Vitamin D3 Blog

Who Should Take Vitamin D Supplements, How Much and Why?

Vitamin D supplements, particularly those providing the more bio-available form known as Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol, can be of life-saving importance to a larger percentage of the population than most would probably assume. Of all the vitamin and mineral supplements out on the market, Vitamin D3 supplements may be the most under-consumed and most important among them.

According to a number of recent studies, between 50-80% of the American population isn’t getting enough Vitamin D. This number is believed to be even higher among African Americans. Part of the problem is that a disturbingly high number of people either aren’t aware of the importance of healthy levels of the nutrient or make the mistake of assuming they get enough by way of diet and/or sunlight.

Remedial Information about Vitamin D is Misleading

While most of us learned in school about the ever-important D vitamin is technically true (that Vitamin D is obtained via sunlight naturally), it is woefully incomplete information that has contributed to the crisis many health experts describe as a Vitamin D deficiency epidemic. We get Vitamin D from the sunshine. It is a “nonessential” vitamin (although that term is very misleading). What this effectively means is that our bodies can make it. Specifically, human skin manufactures it from sunshine, the liver breaks it down, and finally the kidney activates it into a form that is thousands of times more potent. This job provided by the kidney is lost very in the early stages of chronic kidney disease, and diminishes substantially often simply as a result of the aging process. What’s more, older people’s skin is not able to optimally manufacture the nutrient from sunlight.
So what does this all mean to the average American who likely had never so much as considered whether or not he or she was obtaining sufficient amounts of the nutrient?

Most of us also learned in school that inadequate Vitamin D levels can lead to rickets. But how many adults actually know someone with rickets? This is precisely the dilemma — rickets is not a disease people are used to seeing and thus, intricately familiar with.

Think You’re Getting Enough Vitamin D?  Think Again

Far too many Americans are of the mistaken belief that they are getting enough sunshine, and what they’re not getting in terms of sun is compensated for by diet. This is a big mistake, at least if the studies indicating that more than half the American population is deficient are correct. Paying a (probably already overdue) visit to the doctor and having one’s Vitamin D levels checked takes very little time and is a relatively inexpensive test. This test is the only way to know for sure if one is low in the nutrient and thus susceptible to the assortment of health ailments and illnesses associated with the condition.

More Milk isn’t the Answer

Milk is fortified with Vitamin D, and many who are cognizant of the importance of the vitamin assume that drinking milk will help stave off deficiency. Technically this isn’t completely inaccurate. There’s just one problem with that line of thinking though: it would take approximately 16 glasses of milk a day to provide the necessary amount of Vitamin D needed to stave of deficiency and deficiency-related illness. What’s more, the Vitamin D found in milk breaks down when exposed to light? Most major grocery chains store milk under fluorescent lights 24-7 until it sells. Even if the milk is stored in such a way as to protect the nutrients inside it, sixteen glasses is a lot of milk — even if you like milk.

Rickets we rarely encounter, sunshine we have aplenty, and we’ve survived this long without nutrient-rich milk, so what does it matter? The human body requires Vitamin D for many internal processes. It is a co-factor in myriad activities within the body. Most of us did not learn this in school as scientists only recently discovered just how critically important this nutrient is.

Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic

What you don’t know, can hurt you. Without enough Vitamin D, not only are we vulnerable to rickets, but more importantly processes begin in which the body essentially turns itself into bone. Genes get *up-regulated(1) in the absence of needed levels of Vitamin D, which lead to the building of bone matrix in soft tissue. That tissue includes blood vessels, the heart, liver, pancreas, the list goes on. Upon that matrix, minerals like calcium are laid down and turn it into bone. This obviously is not good for one’s health. As a matter of fact, this directly correlates with mortality rates — especially via heart disease.

The lower the Vitamin D levels, the higher the mortality rate! Vitamin D deficiency has now been linked to colon cancer, diabetes, hypertension, fibromyalgia, proximal muscle weakness, and many, many others. While the death certificate doesn’t typically list Vitamin D deficiency as the cause-of-death, an alarmingly high number of debilitating and potentially even fatal diseases and illnesses have been associated with deficiencies in Vitamin D levels. So which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Vitamin D deficiency is indeed an epidemic. In numerous studies, 50-80% of the American populations studied are deficient in this Vitamin. These numbers are believed to be even higher among African Americans. While rickets is not regarded as a serious health concern, more and more people are diagnosed with heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes everyday in every family. Can anything help to prevent this?

More Sunlight Not Necessarily the Answer

The sun has gotten a bad rap. We know it causes aging of our skin and skin cancer. This is true, and in the case of skin cancer potentially deadly, so getting more sunlight is not necessarily the answer. Worth noting is the fact that the darker one’s skin, the less Vitamin D that person is able to manufacture all other things being equal. This likely explains why African Americans are suffering and dying more than any other group from these very same diseases now linked with Vitamin D deficiency.

When one spends considerable time in the sun, what happens? Assuming the person used sunblock, that person will become tan. The darker the skin the less Vitamin D one is able to manufacture, so more sun exposure is not the answer due to it’s catch-22 nature. This is especially true for African Americans and other people with dark skin.

Time in the sun is not a good predictor of one’s Vitamin D level for the reasons stated above. The only way to know if a person is deficient (and about 80% of us are) is to have that person’s Vitamin D levels tested and evaluated. Drinking milk is not going to bring the levels up unless perhaps one maybe owns a cow or has a very large refrigerator to go along with an insatiable appetite. The bottom line is that for most adults, Vitamin D3 supplements are usually necessary to ensure healthy levels and promote good health. According to esteemed Nurse Practitioner and Health Columnist Pamela Egan, “the few patients I see who are not deficient usually have been taking vitamin supplements for years.”

How Much Should I take?

The recommended dosages for Vitamin D are 400 units a day if you are under 50 years old, 600 units a day for those 51-70, and 800 units a day for those over 71. When one is deficient, it is very difficult to replete levels with over the counter doses of Vitamin D. A prescription-strength dose is often required, and can be beneficial with a weekly dose.

Nurse Practitioner Egan offered the following piece of advice for readers of this blog: “Talk to your doctor, get a level measured, and supplement your deficiency with enough D to maintain adequate levels. Let’s all live a long and happy life!”

Vitamin D3 Supplements can be found here, or by clicking the links appearing in the box below.

* 1. Up-Regulation - the process where postsynaptic receptors increase in number or become more sensitive when presynaptic neurons are not releasing enough neurotransmitter to carry the impulse (mcgraw-hill.com).

* Alternate Definition of Up-Regulation - an increase in the number and density of a particular neuronal receptor, generally in response to an altered amount of neurotransmitters present in the surrounding environment (macalester.edu).

Pamela Egan, FNP-C, CDE, is a board-certified Nurse Practitioner, certified diabetes educator, health columnist and anti-aging diplomat. She is an expert on vitamin d3 and illnesses associated with deficiencies of this vital nutrient. Her website is www.pamelaegan.com.

Research shows it is possible to drastically reduce the risk of Seasonal Flu and Swine Flu by supplementing regularly with Vitamin D3.

There has been a fear of a pandemic flu outbreak for the past several years. My own parish received 20,000 body bags last year in preparation for the flu pandemic. Research presented by John Cannell, MD of the Vitamin D Council showed that Vitamin D3 is protective against seasonal flu. Further research performed by Norris Glick, MD and Ellie Campbell, DO, showed that Vitamin D3 helps prevent H1N1 Flu. Further, Dr. John Cannell showed that Vitamin D3 deficiency activates the influenza virus (the Flu).

Currently, the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance for Vitamin D3 is 400 iu/day. This dose was recommended to prevent rickets, which works well, but does nothing to give the far more important protection from cancer, heart disease and infections. Approximately 70% children in the US and 75% teens and adults have a Vitamin D3 deficiency. We now have overwhelming evidence that therapeutic levels of this miracle vitamin, not only boost our immune system, but protects us from cancer, including breast cancer and even H1N1 Swine Flu. Blood levels of D3 (OH-25) should be at least above 50, optimally 80. Most children and adults can be maintained on vitamin D3 5000iu – 10,000iu/day. At the first sign of flu or respiratory illness, take 50,000iu D3/day x 5 days.

This article was written exclusively for VitaminD3Blog.com by Nurse Practitioner Pam Egan, FNP-C, CDE.

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Vitamin D3 Deficiency Can Be Prevented Through Sunlight, Food Sources

Vitamin D is found in many dietary sources such as fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. The sun also contributes significantly to the daily production of Vitamin D3, which is also known as Cholecalciferol.

Trying to incorporate more Vitamin D3 through your diet can easily be done. Cholecalciferol is created through exposure of your skin to the sun, but due to many being wary of overexposure to the sunshine, some can have deficiencies. Through 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure daily, the body creates 10,000 to 15,000 IUs of Vitamin D3.

Vitamin D3 Deficiency can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, depression and psoriasis. Luckily, there are a few other sources of Vitamin D3 including some foods that can supply sufficient quantities of the nutrient for those who cannot sunbathe for whatever reason. If you are staying out of the sun, consider the following foods to keep your body healthy:

Cod Liver Oil

1. According to drweil.com, Dr Weil states the National Institutes of Health finds cod liver oil can provide up to 1,300 IU of Vitamin D per tablespoon, which is more than the 1,000 IU daily recommendation. They also find cod liver oil to be a good source of Vitamin A. Fish oil supplements are available in liquid capsules and in oil form. Taking cod liver oil daily can help your body get the Vitamin D3 it needs.

Fortified Foods

2. Pamela Egan, FNP-C, CDE, suggests eating fortified foods such as milk and cereal to make up for Vitamin D3 Deficiency. By checking labels on fortified milks and cereals, one can select items that will provide sufficient amounts of this critical nutrient to help stave off deficiency. By starting the day with a bowl of fortified milk and cereal, your body can get a full day’s serving of D3.

Egg Yolks

3. Another great source of Cholecalciferol is egg yolks. Making an omelet or scrambling a couple eggs can give you almost a full daily serving. Studies conducted by the Agricultural Research Centre of Finland published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry find feeding chickens a feed high in Vitamin D produces eggs that are sevenfold higher in Vitamin D3 than normal eggs. In the future, one egg might solve the complex and extremely serious health problem that is Vitamin D3 deficiency.

Vitamin D3 is manufactured by the body when human skin is exposed to direct sunlight. It can also be obtained through certain foods, as well as supplements. The main difference is in D3′s superior bio-availability, which lends to better absorption of the nutrient and enhanced health benefits directly associated with absorption factor and the fact that Vitamin D3 is a more naturally occurring form of the nutrient.

According to Nurse Practitioner Pam Egan, Vitamin D3 is “not to be confused with inactive Vitamin D2.”

Two Major Types of Vitamin D

Although there are a total of five different forms of Vitamin D, only two are commonly used in supplements.

1. Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) - A synthetic form of Vitamin D. This is the form found in most nutritional supplements. D2 is substantially less bioavailable than D3.
2. Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) – The naturally occurring form of the D Vitamin. This is the same Vitamin D manufactured by the human body when skin makes contact with direct sunlight. Cholecalciferol is five-times (or 500%) more bioavailable than Ergocalciferol, which means that D3 is converted into a usable form by the body at a rate five times faster than is the case with D2.

Another drawback with Vitamin D2 is that it has a much shorter shelflife than does D3, and its metabolites do not bind well with proteins, rendering it that much less effective than the alternative.

Many recent studies have suggested that Vitamin D2 should no longer be classified as a nutrient appropriate for supplementation and/or fortification in foods. Despite this, it continues to be the most common form of Vitamin D available in supplement form on the market today.

In conclusion, based on all of that documented above, it is clear that Vitamin D3 is a far superior form of Vitamin D than is D2, and anyone who takes their health seriously should strongly consider double-checking to make sure they’re getting the good stuff (Cholecalciferol) as opposed to the inferior Ergocalciferol when shopping for Vitamin D supplements.

Cholecalciferol (aka: Vitamin D3)

Pam Egan, FNP-C, CDE, is a board-certified adult and family nurse practitioner, a certified diabetes educator, certified specialist in anti-aging medicine, and also a health columnist. Mrs. Egan has written extensively on the subject of Vitamin D3 and the wealth of both short and long-term health benefits associated with this incredible vitamin.

Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is by far and without question the most bio-available form of Vitamin D.

Why is Vitamin D3 so important?

Vitamin D is essential for healthy-looking skin and strong bones. In addition, Vitamin D3 has been found to stimulate the immune system, providing your body with a powerful boost to help stave off illness.

If an individual has chronically low Vitamin D3 intake from food and/or sunlight, the deficiency can lead to numerous health ailments including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Obesity, Diabetes, Cancer, Fibromyalgia, neuro-degenerative diseases, osteoporosis, and clinical depression. Scientists and researchers are now discovering that the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke may increase in people with a prolongued Vitamin D3 deficiency.

D3 can be obtained from a variety of foods, however perhaps the best way to ingest/absorb the nutrient is through sunlight making direct contact with skin. A handful of top health and nutrition experts have even recommended sunbathing in the nude for ten to fifteen minutes daily as a means of ingesting/manyfacturing sufficient amounts of this critically important vitamin in its most potent and bioavailable form.

In addition to foods and sunlight, perhaps the easiest way to ingest sufficient amounts of D3 is via supplementation. A number of high-quality Vitamin D3 Supplements exist to help one ingest enough of the nutrient on a regular basis, including when weather prohibits one from sunbathing.

Included are some links at the bottom of this post to some additional educational resources about Vitamin D3, authored by Nurse Practitioner Egan.

Pamela Egan’s Articles about Vitamin D3:

• Vitamin D3
• Vitamin D3 may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol
• Experts Call for Increased Dose of Vitamin D3
• What is Vitamin D3?
• Vitamin D3 Sources
• Side Effects of Vitamin D3 (D3 Toxicity)

Introduction to Vitamin D3

By: Peter Egan Jr.

My mother, Nurse Practitioner and Health Columnist Pamela B. Egan has written extensively on the subject of Vitamin D3 and the myriad health benefits offered by this super-nutrient.

Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is the most bio-available form of Vitamin D. This extremely important nutrient is essential for skin, bone and immune health.

The presence of a Vitamin D3 deficiency in an individual can lead to numerous health ailments including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Obesity, Diabetes, Cancer, Fibromyalgia, neuro-degenerative diseases, osteoporosis, and clinical depression. Scientists and researchers are also now finding out that Vitamin D3 deficiency may also increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Vitamin D3 can be obtained from certain foods, however arguably the best and most bio-available version of the nutrient is absorbed into the body through sunlight making direct contact with skin. Some health experts have even gone so far as to recommend nude sunbathing for fifteen minutes a day as a means of obtaining sufficient amounts of the vitamin in its most potent form.

In addition to foods and sunlight, perhaps the easiest way to ingest sufficient amounts of D3 is via supplementation. A number of high-quality Vitamin D3 Supplements exist to help one ingest enough of the nutrient on a regular basis, including when weather prohibits one from sunbathing.

I have included some links at the bottom of this post to additional educational Vitamin D3 resources.

More on Vitamin D3:

* Vitamin D3: The Miracle of Sunshine

Approximately 30 minute video providing an in-depth review of the claim that vitamin D and in particular vitamin D3 (also known as cholecalciferol) may aid in preventing some forms of cancer. The video references a study by researchers at the UCSD School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center that involved a computer-projection model that estimated that intake of vitamin D3 and calcium would prevent 58,000 new cases of breast cancer and 49,000 new cases of colorectal cancer per year in the US and Canada

The computer model went on make a number of other predictions that are discussed within the film.

All in all, this is a fairly in depth look into the relationship between vitamin D3 and cancer prevention, and whether or not the claims being made by a variety of scientists and clinicians of late that vitamin D can indeed help prevent cancer hold any validity. To find out the answer, you’ll have to watch the video below.

By:  Pamela Egan  (Nurse Practitioner and Health Columnist)

Due to our indoor lifestyles and fear of going in the sun due to the development of skin cancer, most Americans don’t get enough sunshine. Over the years, the lack of sunshine (Vitamin D3, or Cholecalciferol) is cumulative and has left most American deficient of this essential nutrient.

Supplementation with Vitamin D3 is safe, effective, and essential to health. Higher dosages of Vitamin D3 are needed to reap additional health benefits according to published Risk Assessments.

Four nutrition experts, including two Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) scientists and two of the world’s pre-eminent vitamin D researchers, are urging the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) to raise the vitamin D Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) five-fold, based on a safety evaluation of the latest scientific research. This research shows that vitamin D is safe at intake levels much higher than its current UL.

The paper, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) this month (Jan 2007; 85:6-18), concludes the safety profile of vitamin D should safely permit raising the UL for vitamin D to 250ug (10,000IU) per day from the current UL of 50 ug (2,000IU) per day.

The researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and Creighton University report that the UL established by the Food & Nutrition Board is outdated. It is not based on current evidence and is viewed by many in the scientific community as being too restrictive-limiting research, commercial development, and optimization of nutritional policy. They provided an ample collection of human clinical trial data published since the 1997 recommendation which supports a significantly higher dosage.

There has been an increased consumer interest in the nutrient following a number of recent studies showing the benefits of Vitamin D3 associated with levels beyond what is typically provided in a multivitamin and most fortified food.
Pamela Egan, NP, ABAAHP Diplomat (American Board of Anti-Aging Health Practitioners), CDE is a board certified Adult & Family Nurse Practitioner, Fellow of the American Academy of Anti-Aging & Functional Medicine, and Certified Diabetes Educator. She is a health columnist from Covington, LA.

Pamela Egan, NP, CDE
ABAAHP Diplomat
(American Board of Anti-Aging Health Practitioner)
1116 West 21st Ave.
Covington, LA 70433
985-892-3031
Fax- 985-892-9504
Website:  http://www.pamelaegan.com

February 18, 2010

By: Pamela Egan

What is one of the cheapest and easiest interventions in medicine that would save the most lives and the most money? It reduces inflammation in your heart, brain & joints. It stops bone loss and protects you from osteoporosis, diabetes & obesity. It strengthens your immune system and helps retard bacterial and viral infections. It helps prevent several different cancers. It helps cure fibromyalgia, depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome. If you’ve read my past health columns, you know that I am referring to natural, active Vtamin D3, not synthetic D2.

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is essential for life. You may ask why are Americans so deficient in Vitamin D3? Let’s take a look at evolutionary biology. Our ancestors lived naked in the sun for several million years. Through evolution, sunlight was needed to produce Vitamin D. Then 50,000 years ago, some of us migrated north to places with less sun. Then we put on clothes, started working inside and living in cities where buildings blocked the sun.

We started traveling in cars instead of walking or riding horses and glass blocked even more UVB in the sunlight. Only a few years ago, we started actively avoiding the sun and putting on sun block. All this time we humans have been steadily reducing the tissue levels of the most potent steroid hormone in our bodies, one with powerful anti-cancer properties.

The really significant reductions in sunlight exposure have occurred since the industrial revolution, just the time the “diseases of civilization,” like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer became prominent.

So what can a Vitamin D3 deficiency lead to? At least 17 varieties of cancer including: Breast, Bladder, Colon, Lymphoma, Ovarian, Endometrial, and Prostate. Heart disease, High Blood pressure, Stroke, Autoimmune disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes Type 1 & 2, Depression, Chronic Pain, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis, Muscle Weakness, Obesity, Periodontal Disease, Infectious Disease, & more. Vitamin D3 is a powerful anti-inflammatory and those of us in the Anti-Aging industry that reducing inflammation is half the aging battle won!

The research is astonishing! So how much Vitamin D3 do we need per day?

Ask your primary care provider to check your serum vitamin D3/ 25(OH) level. The optimum range is 80 – 100 ng/ml. No toxicity was seen with D3 levels less than 150 ng/ml.

The optimum dose of Vitamin D3 is 5000 – 15,000IU per day. (I personally take 10,000IU D3 daily to maintain my 25(OH) level between 80 – 100. A weekly dose of 50,000 IU D3 is OK. Fewer supplements are needed if you receive more sun exposure. Maybe they knew something we didn’t know in those nudist colonies.

Pamela Egan, MN, NP, CDE, ABAAHP Diplomat (American Board of Anti-Aging Health Practitioners), is a board certified Adult & Family Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Specialist in Gerontology/Mental Health, & Certified Diabetes Educator. She can be reached at 985-892-3031 or www.pamelaegan.com.

By: Health Columnist Pamela Egan

At the root of many, many chronic diseases and illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, etc., is inflammation. If one can keep inflammation at bay, that person has successfully won half of the aging battle.

Research shows you can drastically reduce your risk of cancer and countless other chronic diseases by getting safe sun exposure, or taking a high quality Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) supplement. Vitamin D3 deficiency has been associated with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Diabetes, Colon Cancer, Obesity, High Blood Pressure, Heart Disease, Auto-Immune Disease, Neuro-degenerative Diseases including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis and Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Osteoporosis, Depression, and also Breast Cancer.

Personally, I can always tell when my D3 levels falls lower than 60 because my feet get achy. However, this occurrence is rare as I make a point of regularly obtaining the nutrient through a variety of Vitamin D3 Sources.

New data on nutrition and heart disease presented at a recent symposium and published in the July issue of the American Journal of the Medical Sciences shows that low vitamin D levels are a common problem affecting numerous health conditions, including high blood pressure, heart failure and ischemic heart disease.

I have many patients with auto-immune disease including Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus who are off of their medications including steroids and methotrexate with vitamin D3 10,000iu/day plus a course of prescription strength probiotics such as VSL-3.  Many patients with hypertension are managed with Vitamin D3 5000 iu twice a day + Magnesium Glycinate 100mg twice a day.

High-quality vitamin d3 supplements can be found here., for any readers who may be better off taking such a supplement but don’t know where to obtain one that will achieve the desired results.

Pamela Egan, NP, ABAAHP Diplomat (American Board of Anti-Aging Health Practitioners), CDE is a board certified Adult & Family Nurse Practitioner, Fellow of the American Academy of Anti-Aging & Functional Medicine, and Certified Diabetes Educator. She is a health columnist from Covington, LA.