Vitamin D supplementation is not only effective for cancer prevention and treatment, but for a long list of other conditions including influenza
Vitamin D is not really a vitamin but a steroid hormone precursor that plays a major role in many diseases. It is created under the skin by ultraviolet light and is found in few foods commonly consumed by most Canadians.
Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency (sub-optimal levels) has been found to play a role in causing 17 types of cancer (especially breast, prostate and colon). Deficiency of D has also been linked to heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, diabetes, depression (especially seasonal affective disorder), chronic pain, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, and periodontal disease.
In my practice, at least half the patients I see for chronic health problems have insufficient blood levels of vitamin D despite consuming vitamin D fortified dairy products or taking a multiple vitamin supplement. Sun-phobia, a condition imposed on the population by sun-paranoid dermatologists, along with sunscreens and spending too much time indoors have all contributed to the vitamin D deficiency problem. In fact, one of the worst offenders in creating vitamin D deficiency is the use of commercial sun blocks. And studies now indicate that while these may prevent sunburns, they do virtually nothing to prevent skin cancer.
Research indicates that to get 4,000 IU of vitamin D, if you totally avoid the sun, you must drink 40 glasses of milk a day or take 10 typical multivitamin pills daily. As mentioned earlier, a more optimal daily dose of vitamin D is 10,000 IU.
The purported toxicity of vitamin D is overstated. According to well-documented research, a person standing in the summer sun for an hour at noontime in a southern latitude in swim trunks, would naturally produce about 10,000 IU of vitamin D through skin exposure. But sun poisoning from vitamin D overdose has never been reported anywhere.
For those who cannot tolerate the sun and prefer to take supplements, Dr. Reinhold Vieth PhD, researcher at the University of Toronto, notes that vitamin D toxicity begins at 40,000 IU daily only after many weeks of use. Taking 10,000 IU daily for months at a time, provided there is no sun exposure, is perfectly safe. Blood levels can be tested periodically to verify this.
No amount of vitamin D supplementation will be effective if one is deficient in magnesium. So, to make vitamin D beneficial for the cardiovascular system and bone health most adults need to also supplement magnesium bisglycinate, at least 400 mg daily. Do not use magnesium citrate because that has minimal, if any, absorption into the system and is primarily used to move the bowels for good bowel movements.
Another very important nutrient to take with vitamin D supplementation is vitamin K. The reason for this is because studies have shown that calcium deposition into the arteries and organs like the kidneys can be prevented when one uses high supplemental doses of vitamin D. Vitamin K is also important in preventing and treating osteoporosis.
You may have noticed that health food stores and pharmacies are selling vitamin D with vitamin K2. For each 1,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D one needs to take 120 mcg of vitamin K2. Vitamin K is anti-inflammatory and, along with omega-3 makes vitamin D supplementation more effective.
Vitamin D supplementation is not only effective for cancer prevention (60% of all cancers can be prevented) and treatment, but for a long list of other conditions. Below are a rapidly growing number of health problems that are proven to be either prevented or treated effectively by boosting the blood levels of vitamin D:
– RICKETS – Even conventional medicos know this childhood bone disease is caused by vitamin D deficiency, and was the major reason why milk became fortified with tiny doses of the supplement.
– OSTEOPOROSIS – Even though this is common knowledge, many people who suffer from osteoporosis are low in their D levels and simply need to take more.
– HEART DISEASE – Hardening of the arteries is caused by calcium deposition. Vitamin D is an anti-calcifying agent when at optimal levels in the bloodstream; both extremely high and low intake levels of vitamin D induce calcification of arteries but calcification from overdose of vitamin D requires many hundreds of thousands of international units and is rare. Vitamin D deficiency is common and calcified arteries are a direct result of deficiency. Also, as is noted below, heart disease is often triggered and perpetuated by inflammation, and vitamin D is anti-inflammatory.
– DIABETES – Evidence is mounting that vitamin D can improve insulin resistance and favorably affect Type 2 diabetes.
– HYPERTENSION – Emerging evidence has compared the blood pressure-lowering effects of vitamin D to ACE inhibitors, a class of blood pressure-lowering drugs commonly prescribed by conventional doctors. Don’t go off your blood pressure pills yet but consider high dose supplements of vitamin D and get your blood levels checked along with your blood pressure.
– COMMON COLD AND INFLUENZA – Ditch that mercury and formaldehyde laden flu shot; vitamin D has strong antibiotic properties and some studies indicate that optimal blood levels will prevent influenza far better than those toxic ‘flu shots. Dr. John Cannell, the director of the Vitamin D Council, suggests high-dose vitamin D (50,000 IU) be consumed for three days at the first sign of a cold or the ‘flu. If you have an infection, you need more vitamin D. That’s a given.
– AUTISM – Research has shown that low maternal vitamin D levels can adversely affect the developing brain and lead to autism, and that vitamin D supplements can improve some of the signs of autistic behaviour. Since most of the medical and conventional treatments for autism are so dismal, supplementing with vitamin D may be well worth a try.
– INFLAMMATION – vitamin D is anti-inflammatory; if you have inflammation (arthritis, iritis, thyroiditis, pancreatitis, anything ending in “itis”), you need more vitamin D.
– AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE – multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and numerous other diseases where the immune system attacks various organs, involves inflammation that can be arrested by a high dose vitamin D.
– MELANOMA– this most deadly form of skin cancer is now thought to be caused by a sunlight/vitamin D deficiency; safe sun exposure actually helps prevent melanoma, a counter intuitive finding confusing the heck out of dermatologists.
– OBESITY – vitamin D levels are significantly lower in overweight individuals; taking a vitamin D supplement certainly beats dieting but check your blood levels first.
The only way to ensure vitamin D adequacy is to expose yourself to the sun regularly. In Canada and other northern latitude countries, this is next to impossible at any time other than the summer. As discussed earlier, drinking milk is not the answer. Although frowned upon by frumpy dermatologists, I recommend people use a sun bed (avoiding sunburn) during the winter months. Either that or make frequent trips to Florida, southern California or the Caribbean.
For people who want nothing to do with sun beds or trips to the deep south, there are oral supplements that will do the trick. One choice would be cod liver oil or halibut liver oil liquid or capsules. The only problem here might be the high vitamin A (each capsule may contain as much as 5000 IU of vitamin A) that comes along with the vitamin D (usually 200 – 400 IU per capsule). If you want to take 2000 IU daily of vitamin D, then fish liver oil capsules might be suitable. If you want to push the dose up to 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily, you might be getting too much vitamin A.
If you suffer from any chronic health problem, ask your doctor to check your blood level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, the most accurate indicator of vitamin D status. The optimal blood levels should be between 100 and 250 ng/ml. Levels below 50 are considered insufficient and levels below 25 are definitely in the deficiency category. With continued research, I predict these numbers will all change, so stay tuned.
Dr. Rona is author of “Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin”
REFERENCES
Devine A, Wilson SG, Dick IM, Prince RL. Effects of vitamin D metabolites on intestinal absorption and bone turnover in elderly women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002; 75:283-8.
Koutkia P, Chen TC, Holick MF. Vitamin D intoxication associated with an over-the-counter supplement. N Engl J Med 2001; 345:66-7.
Matsuoka LY, Ide L, Wortsman J, et al. Suncreens suppress cutaneous vitamin D3 synthesis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1987;64:1165-8.
Matsuoka LY, Wortsman J, Hanifan N, Holick MF. Chronic suncreen use decreases circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Arch Dermatol 1988; 124:1802-4.
Prystowsky JH. Photoprotection and the vitamin D status of the elderly. Arch Dermatol 1988; 124:1844-8.
Moon J. The role of vitamin D in toxic metal absorption. J Am Coll Nutr 1994; 13:559-64.
Kenny AM, Biskup B, Robbins B, et al. Effects of vitamin D supplementation on strength, physical function, and health perception in older, community-dwelling men. J Am Geriatr Soc 2003; 51:1762-7.
Vieth R. Vitamin D supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, and safety. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 69:842-56.
Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Dawson-Hughes B, Willett WC, et al. Effect of Vitamin D on falls: a meta-analysis. JAMA 2004; 291:1999-2006.
Flicker L, Mead K, MacInnis RJ, et al. Serum vitamin D and falls in older women in residential care in Australia. J Am Geriatr Soc 2003; 51:1533-8.
Dhesi JK, Moniz C, Close JC, et al. A rationale for vitamin D prescribing in a falls clinic population. Age Ageing 2002; 31:267-71.
Janssen HC, Samson MM, Verhaar HJ. Vitamin D deficiency, muscle function, and falls in elderly people. Am J Clin Nutr 2002; 75:611-5.
Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Borchers M, Gudat F, et al. Vitamin D receptor expression in human muscle tissue decreases with age. J Bone Miner Res 2004; 19:265-9.
Pfeifer M, Begerow B, Minne HW. Vitamin D and muscle function. Osteoporos Int 2002; 13:187-94.
Prabhala A, Garg R, Dandona P. Severe myopathy associated with vitamin D deficiency in western New York. Arch Intern Med 2000; 160:1199–203.
Pfeifer M, Begerow B, Minne HW, et al. Effects of a short-term vitamin D and calcium supplementation on body sway and secondary hyperparathyroidism in elderly women. J Bone Miner Res 2000; 15:1113-8.
Dhesi JK, Bearne LM, Moniz C, et al. Neuromuscular and psychomotor function in elderly subjects who fall and the relationship with vitamin D status. J Bone Miner Res 2002; 17:891-7.
Graafmans WC, Ooms ME, Hofstee HM, et al. Falls in the elderly: a prospective study of risk factors and risk profiles. Am J Epidemiol 1996; 143:1129-36.
Meyer HE, Smedshaug GB, Kvaavik E, et al. Can vitamin D supplementation reduce the risk of fracture in the elderly? A randomized controlled trial. J Bone Miner Res 2002; 17:709-15.
Lips P, Graafmans WC, Ooms ME, et al. Vitamin D supplementation and fracture incidence in elderly persons. A randomized, placebo- controlled clinical trial. Ann Intern Med 1996; 124:400-6.
Chapuy MC, Arlot ME, Duboeuf F, et al. Vitamin D3 and calcium to prevent hip fractures in the elderly women. N Engl J Med 1992; 327:1637-42.
Trivedi DP, Doll R, Khaw KT. Effect of four monthly oral vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) supplementation on fractures and mortality in men and women living in the community: randomised double blind controlled trial. BMJ 2003;326:469.
Holick MF. Vitamin D: importance in the prevention of cancers, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 79:362-71.
Holick MF. Sunlight and vitamin D: both good for cardiovascular health. J Gen Intern Med 2002; 17:733-5.
Arnas LAG, Heaney RP, Hollis BW. Vitamin D2 is much less effective than vitamin D3 in humans (abstract OR22-2). The Endocrine Society 86th Annual Meeting, June 16-19, New Orleans, LA.
Trang HM, Cole DE, Rubin LA, et al. Evidence that vitamin D3 increases serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D more efficiently than does vitamin D2. Am J Clin Nutr 1998; 68:854-8.
Bischoff HA, Stahelin HB, Dick W, et al. Effects of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on falls: a randomized controlled trial. J Bone Miner Res 2003; 18:343-51.
L’Abbe MR, Whiting SJ, Hanley DA. The Canadian health claim for calcium, vitamin D and osteoporosis. J Am Coll Nutr 2004; 23:303-8.
Grau MV, Baron JA, Sandler RS, et al. Vitamin D, calcium supplementation, and colorectal adenomas: Results of a randomized trial. J Natl Cancer Inst 2003; 95:1765-71.
Cho E, Smith-Warner SA, Spiegelman D, et al. Dairy foods, calcium, and colorectal cancer: A pooled analysis of 10 cohort studies. J Natl Cancer Inst 2004; 96:1015-22.
Merlino LA, Curtis J, Mikuls TR, et al. Vitamin D intake is inversely associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 2004; 50:72-7.
Baker K, Zhang YQ, Goggins J, et al. Hypovitaminosis D and its association with muscle strength, pain, and physical function in knee osteoarthritis (OA). American College of Rheumatology Meeting; San Antonio, Texas, October 16-21, 2004. Abstract 1755.
Porthouse J, Cockayne S, King C, et al. Randomised controlled trial of calcium and supplementation with cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) for prevention of fractures in primary care. BMJ 2005; 330:1003.
Larsen ER, Mosekilde L, Foldspang A. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation prevents osteoporotic fractures in elderly community dwelling residents: a pragmatic population-based 3-year intervention study. J Bone Miner Res 2004; 19:370-8.
Sambrook P. Vitamin D and fractures: quo vadis? Lancet 2005; 365:1599-600.
Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Willett WC, Wong JB, et al. Fracture prevention with vitamin D supplementation: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. JAMA 2005; 293:2257-64.
Boonen S, Body JJ, Boutsen Y, et al. Evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis: a consensus document of the Belgian Bone Club. Osteoporos Int 2005; 16:239-54.
Weingarten MA, Zalmanovici A, Yaphe J. Dietary calcium supplementation for preventing colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2004;(1):CD003548.
Papadimitropoulos E, Wells G, Shea B, et al. Meta-analyses of therapies for postmenopausal osteoporosis. VIII: Meta-analysis of the efficacy of vitamin D treatment in preventing osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Endocr Rev 2002; 23:560-9.
Holick MF. Sunlight “D”ilemma: risk of skin cancer or bone disease and muscle weakness. Lancet 2001; 357:4-6.
Reichrath J. Protecting against adverse effects of sun protection. J Am Acad Dermatol 2003; 49:1204-6.
John EM, Schwartz GG, Koo J, et al. Sun exposure, vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms, and risk of advanced prostate cancer. Cancer Res 2005; 65:5470-9.
Hanley DA, Davison KS. Vitamin D insufficiency in North America. J Nutr 2005; 135:332-7.
Holick MF, Siris ES, Binkley N, et al. Prevalence of Vitamin D inadequacy among postmenopausal North American women receiving osteoporosis therapy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2005; 90:3215-24.
Hollis BW. Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels indicative of vitamin D sufficiency: implications for establishing a new effective dietary intake recommendation for vitamin D. J Nutr 2005; 135:317-22.
Duplessis CA, Harris EB, Watenpaugh DE, Horn WG. Vitamin D supplementation in underway submariners. Aviat Space Environ Med 2005; 76:569-75.
Holick MF. Vitamin D: A millenium perspective. J Cell Biochem 2003;88:296-307.
Engelsen O, Brustad M, Aksnes L, Lund E. Daily duration of vitamin D synthesis in human skin with relation to latitude, total ozone, altitude, ground cover, aerosols and cloud thickness. Photochem Photobiol 2005; 81:1287-90.
The RECORD Trial Group. Oral vitamin D3 and calcium for secondary prevention of low-trauma fractures in elderly people (Randomised Evaluation of Calcium Or vitamin D, RECORD): a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2005; 365:1621-8.
Bertone-Johnson ER, Hankinson SE, Bendich A, et al. Calcium and vitamin D intake and risk of incident premenstrual syndrome. Arch Intern Med 2005; 165:1246-52.
Dawson-Hughes B, Heaney RP, Holick MF, et al. Estimates of optimal vitamin D status. Osteoporos Int 2005; 16:713-6.
Black PN, Scragg R. Relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and pulmonary function in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Chest 2005; 128:3792-8.
Wright RJ. Make no bones about it: increasing epidemiologic evidence links vitamin D to pulmonary function and COPD. Chest 2005; 128:3781-3.
Liu S, Song Y, Ford ES, et al. Dietary calcium, vitamin D, and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and older US women. Diabetes Care 2005; 28:2926-32.
Jackson RD, LaCroix AZ, Gass M. Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and the risk of fractures. N Engl J Med 2006; 354:669-83.
Wactawski-Wende J, Kotchen JM, Anderson GL. Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and the risk of colorectal cancer. N Engl J Med 2006; 354:684-96.
Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Rimm EB, et al. Prospective study of predictors of vitamin d status and cancer incidence and mortality in men. J Natl Cancer Inst 2006; 98:451-9.
Munger KL, Levin LI, Hollis BW, et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and risk of multiple sclerosis. JAMA 2006; 296:2832-8.
Armas LA, Hollis BW, Heaney RP. Vitamin D2 is much less effective than vitamin D3 in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab
Houghton LA, Vieth R. The case against ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) as a vitamin supplement. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84:694-7.
Major GC, Alarie F, Dore J, et al. Supplementation with calcium + vitamin D enhances the beneficial effect of weight loss on plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85:54-9.
Caan B, Neuhouser M, Aragaki A, et al. Calcium plus vitamin d supplementation and the risk of postmenopausal weight gain. Arch Intern Med 2007; 167:893-902.
Broe KE, Chen TC, Weinberg J, et al. A higher dose of vitamin D reduces the risk of falls in nursing home residents: a randomized, multiple-dose study. J Am Geriatr Soc 2007; 55:234-9.
Lappe JM, Travers-Gustafson D, Davies KM, et al. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85:1586-91.
Martins D, Wolf M, Pan D, et al. Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and the serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the United States. Arch Intern Med 2007; 167:1159-65..
Lin J, Manson JE, Lee IM, et al. Intakes of calcium and vitamin D and breast cancer risk in women. Arch Intern Med 2007; 167:1050-9.
Boonen S, Lips P, Bouillon R, et al. Need for additional calcium to reduce the risk of hip fracture with vitamin D supplementation: evidence from a comparative metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2007; 92:1415-23.
Dietrich T, Joshipura KJ, Dawson-Hughes B, Bischoff-Ferrari HA. Association between serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and periodontal disease in the US population. Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 80:108-13.
Egawa K, Ono T. Topical vitamin D3 derivatives for recalcitrant warts in three immunocompromised patients. Br J Dermatol 2004;150:374-6.
Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Dietrich T, Orav EJ, et al. Higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are associated with better lower-extremity function in both active and inactive persons aged 60 y. Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 80:752-8.
Levis S, Gomez A, Jimenez C, et al. Vitamin D deficiency and seasonal variation in an adult South Florida population. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2005; 90:1557-62
Holick MF. Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 80 (6 Suppl):1678S-88S.
(Originally published in March 2023; Updated December 2024) BY THOMAS E. LEVY, MD, JD As… Read More
Can Flexibility Help People Live Longer? Flexibility exercises are often included in the exercise regimens… Read More
THE FAIR TRADE INGREDIENT COOKBOOK By Nettie Cronish We live in an age when consumers… Read More
Let’s be real; travelling is a double-edged sword. On one side, you’ve got sunsets, new… Read More
(Editor’s note: The following collection of recipes was originally published in December 2017 and has… Read More
(Originally published in 2014; Updated in December 2024) Cancer rates are increasing throughout the developed… Read More
This website uses cookies.
Read More