Understanding Vitamin D Cholecalciferol
The high rate of natural production of vitamin D3 cholecalciferol in the skin is the single most important fact every person should know about vitamin D—a fact that has profound implications for the natural human condition.
Technically not a "vitamin," vitamin D is in a class by itself. Its metabolic product, calcitriol, is actually a secosteroid hormone that targets over 1000 genes in the human body. Current research has implicated vitamin D deficiency as a major factor in the pathology of at least 17 varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, and more.
Vitamin D's influence on key biological functions vital to one's health and well-being mandates that vitamin D no longer be ignored by the health care industry nor by individuals striving to achieve and maintain a greater state of health.
Sunshine and Your Health
If one regularly avoids sunlight exposure, research indicates a necessity to supplement with at least 5,000 units (IU) of vitamin D daily. To obtain this amount from milk one would need to consume 50 glasses. With a multivitamin more than 10 tablets would be necessary. Neither is advisable.
The skin produces approximately 20,000 IU vitamin D in response 20–30 minutes summer sun exposure—100 times more than the US government's recommendation of 200 IU per day!
There are 3 ways for adults to insure adequate levels of vitamin D:
- regularly receive midday sun exposure in the late spring, summer, and early fall, exposing as much of the skin as possible.
- regularly use a sun bed (avoiding sunburn) during the colder months.
- take 5,000 IU per day for three months, then obtain a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test. Adjust your dosage so that blood levels are between 50–80 ng/mL (or 125–200 nM/L) year around.
Noteworthy News
Vitamin D Expert at UC Riverside Leads UC Scientists' Call Recommending Increase in Daily Vitamin D Intake
Seventeen researchers join Anthony Norman in declaring that the government's current recommended daily allowance for the vitamin is inadequate.
Anthony Norman, a distinguished professor emeritus of biochemistry and of biomedical sciences at UC Riverside, is co-leading the UC group along with Cedric Garland, an adjunct professor of family and preventive medicine at UC San Diego, in its "call to action" recommending that the daily intake of vitamin D for adults be revised by the government to 2000 international units (IU).
Paper Published on Vitamin D Deficiency
Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency (PDF format) is a new paper co-authored by Vitamin D Council Executive Director, Dr. John Cannell, and vitamin D experts Dr. Bruce Hollis, Dr. Michael Zasloff, and Dr. Robert Heaney.
Vitamin D Commercials
The Vitamin D Council recently ran a series of commercials on the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara television networks. You can view them on the Vitamin D Council You Tube Channel.
Vitamin D and Autism
Now a single theory answers the many unanswered questions surrounding autism. A theory that implies a simple prevention and raises the possibility of treatment.
It's called the Vitamin D Theory of Autism—read about it in our section, Autism and Vitamin D.