I’ve always thought I was getting enough vitamin D, but now realize I’ve been wrong. I’ll be boosting my daily supplement intake to 4000 IU/day.
Often the media and medical establishment spread disinformation about nutrition, the importance of a healthy, balanced diet and supplements.
Neglect of Vitamin D is a public health crisis, says German professor. Image cropped here.
In an excellent video: Vitamin D “Hope oder Hype”, Prof. Dr. Jörg Spitz looks at the importance of Vitamin D. He concludes that there’s an epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency and that public health officials and institutions are doing nothing about it.
The 90-minute video unfortunately is not available in English and due to time constraints I’m only able to provide you here some of the main takeaways:
Status:
- Claims that most people aren’t really lacking vitamin D are false.
- You can’t “tank up” on Vitamin in the wintertime by spending time in the sun. It doesn’t work because the sun’s rays at higher latitudes are well below a 45° angle and the needed UVB radiation doesn’t reach the surface.
- 88% of Germans have vitamin D levels under 30 nanograms per mL, which is far below the target range of 40-60 ng.
- Only 6% of German women and 1% of German men supplement their Vitamin D intake.
- More and more people, including kids, have become chronically Vitamin D deficient over recent years due to poor nutrition and indoor sedentary lifestyles.
- According to a study, only 10% of kids have an adequately high Vitamin D level at the end of the summer, and only 0.9% during the winter! “Catastrophe,” says Spitz.
- The problem also exists at the sunny, tropical latitudes – people are indoors the whole day.
- Sunscreen and work clothes block out sun’s needed UVB rays.
- 30,000 Swedish women were monitored over 20 years. The mortality rate was twice as high for women who avoided sun than those who spent lots of time in the sun. “Those who spend time in the sun, live longer.”
Risks
- A lack of sun, Spitz says, is as dangerous as smoking.
- If you’re below 20 nanograms/milliliter of Vitamin D, your chances of becoming chronically ill are 2 – 3 times greater.
- You can’t get the needed Vitamin D through food intake alone. You have to synthesize it with sunlight absorbed by the roughly 2 square meters of skin you were given. Don’t use sunscreen too often.
- Sunscreen lotion even gets absorbed by the body, reacts with sunlight and leads to other dubious chemicals in the body.
- Obesity leads to reduced Vitamin D levels, as it gets stored in fat.
- Almost every chronic disease is linked to Vitamin D, e.g. dementia, Alzheimer, depression and other neurological diseases.
- Athletic performance is lower among athletes with Vitamin D deficiency – much higher risk of injury.
- Heart attacks, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, etc. are linked to vitamin D deficiencies.
- Vitamin D is crucial for all organs; all organs have Vitamin D receptors.
- Vitamin D is key against cancer and tumors.
- Low levels of Vitamin D linked are to pregnancy diabetes, birth complications, child development issues.
- Natural biological processes cannot be replaced by medical practices!
- Children’s health will continue to degrade with lower levels of Vitamin D.
- Nine life-style factors were determined to be major contributors to heart attacks, each making a person 2.5 times more likely to have a heart attack. Having four of these factors means 40 times greater likelihood.
- Only 9% of German adults have succeeded at keeping good body weight, not smoking, regular movement, balanced diet.
- Public health officials have failed miserably on sensible prevention.
- (53:00) The immune system is highly dependent on Vitamin D. “Supplement, or get sick,” says Spitz
- Children with normal Vitamin D levels are 70% less likely to get a cold.
And as a number of experts have pointed out, low Vitamin D levels are associated with the severe cases of COVID-19.
How much Vitamin D?
- Vitamin D levels after exposure to sun much lower among elderly:
- Recommended supplementation = 4000 IU/day for adults (70kg) – try it for 3 months.
- Rule: 1000 UE/day supplement leads to a Vitamin D level rise of about 10 ng (70 kg body weight).
- Very difficult to have a Vitamin D level that’s “too high” – so don’t worry about it.
- Three ways to boost Vitamin d levels: 1) supplements, 2) 2-3 times weekly tanning salon, 3) 30 mins. in the midday 3-4times/week. Choose whatever works best for you.
- Taking Vitamin D is one of the easiest, quickest things you can do to make a huge difference for your health.
Have your doctor check your Vitamin D level and take it from there. If you’re over 30 ng in the late winter, then you’re alright. If you’re under 30, then you can easily get it back up to par with supplements. If you’re under 20 ng, then you have the opportunity to start vastly improving your physical and mental health.
Of course, consult your doctor – who hopefully really understands the importance of Vitamin D.
I was diagnosed as vitamin D deficient over 4 years ago. Initially I was put on a booster course of 10,000IU a day for a month, retested and then a winter maintenance dose of 1,000IU. The following winter I was given 800IU a day. I decided to run with a 400IU maintenance dose over the summer, and requested a winter 800IU dose from my surgery. Anguished conversation with the lead practitioner who insisted on another test. Level found to be a comfortable 90nmol. Prescription refused to save the NHS the silly price they are charged. Not expensive to buy over the counter. Once a decent level is established, higher doses may not be needed. Grateful for the health improvements being adequately dosed have brought. And for the extra insurance against severe covid had I happened to pick it up, which I haven’t.
90mol is 36ng, so a good figure to be at. But 800IU per day could be easily doubled or tripled.
I spend hours every week shirtless in the tropical sun so I do not supplement [150 nmol/l measured] but give my slim [underweight?] wife 5,000 IU/day. No way is that excessive.
I started her on lower dosage years ago but increased it steadily as I learned to trust my eyes rather than Chicken Little doctors.
Vitamin D3 is something special. Good old Cod Liver Oil capsules in the old days was well known, even if fishy!
The question is, if D3 synthesized by Big Pharma is actually D3 – remember the synthetic Contergan? A chirality effect was ignored by the molecular brigade.
Some packets do say ¨natural¨ D3. We need more info.
“Good old Cod Liver Oil capsules in the old days was well known, even if fishy!”
I kept budgies as a boy. They were unhealthy because the cage was fully roofed. Mixing cod liver oil in their seed did wonders.
Yes, Ivor Cummins did a video on the importance of Vitamin D levels. In cities located above the 35 degree latitude (NYC, London) there is less available opportunity to synthesise sunlight, along with less than ideal weather conditions in the winter months.
Here in England last year the gov’t locked up down multiple times during the year, which prevented many people getting out in the Sun, which I believe contributed the the higher than expected winter cases of covid-19. Plus they used influenza deaths, apparently I’m expected to believe nobody in the UK died of the flu last Christmas.
Co-incidentally low cholesterol makes it harder for the body to build up vitamin D levels naturally. It’s as if big pharma have set the food pyramid to achieve maximum profits. Ivor’s video (recorded May 2020) https://youtu.be/a7BzED9IDXw?t=264
Hi Pierre
Here’s a good video in English about the basics of vitamin D and the studies showing its importance for immune defense in Covid-19:
https://youtu.be/ha2mLz-Xdpg
Keep on the good work.
Best regards, Gentletramp
In the age of COVID, the wife (72) and I (67) immediately increased our vitamin D3 supplements by 5000 IU a day, in March 2020.
My total dose of vitamin D has been 14,000 IU a day since then.
I get little sunlight
The wife is taking 6000IU a day since then.
She gets moderate sunlight
Vitamin D is useful to prevent respiratory diseases, and COVID is certainly a respiratory disease.
I have never had a flu shot, and have never had the flu.
I can’t recall my last cold, but I know it’s was over 5 years ago.
Vitamin D is like a medical insurance policy.
But not getting Vit. D. from tanning salons, please.
You can keep the experimental COVID vaccines, with:
— Unprecedented (bad) short term adverse side effects
— Unknown long term adverse side effects — could take years to find out
— Poor effectiveness on Delta variant (only 39%, per Israel authorities)
— Vaccine-induced antibodies are wearing off quickly (Israel is already recommending COVID booster shots for senior citizens ONLY SIX MONTHS AFTER THEIR FIRST SHOTS)
— Far too much government misinformation on COVID and social media censorship
Reported COVID vaccine adverse side effects can be seen in a simple table at the link below. The most favorable study claimed only 10% of adverse side effects were reported to the VAERS database. One percent for the least favorable study:
https://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/findfield.php?TABLE=ON&GROUP1=CAT&EVENTS=ON&VAX=COVID19
Good resource on COVID “vaccines.”
https://swprs.org/?s=Vaccine
Latest podcast by a biologist who wants to get at the truth, and to help those of us who want to accompany him on his journey.
https://m.twitch.tv/videos/1108302675
In the USA (so I have been told), a chemical has to be tested for its efficacy with respect to a malady, with controlled doses, and other things.
If those sorts of studies are not done, then advice and cost coverage (think who pays for a test) can be hard to come by. There are many many indications that D3 is needed, but the necessary studies have not been done. I also read 47% of folks in the US that are tested, are deficient. Many, like me have not been tested.
The young woman who I consider my doctor (she is a PA: Physicians Assistant) answered my questions about D3 in March of last year.
The bottom line: take up to 5,000 units per day, but before going higher – get a test.
I live at 47° North, get very little Sun because I dress to restrict exposure.
Thus, since last March I have been supplementing. Also, Zinc and the ionophore (Quercetin); mostly via red onions), iron, and a multi-vit/mineral tablet.
Early this year I got the double shot – because I could, because I never have a reaction to shots, and because I have no other health reasons suggesting I shouldn’t. Situations differ.
Interesting video…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uc815fQn8iY
Just one quibble – the sweet spot, according to Dr Gominak, is from 60-80ng/ml, not 30-80; otherwise mostly in agreement.
B Vitamins are also critical. If your gut isn’t making them for you, you need supplements until they do.
https://drgominak.com/2018/11/24/intestinal-bacteria-and-the-history-of-the-b-vitamins/
Her medical hypotheses on vitamin D and overall health is referenced here
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22583560/
One of Dr Gominak’s latest videos ties a lot of it together, IMO.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ugPB6jmw2nI
It’s not a simple topic, but it is a critical one for our health and longevity.
In the US 82% of the US Blacks, and 68% of the US Hispanics are severely Vit D deficient which is defined to be a Vit D blood serum level of less than 20 ng/ml. Optimum is above 60 ng/ml.
Vit D is required by ever cell in our body to access, the cell’s copy of our DNA. The individual cell accesses the DNA to get the blue prints to protect the cell from virus attacks, cancer, inflammation, not get type 2 diabetes, not get mental illness, and so on. When we are Vit D deficient the evolutionary solutions/protections from the chronic diseases…. Like depression and type 2 diabetes….. are not turned on.
Bruce Hollis is one of the lead researchers into the benefits of correct the Vit D deficiency. Hollis explains the politics why a deficiency is not correct or communicated to the public. This is criminal and evil.
The second video is by a Robert Heaney.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrU1yrmNIqc
Results of a Prostate Cancer/Vitamin D Trial: Effectiveness Safety Recommendations by Bruce H Hollis
Vitamin D Sunshine Optimal Health: Putting it all Together
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9SNfrE7P1s
https://emerginnova.com/patterns-of-covid19-mortality-and-vitamin-d-an-indonesian-study/
Patterns of COVID-19 Mortality and Vitamin D: An Indonesian Study
Vitamin D Insufficient Patients 12.55 times more likely to die, blood serum 25(OH)D level from 21 to 29 ng/ml
Vitamin D Deficient Patients 19.12 times more likely to die, Vitamin D blood serum level less than 20 ng/ml
Vit D greater than 40 ng/ml 65% Lower Cancer Risk. The lists other diseases that optimum Vit D levels prevent.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4822815/pdf/pone.0152441.pdf
“Supplements” to a decent diet are a joke, at best. In the “old days”, they recommended/demanded you eat fish on Fridays, and liver was the terror of small boys with “loving” moms; onions were the saving grace, and not just for liver (the “health nuts” were as into onions as you guys are for vitamin D).
My bag of small salmon fillets (4 oz.) says they each supply 60% of the recommended Vit D daily need. 60%, from one serving of fish…THINK about it.
I also drink milk (in my daily banana-and-whey-protein shake).
Pills,or capsules, are so unnatural…
You all need to lighten up. Covid19 is not a plague, as the official “disappearance” of flu deaths last year should have put the cap, the final straw, on all the hysteria, or angst.
I read through the “Risks” and “How Much Vitamin D? carefully.
I will assume the list is a fair summary of the video.
Probably no one reading the article is more pro-Vitamin D supplement than I am — especially in the past 20 years, after a serious bout of skin cancer. Based on medical advice to avoid the sun, and my reading of double blind studies about vitamin D.
Many claims made in this article do not have scientific study back-up.
One example is the statement:
“Almost every chronic disease is linked to Vitamin D … ”
There is no way to know that.
In my opinion, people with chronic diseases most likely do not get outside in the sun as much as healthy people, so they have low vitamin D levels, as a result of their disease (not the cause).
There is evidence that influenza seasonality is due to people being indoors more in the cold winter, and therefore having a low vitamin D level in the winter as a result.
The advice of using tanning salons for anyone is hazardous (skin cancer).
The advice on sunlight does not apply to people who sunburn easily — those with fair skin and blue eyes.
The effect of vitamin D deficiency on various respiratory diseases is well known, based on many scientific studies. The effect on cancer and other diseases is speculation, in my opinion.
Unfortun
In the US, only ‘at risk’ individuals are covered by Medicare part B for a vitamin D deficiency test. Many insurance companies in the US don’t cover this unless it’s for people ‘at risk.’ That means a healthy person, regardless of age, can’t get the blood test.
I was able as my ins. covered it, and beforehand I thought I was taking too much Vit D. Turns out I wasn’t. Had to up my Vit. D dose to 2,000 IU. Going to 4,000 IU is high and only your doctor should recommend how much.
Keep in mind that Vit D is not water-soluble. That means your body can store it. Too much Vit D can cause a host of issues, like constipation (for which I recommend 500 mg of oral Magnesium Citrate a day). Plus both are good for your bones and health.
“Vitamin D & the Upper Respiratory Tract”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmDng_uMCnY
“The D-Lightful Vitamin D for Health was presented by Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD, Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics at the Boston University School of Medicine.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP81YMvs4yI
Great lecture by the father of Vitamin D research.
Vitamin D supplement overdose is EXTREMELY rare.
There is no evidence of any danger for 10,000 IU a day or less.
The amount of Vitamin D supplements should depend on the amount of sunlight on bare skin per week, and age.
Problems (excess calcium in blood) have been noticed with 40,000 IU a day and higher.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-vitamin-d-is-too-much
A study I read found just 30 minutes of midday summer sun exposure in Oslo, Norway was equivalent to consuming 10,000–20,000 IU of vitamin D a day.
If vitamin D overdose was a problem, a lot of “sun worshipers” would be in the hospital with kidney diseases from too much calcium in the bloodstream. And they are not.