Vitamin D: Probably the Most Important Vitamin and the Least Utilized

Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to the occurrence of
• Infections and inflammation
• 16 types of cancer
• Depression and neurological disorders
• Colds and flu
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Tuberculosis
In addition, Vitamin D has long been recognized as critical for immune function and recently has been shown to be involved with heavy metal detoxification of the brain.
Nevertheless, current estimates put 85% of the American public with deficient Vitamin D levels while 95% of US senior citizens have low Vitamin D levels. This is largely due to the fear of skin cancer in this country and the resulting reduction in sun exposure and the use of sun screens both of which dramatically reduce the production of Vitamin D. Up until very recently, sun screens filtered out the portion of light that produce Vitamin D and did not filter out the portion of light that is thought to produce skin cancer. As a result, we are getting much less sun exposure today than a hundred years ago, but our rates of skin cancer are much higher. In the US, approximately 1500 people die each year from Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. On the other hand, a study by Dr. William Grant, PhD found that 30% of cancer deaths were due to insufficient Vitamin D levels, which corresponds to 200,000 to 300,000 deaths each year. Studies have shown that appropriate sun exposure reduces the occurrence of Melanoma by 15%.
Diet does not provide significant levels of Vitamin D, but there are three ways to maintain a proper Vitamin D level:
• Sun exposure
• Tanning bed
• Supplements
Sun exposure is the best way to get your Vitamin D because it is natural and free. In spite of what we are told by the media, sunshine is quite healthy under the right conditions. First, make sure that you have proper fatty acid and mineral, especially zinc, status. Otherwise, you will be susceptible to sun burn with even a small exposure to the sun. Obviously, sun burn should always be avoided. Therefore, start slowly with 5 minutes exposure of at least your legs and arms once per week, preferably not starting in the summer, and gradually increase the exposure time to 20 minutes twice per week. Because Vitamin D is formed on the surface of the skin, it takes up to 48 hours for the majority of the Vitamin D formed on the skin to be absorbed by the blood stream, and Vitamin D is fat soluble, if you wash your skin after sunbathing, you will absorb very little Vitamin D from your sun exposure. Therefore, do not wash your exposed skin with soap for two days after sun exposure. By the way, sun exposure through glass is not recommended because most glasses filter out most of the light that produces Vitamin D.
Tanning beds can be a good option, especially for those living in the northern latitudes, if you are careful to make sure that your tanning bed is safe. A safe tanning bed will provide the proper type of light for safe tanning and will not expose the user to electromagnetic pollution.
The next best option is supplements. With supplements you have to be careful because you can get too much Vitamin D and overdosing Vitamin D can be toxic. Unfortunately, different people require different amount of supplementation to attain a proper Vitamin D level. Therefore, when supplementing Vitamin D, it is necessary to test your Vitamin D level to insure that your level is in the proper range, not to low and not too high.
Vitamin D levels are measured from blood tests for 25-hydroxy Vitamin D. Below are the definitions of deficient, optimal and excess levels of 25-hydroxy Vitamin D:
• Less than 40 ng/ml: Deficient
• 50-65 ng/ml: Optimal
• Greater than 100 ng/ml Excess