winter time, 67% were less likely to contract Type A influenza. (Aloia, 2007, n.p.)

Pregnancy and infants

Women should most definitely be supplementing Vitamin D especially during pregnancy. Vitamin D does not pass the placental barrier well, so it is even more important that the mother be sufficient in Vitamin D. Pregnant women who are sufficient, not only help the direct health of their child, but they also have lower rates of preterm labor, preterm birth and infection, with the greatest effects being when women take 4,000IU daily. (Hollis, 2011, n.p.)

A challenge to the medical community

This blog barely skims the surface on the important and necessity of Vitamin D. As stated in this blog and in the research over and over again, people are dying because of a lack of knowledge on how this simple Vitamin can not only change their lives, but save their lives.

I challenge every MD, DC, DO, ND, PA, NP and every other health care abbreviation I missed to recommend vitamin D to each and every one of our clients. It is our responsibility as health care practitioners to give our clients the resources they need in order to give them the best chance of having a long, quality life. 

References

Al Faraj S, Al Mutairi K. Vitamin D Deficiency and chronic low back pain in Saudi Arabia. Spine 2003; 28: 177-179.

Aloia, J et al. Epidemic Influenza and Vitamin D. Epidemiology and Infection 2007, Vol 135 (7) pp. 1095-1098

Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Willett WC, Wong JB, et al. Fracture prevention with vitamin D supplementation:a meta- analysis of randomized controlled trials. JAMA 2005; 293: 2257-2264. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5685053/

Boxer RS, Dauser RA, Walsh SJ, et al. The association between vitamin D and inflammation with the 6- minute walk and frailty in patients with heart failure. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2008;56:454-461.

Cannell et al. 2008 Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin A Toxicity, Frequent Respiratory Infections, and the Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic. Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology 117 (11) : 864-870

Glerup H, Mikkelsen K, Poulsen L, et at. Hypovitaminosis D myopathy without biochemical signs of osteomalacic bone involvement. Calcif Tissue Int. 2000;66 419-424.

Hollis, Bruce, et al. Vitamin D Supplementation during Pregnancy Part 2 NICHD/CTSA Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT): Outcomes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3183324/

Jemal A, et al. Cancer statistics, 2007. Ca Cancer J. Clin. 2007 Jan- Feb; (1) : 43-66.

Lee P, Chen R. Vitamin D as an analgesic for patients with type 2 diabetes and neuropathic pain. Arch Intern Med. 2008; 168 (7): 771-772.

Liu, Wei, et al. The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Vitamin D in Tumorigenesis. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Sep; 19(9): 2736.

Munger, KL, Levin Kl, Hollis BW, et al. Serum 25- hydroxyvitamin D levels and risk of multiple sclerosis. JAMA 2006;296: 2832-2838.

Pedersen LB, et al. 1, 25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 reverses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by inhibiting chemokine synthesis and monocyte trafficking. J Neurosci Res 2007; 85: 2480-2490.

Richards, JB et al. Higher serum Vitamin D concentrations are associated with leukocyte telomere length in women. Am J. Clin Nutr 2007 Nov; 86 (5): 1420-5

Stewart Leavitt, Ph. D. Vitamin D – A Neglected ‘Analgesic’ for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain. Pain Treatment Topics June 2008

Von Essen, MR et al. Vitamin D controls T cell antigen receptor signaling and activation of human T cells. Nature Immunology 2010, 11, 344-349

 

Let Food Be Thy Medicine

The last blog, “One Species. One Diet.” focused on the necessity of certain foods and the optimal diet for the human species. This blog expands on that concept by revealing the a few of the top inflammatory foods that contribute to chronic disease.

Root of disease

The root of the vast majority of disease is inflammation. Thus, we need to find ways to decrease the amount of inflammation in the body in order to decrease risk of inflammation, which we have learned leads to chronic disease and illness. One of the most effective ways to reduce inflammation is by adjusting the foods that we eat. Although foods with wheat, soy and dairy may have some beneficial nutrients in them, most properties of these foods tend to increase the amount of inflammation in the body.

Gluten Free

Gluten has been a buzzword for several years now, bringing trend diets and the predictable backlash into the cultural mainstream. Some people have gone so far as to try the diet for some time only to find, after completing the blood test, that no such allergy exists. Being intolerant to gluten is a pure yes/no diagnosis, however being sensitive to gluten is not. Gluten sensitivity is a spectrum, ranging from no issues to Celiac.

Gluten Sensitivities

Research estimates that 18 million Americans have a gluten sensitivity. That is six times the amount of Americans who have celiac disease (Peña 2014).  Individuals with non-celiac gluten sensitivity have a prevalence of extraintestinal or non-gastrointestinal symptoms, such as headache, “foggy mind,” joint pain, and numbness in the legs, arms or fingers. Symptoms typically appear hours or days after gluten has been ingested (Peña, 2014, n.p.).

Dairy

Dairy is also not necessary in the human diet. Nearly 65 percent of the human population has a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy (Lactose intolerance, 2018, n.p.). No other mammal on earth consumes breast milk past infancy and humans are the only animal in nature to drink another animal’s milk. Unless you are of Scandinavian background, specifically Swedish, you more than likely have some sensitivity to dairy.

Inflammatory Reactions to Dairy

Clinically, I have seen how dairy seems to affect most the linings of the body: skin, lungs, sinuses, and gastrointestinal. When people, including myself, remove dairy from their diet they notice an improvement, if not full resolution, of their seasonal allergies, skin rashes, irritable bowel syndrome, acne, constipation, asthma, and acid reflux (in adults and infants).

Dairy and Prostate Cancer

Evidence from international, case-control, and cohort studies suggests that men who avoid dairy products are at lower risk for prostate cancer incidence and mortality, compared to others (Ayyadurai, 2018, n.p.).

Dairy Substitutes

So, what dairy substitute calcium sources are most healthful? A moderate amount from a variety of plant sources seems to be best. There’s plenty of easily absorbable calcium in dark leafy greens, such as bok choy, kale, mustard greens, collard greens, and turnip greens, as well as broccoli, dried beans, figs, almonds, calcium-fortified juices, and almond milk. Plus, these foods contain other cancer-fighting nutrients that just aren’t present in dairy products.

Soy

Soy can also be a source of inflammation in the body, mostly due to the amount of compound modification during processing. Soy, in its natural form, is a phytoestrogen – estrogen coming from a plant source. Some research suggests that soy may be beneficial in health, while others suggest that the hormonal properties of soy may interfere with the endocrine system leading to complications.

GMO Soy

My single biggest concern with soy is the prevalence of genetic modification. A brand new study published a in the peer-reviewed journal Agricultural Sciences revealed that genetically engineered soy (the GMO) increases levels of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, and decreases glutathione, an important anti-oxidant necessary for cellular detoxification (Ayyadurai, 2018, n.p.). If you do choose soy for your diet, understand your source and how your soy was processed.

Refined Sugars

Out of all the foods to avoid on this list would be refined sugars. These are the worst of the inflammatory foods. They have been linked to not only obesity and Type II Diabetes, but also non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, high cholesterol, heart disease and even cancer. In 2017, a new study showed that drinking diet soda daily increases your risk for stroke and dementia (Pase, 2018, n.p.). High intake of refined sugars leads to disruption of insulin, a key growth hormone, that can lead to diabetes and cancer. There is a direct correlation between the rapid expansion of refined sugars in the American diet and the rate of obesity, heart disease and certain cancers.

Sugars and Arthritis

From my clinical experience, when clients remove processed sugars from their diet, their arthritic pain lessens and in many people the pain goes away. They also have more energy, sleep better, and improved mood when they remove processed sugars. In fact, the topic of refined sugars is such an important one that there will be an added blog post next week looking more in depth at how refined sugars became such a problem and how they drastically lead to the most destructive health issues in our country.

We are what we eat

One of my favorite quotes is by Heather Morgan, MS, NLC “Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it.” We are what we eat, literally. Input equals output. If we put necessary foods in our bodies, we function optimally. If we put unnecessary food in, especially the ones we spoke of tonight, then we increase our risk of inefficient output.

If we let food by our medicine and medicine our food, then we have the potential to live a higher quality life free from the dependencies of medications, ER visits, doctors appointments, expensive imaging. Which means more money in our pockets and more time doing the things we love with the people we love. 

What to do

When your diet is centered around basic foods like veggies, fruits, quality sources of protein and natural fats, there’s no need to count calories (or “points”). These foods will nourish you and naturally make you feel satisfied making you less likely to overeat. More importantly, you become healthier as your body begins to learn how to run on this better source of fuel for energy rather than relying so heavily of sugar.

If you do choose to eat the kinds of foods mentioned in this post in your diet, be aware of their source and their processing. The less processing these foods have been through the more nutrients there will be. However, keep in mind that these foods can to lead to increased inflammation in most people because they are not necessary nutrients for humans. When choosing your sources of any food, whether necessary or unnecessary, local and organic is best.

Sources

Ayyadurai, V.A.S., & Deonikar, P. (2015). Do GMOs Accumulate Formaldehyde and Disrupt Molecular Systems Equilibria? Systems Biology May Provide Answers. Agricultural Sciences. http://integrativesystems.org/systems-biology-of-gmos/.

De Punder, K., & Pruimboom, L. (2013). The Dietary Intake of Wheat and other Cereal Grains and Their Role in Inflammation. Nutrients. 771-787. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705319/.

He L, Han M, Qiao S, He P, Li D, Li N1, Ma X. (2015). Curr Protein Pept Sci. 613-621. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26122781

Heine RG. (2015). Gastrointestinal food allergies. Chem Immunol Allergy. 171-180. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26022877.

N.A. (2018). Lactose intolerance. Genetics Home Reference. N.p. https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/lactose-intolerance.

N.A. (2018). Prostate Cancer. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. N.p. https://www.pcrm.org/health-topics/prostate-cancer.

N.A. (2009). The Milk Myth: What Your Body Really Needs. Mercola. N.p. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/18/the-milk-myth-what-your-body-really-needs.aspx

Pase, M.P., et al. (2017). Sugar- and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and the Risks of Incident Stroke and Dementia. Stroke, 1139-1146. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/strokeaha.116.016027.

Peña, A. S., & Rodrigo, L. (2014). Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity. Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, 25-44. doi:10.3926/oms.236.

Pikul, C.  (2017). What, Is Milk Suddenly Bad for You?! Huffington Post, n.p. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/19/is-milk-bad-for-you_n_5311851.html.

New Year’s Resolution Got You Down?

We are just three weeks into the new year and I find myself wondering how many of us have sustained our new year’s resolutions, even for this short time? A study from the University of Scranton showed that 92% of people do not keep their New Year’s Resolution. “That means that only 8% of people who make resolutions actually keep them—only 8%! And of that 8%, only 46% of people keep their resolutions for longer than six months.” *

It’s pretty clear we could all use a little help when it comes to our efforts for personal betterment in the new year. Here are a few simple ways to get started again and improve your chances for sticking it out this second (or third) time around:

  1. Ask yourself:

*Is my goal realistic?

*Can I measure this goal to see my progress?

*Is my goal achievable?

*Is my goal logical – does it make sense for me?

If you answer “no” to any of these questions, then your goals need to be revised. Without a “yes” to each of these, your goals will be counter productive by negatively affecting your self-esteem and self-confidence. Trust me, you will need both your self-esteem and self confidence to be soaring in order to successfully and persistently pursue your goals.

  1. Now, take some time to rewrite your goals, making sure you are able to answer “yes” to each of the questions above.

  1. Lastly, review your goals with someone else. Someone who can verify that these goals are realistic, measurable, achievable and logical. Having another perspective can help clarify your goals. Not only should this person be a support system for you, but they should also be there to hold you accountable. If these goals are something you’re serious about, you’ll need support and accountability to stay on track for the long haul.

Following these few simple steps can help put you in the 8% of successful resolutions. One of my favorite quotes is an old chinese proverb that provides a beautiful metaphor for this exact topic:

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now.”

Do not give up on the goals that you started January 1, simply begin them anew today.

 

* http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/simple-steps-to-keeping-new-years-resolutions-011414