Vitamin D Supplements Hold Little Benefit? Not So Fast…
They’re at it again, researchers maligning the most important supplements needed for optimal health. Last month it was the everyday multiple vitamin supplement and today’s latest poster child? Vitamin D.
What’s NOT to like about this multifaceted supplement? Nearly every tissue and cell type in the body has receptors for vitamin D. Unless your body is at the optimal level for vitamin D, you are creating risk for a host of disorders, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, diabetes and more.
Studies are constantly surfacing that contradict each other. However, the key is look at the quality of the study. Opinions about various medical studies and food studies change constantly. Remember when eggs were considered very unhealthy? Quality studies now show that eggs are indeed, very healthful. Quality is the operative word.
Not only do people who live in the Northern latitudes need more vitamin D due to a lack of sunshine, the vast majority of individuals everywhere are eating a diet high in processed foods that have had all of the nutrients stripped away. Add to this crops that are grown in nutrient deficient soil and animals that are given “feed” with hormones and more so they bulk out and grow faster. This is only scratching the surface of how critical it is to supplement and begs the question: who doesn’t need supplemental support in this modern day?
Most every cell in our body has a receptor site for vitamin D3 and thus it is logical to assume that vitamin D is a critical component to a healthy body. Over the past years there have been a number of well-conducted studies that have compared large populations and demonstrated a significant decreased risk of several diseases in those with the higher vitamin D levels, including a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, of CVD, of Alzheimer’s disease, of MS, and of 4 types of cancer (prostate, breast, colon and melanoma).
My personal experience has shown that vitamin D3 has been highly effective in a multitude of areas for my clients including weight loss too. I have countless stories of clients who tested below normal for vitamin D and once their level was normalized, they had more energy, better mood, increased immunity and much more.
In most of human history, our ancestors, had an optimal blood level of 80 ng/Ml (80) and now? The blood level is typically 16-24 ng/Ml for unsupplemented individuals <- this is very low and not normal.
In fact, quoting David DiSalvo: “The Harvard Institute of Medicine describes Vitamin D deficiency as a “global concern” and recommends supplementation to correct deficiencies. This is one of the rare cases that an established medical institution actually encourages people to take a vitamin supplement. Quoting from the Harvard School of Public Health website: “Being “D-ficient” may increase the risk of a host of chronic diseases, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, some cancers, and multiple sclerosis, as well as infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and even the seasonal flu.” and…“Worldwide, an estimated 1 billion people have inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood, and deficiencies can be found in all ethnicities and age groups.”
Renowned health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola did a guest post on the Healthy Living Blog of Dr. Lori last week ‘How to Optimize Vitamin D Levels Naturally’ where he writes about the importance of vitamin D, the differences between the two types (one is not as effective and can be harmful) and tips on how to optimize this important nutrient.
If individuals adhere to research before it has been examined and scrutinized for quality, the public will sadly will be more reliant upon drugs.
Resources
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587%2813%2970212-2/fulltext
http://medind.nic.in/jac/t13/i3/jact13i3p247.pdf
© 2014 DLS HealthWorks, LLC.
Lori Shemek, PhD, Health and weight loss expert, is the best-selling author of ‘Fire-Up Your Fat Burn!