Vitamin D DeficiencyA Personal Vitamin D Deficiency Story... At first, we attributed his symptoms to signs of getting older. Lin, my husband, had unexplained aches and pains. He was often tired. Then he started feeling dizzy and one day his legs felt numb. He felt like he was going to collapse. Well… that was it. We made an appointment with our doctor. After a careful history and physical, he ordered blood work measuring a number of blood components including a Vitamin D level. He said he sees a surprising number of patients with vitamin D deficiency. A few days later, he called Lin saying, “Your vitamin D level is dangerously low. You need to get on a supplement right away.” Everything else was in the normal range. Lin’s vitamin D level was 11 ng/ml. The normal level is 30-150 ng/ml. He prescribed Vitamin D3 5000 IUs two times a day. It took about three weeks for Lin’s dizziness to subside. Lin’s Vitamin D level a month later was in the low normal range. We’re now grateful for his symptoms. They alerted us something was wrong. Often vitamin D deficiency isn’t recognized until too late and a chronic disease has set in. We share this story in the hopes that it will help you. You are likely vitamin D deficient too! Key Facts1. Vitamin D (calciferol) consists of a group of fat-soluble seco-sterols.It functions as a hormone when in your body. The two major forms of vitamin D are D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol).Vitamin D2 is produced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation of ergosterol, which occurs in molds, yeast, and higher-order plants. Vitamin D3 is photosynthesized in the skin by action of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) B radiation on cholesterol. Your sun exposure resulting from your location in relation to the earth’s equator (latitude), season of the year, aging, sunscreen use, and skin pigmentation influence the production of vitamin D3 by the skin. Vitamin D3 is 10 times more potent than D2. 2. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to many life-threatening diseases.Epidemiologists, scientists who study the prevalence of disease, recognized the importance of vitamin D when they noted that death rates from several potentially life-threatening conditions increased with increasing latitude from the equator.Otherwise, the further you live from the equator (less sun exposure) the more likely your vitamin D level will be low and the more likely you will have these diseases:
3. Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common — it’s epidemic.A 2009 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine concluded, “Current recommendations for vitamin D supplementation are inadequate to address the growing epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency.”4. You most likely need a vitamin D supplement.Food is a poor source of vitamin D. Its natural source is limited to fish-liver oils, fatty fish, mushrooms, egg yolks, avocados, and liver.Doctors used to think you could get enough vitamin D from 15 minutes of sun exposure a day. Researchers now find even people receiving abundant sun exposure may have low vitamin D levels. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism of 90 Hawaiians found that 51 percent had low vitamin D levels. The current national guidelines for daily vitamin D intake (200 IUs for people age 50 and younger and 400 IUs for people age 50 to 70 years) are now under revision based on new research. A 2008 Alternative Medicine Review article reports that blood testing for vitamin D is the only adequate and safe way to make the diagnosis. Treatment for otherwise healthy people deficient in vitamin D is from 2,000 to 7,000 IUs of vitamin D3 per day. Chronically ill persons require higher doses. Get your vitamin D level tested soon. Give your body the vitamin D it needs to keep you healthy. Revised 11/2/09 SourcesAdit A. Ginde, et. al., “Demographic Differences and Trends of Vitamin D Insufficiency in the US Population, 1988-2004,” Archives of Internal Medicine 169, no. 6 (2009).Adrian F Gombart , “The vitamin D–antimicrobial peptide pathway and its role in protection against infection,” Future Microbiology, 4, no. 9 (2009). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Fat-Soluble Vitamins & Nutrients: Vitamin D,” http://www.cdc.nutritionreport/part_2b.html, accessed August 23, 2009. John J. Cannell and Bruce W. Hollis, “Use of Vitamin D in Clinical Practice,” Alternative Medicine Review, 13, No. 1 (2008). N. Binkley, et al., “Vitamin D Level May Be Low Despite Adequate Sun Exposure,” Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 92 (2007). ScienceDaily,Retrieved November 25, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123142735.htm Return from Vitamin D Deficiency to Optimal Natural Health
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