The Three T's of Vitamin D: Talked about, Taking, Too Much

Vitamin D is all the rage these days... You hear about it in the news all the time. Everyone seems to be talking about it as the wonder supplement.  And in many ways, it is.  Yet, a recent New York Times article talked about all the perils of taking Vitamin D.  So what is the deal with Vitamin D?
  It turns out Vitamin D is pretty darn important. In fact it is so important that this will be a multipart blog post.  (Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you can keep up!) We have known for years that it is essential for bone health and development.  The disease known as Rickets  is due to profound Vitamin D deficiency. People used to get bowed legs from poor bone growth. Luckily, due to the advent of fortified milk this is now rare.
  However, milder forms of Vitamin D deficiency still cause people of all groups many problems with their bones.  Without adequate Vitamin D we do not absorb and metabolize Calcium properly and our bones can lose density.  Therefore inadequate Vitamin D levels contribute to Osteoporosis and the resultant fractures.  It is essential to bone development and the prevention of bone loss that we have enough Vitamin D.
  But wait, that's not nearly all. Muscles too rely of Vitamin D to function optimally.  People with inadequate Vitamin D do not have the same muscle strength as those who have enough. Elderly people with low Vitamin D levels are much more prone to falls.  We can presume that younger people as well benefit from adequate Vitamin D levels for both muscle building and general muscle health.  Many people report they have less tendency to strain muscles and tendons once they achieve optimal levels of Vitamin D.
  When it comes to the taking of Vitamin D it turns out that many or most of us need to.  Where does it come from? Very few natural foods contain it.  Many foods are fortified with it, such as Milk, Yogurt and some Orange Juices.  Most of us get the Vitamin D we get from these foods and/or sun light.  To obtain Vitamin D from the sun we have to have direct sun exposure and not be wearing protective clothing or sun screen (this may be ill-advised for skin cancer prevention).  We absorb the Vitamin D through our skin but we must then metabolize it in our liver and kidneys (both must function optimally for this) to it's active form.  Complicated, yes?
  Long story short, very few of us are managing to do all of this enough in order to get what we need.  Therefore most of us should be taking some supplementation.  How much to take varies depending on your individual health history and lifestyle. For example, those who don't absorb as much through diet (those with Celiac or Inflammatory Bowel Disease) or via the sun (those in Northern Latitudes) may need more than others.  Most daily supplement recommendations range from 400 to 2000 international units.  Some extreme deficiencies require "Mega Doses" of up to 50000 IUs weekly.  If you may fall into this category, consult with your Doctor to consider checking a blood level to determine your individual requirements.
  The story does not end here... There is much much more to Vitamin D, both it's benefits and it's perils. It influences the immune system, cancer and everything in between.  Stay tuned for more next time and please subscribe to the blog so you are sure to see it!

Reset yourself with Healthy Living and Supplements

Tired all the time? Trouble losing weight? Feel like your hair is thinning? These can all be signs of vitamin deficiencies.  Sometimes our diet and lifestyle do not provide us with all of the nutrients that are vital to keeping us feeling and looking the best we can.
    As a Physician specializing in Internal Medicine and Preventative Care I have decades of experience treating patients for these complaints and others.  While some patients suffer from serious medical conditions causing these symptoms, many are due to vitamin deficiencies of various sorts. Sometimes they occur in people who are already taking a multivitamin, but the vitamin is not tailored to who is taking it.
  We are each unique individuals with our own genetic mixes, family histories and personal medical histories. We also create lifestyles for ourselves that vary greatly from person to person.  One person may exercise vigorously every day, while another is more sedentary.  One person may eat meat every day while another may be a vegetarian, and others fall somewhere in between. Some of us live in places where the sun shines year round while many of us get rare glimpses of the sun for much of the year.
  No two of us have the same genetic makeup and lifestyle, thus it is not a surprise that we all have individual needs.  Therefore we can not make a blanket statement that "everyone should take ___mg of a certain supplement."  One size most definitely does not fit all.
  What we can do is strive to learn more about our own needs. We can examine our genetic makeup and lifestyle decisions, to determine how they intersect to create specific needs. While working to make healthy diet choices we can augment our eating with the correct amounts of certain vitamins.
  Of paramount importance, we must not assume that more is better. Too much of a good thing is often detrimental.  For example, studies have shown supplementing large groups of people with Vitamin A showed dramatic increases in Cancer rates.  Therefore, we must use caution in what we take and how much.  All supplement choices should be approved by your personal physician.
  Likewise, where we obtain supplements should also be considered.  Due to minimal FDA regulation of supplement manufacturing it is essential that we purchase products that are from reputable, preferably organic, and natural sources.
  So how do you start figuring out what your needs are? More to come...