Vitamin D

Here is a vitamin that used to receive a large amount of criticism and negative publicity, but recent studies have shed some light on this controversy. In the April 2000 Archives of Internal Medicine, Dr. Anu Prabhala reported that he noticed that several of his patients confined to wheelchairs were severely deficient in vitamin D. He administered 50,000 I.U. and within 6 weeks, they were mobile.

Weston A. Price, a Canadian dentist and author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, spent his life researching primitive societies and fats. He knew of the incredible benefits of vitamins A, D, and K (which he had dubbed the X-factor, since vitamin K was not known then). He noted that ancient civilizations consuming diets rich in these fat-soluble vitamins had a high immunity to tooth decay and were disease resistant. The amount of vitamin D, of these societies, was greater than 10 times the 200-400 I.U. recommended today.

Interestingly enough, another Canadian researcher, Dr. Reinhold Vieth, concurs that the RDA's are inadequate for optimum health. Of course, health conscious individuals have known this for years. The Recommended Dietary Allowances have never been for ideal health, but rather just enough to keep from dying and even that may be changing. Now, the FDA is about to change the daily dose from 400 I.U. to 1,000 I.U. per day, simply because they found a huge body of evidence proving that 400 I.U. will not even prevent rickets in children.

Now, I live in California, shouldn't I be getting enough vitamin D from the sun? I hear this question often, but I cannot stress enough how inaccurate this is. Yes, we make vitamin D from cholesterol by the skin's exposure to sunlight. However, only ultraviolet B light penetrates deeply enough to stimulate the production of vitamin D. It just so happens that these UV-B rays are present only during midday hours and at higher latitudes. In addition, smog, glass, and clouds act as filters, allowing a mere 5 percent to actually get through.

In order to maintain enough essential vitamin D, you would need to sunbathe between the peak hours of 10 am to 2 pm during the summer months, for 20-120 minutes, depending on skin color and type, before the skin burns. Think you can still get enough? Okay. 85 percent of the body, at least, needs to be exposed to direct sun (not just arms and legs like previously suggested). Then, it takes 30-60 minutes for the body to absorb the oils for the conversion process to occur, so you cannot shower during this time or the oils will be removed. Finally, it takes around 24 accumulated hours of this to achieve optimum amounts of vitamin D in the blood (which is more like 2000 to 5000 I.U.).

I think most of us can read this information and realize that it is absurd to think that we can (or should) get all we need from the sun. One major think I take from this research, is that nutritional intake of vitamin D is more necessary than ever before. Yet, Americans are still convinced that eating fat is bad (ironically, we are fatter than ever). We consume egg whites but the vitamin D is found in the yolk. We avoid eating the skin of poultry and fish, when the skin contains the highest amounts of D. We have an aversion to eating organ meats, like liver, but it is high in natural D!

Farm-raised, free range poultry (skin on), fatty fish, like kippers and herring, raw (real) butter, egg yolks, and organ meats are all rich sources of vitamin D and should be consumed on a regular basis. Pregnant or nursing mothers and children are especially at risk. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a wide range of disorders, most importantly autoimmune diseases. As always, it is time to take back our health, what are you doing to fix it?