The Ultimate Guidebook to Vitamin D3 by Dr. Cohen, M.D.
They overall upshot of the guide is that vitamin d3 is still super important. But it's a bit more complex than just taking a supplement (or even just checking your levels) and you are good to go! To keep it simple, yes, please first check your levels and balance your nutrients stats in accordance with the root cause protocol. From there, it would then be acceptable to determine if you need a vitamin D supplement program. Vitamin D is a crucial fat-soluble vitamin that exists in two main forms, D2 and D3. Its primary source is sunlight exposure, which triggers D3 synthesis in the skin. It can also be obtained from foods like fatty fish and fortified products. Vitamin D plays diverse roles: it supports bone health, enhances immune function, aids in energy metabolism, and influences muscular strength and recovery. Deficiency, common due to insufficient sunlight and diet, can lead to various health issues. Supplementing with vitamin D3 is often necessary, as dietary intake alone is insufficient for optimal health benefits. BUT, please first consult The Root Cause Protocol (RCP) as it emphasizes addressing underlying imbalances in minerals and nutrients to optimize health, that can lead to low D3 levels in the first place, rather than simply supplementing with vitamin D3 alone.
What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for several important functions in the body. It exists in two main forms: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). The primary source of vitamin D is through exposure of the skin to sunlight, which triggers the synthesis of vitamin D3. It can also be obtained from certain foods such as fatty fish (e.g., salmon, mackerel), fish liver oils, fortified dairy products, and fortified cereals.
What is Vitamin D For?
Last month, we had a contest where two people had the chance to win a vitamin D assessment to check the levels of this most important nutrient by answering the questions what is vitamin D good for, do you take vitamin D and do you know your levels.
Optimizing your vitamin D level maybe the single, most important thing you can do to support your health, improve your appearance and maximize your athletic performance potential. Interestingly enough, vitamin D isn’t really a vitamin at all. It’s a natural hormone manufactured by the skin during critical periods of sun exposure. And because it’s a hormone, vitamin D works directly at the cellular level controlling or influencing almost every physical process inside your body. So, what is vitamin D for?
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It determines the growth and repair rate of your tissues and cells.
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It functions as a powerful immune booster, providing front-line defense against everything from colds to cancer.
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It supports the development of stronger, healthier bones.
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It promotes the ability for your body to utilize fat for energy.
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It contributes to the development of muscular strength and recovery.
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It controls your physical reaction time, balance and coordination.
And if that wasn’t enough, optimal vitamin D levels have also been linked to reduction or even complete elimination of many illnesses including asthma, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, multiple sclerosis and arthritis among others.
Although vitamin D can be obtained in small amounts from the food we eat, the sun is a better source. When UVB rays penetrate the skin, they unlock the body’s ability to make its own supply of vitamin D. Most of us, however, don’t come close to getting enough sun to satisfy our bodies’ vitamin D needs, not even those who spend several active hours outside every day. Approximately 75% of all Americans are vitamin D deficient. Chances are, you are, too. A surprising number of people—even those who are regularly outdoors in sunny conditions—are vitamin D deficient.
Because of this the lack of regular exposure to enough UVB rays and inadequate intake and absorption of vitamin D from food, in order to get enough vitamin D, you’ll need to take a supplement. But not just any supplement will do! It’s essential that you take a (highly-absorbable) food-based vitamin D3 product. Many vitamin D capsules and tablets are not effective because they are not easily used by the body. In addition, never take vitamin D2. This synthetic form of vitamin D is metabolized into potentially-toxic substances.
And because nutrients act synergistically inside the body, the absorption and metabolism of any one particular nutrient can be affected (to a greater or lesser degree) by another. This is also true with vitamin D. In order to maximize the benefits you’ll receive from increasing your intake of vitamin D, you’ll also need to make sure that you’re getting enough of the proper co-factors. Vitamin D has many co-factors, the most important of which are omega 3 fatty acids and the mineral magnesium.
The other critical question you need to ask in addition to “what is vitamin D for?” is “am I vitamin D deficient?” In fact, this may very well be the most important health question you could ask. And you can easily find out by checking your vitamin D level with a simple, at-home assessment.
Want to learn even more about what vitamin D is for and how you can assess your vitamin D level in the comfort and convenience of your own home?
Which foods have vitamin D?
Optimizing your vitamin D level maybe the single, most important thing you can do to support your health, improve
your appearance and maximize your athletic performance potential. What does vitamin D do, exactly?
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It’s the key to building and maintaining healthy bones. Without enough vitamin D, your body won’t be able to use calcium and magnesium well—if at all.
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It improves insulin sensitivity and increases fat loss.
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It’s required for the production of many hormones including testosterone.
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It prevents tooth decay and gum disease.
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It strengthens our immune systems.
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It reduces systemic inflammation.
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It plays a role in protection against many (if not all) cancers.
To achieve this benefits most people will need to achieve serum levels of vitamin D of 50 to 60 ng/ml. Unfortunately, the conservative media and less-educated health professionals have been promoting the idea that this healthful vitamin D level can be obtained just through our diet. The basis of their misinformation stems from the reliance on the RDA (recommended daily allowance) to determine the needed dosages.
The problem with RDA levels is that they have been established at the absolute minimum amount for disease prevention but will have no application to the improvement in well-being or to the resolution of any of the relevant health epidemics our society faces today. So while consuming the current RDA of 600 IU daily of vitamin D will provide almost all adults with enough vitamin D to avoid the disease of rickets with symptoms that include bone softening, bone pain, immune disorders and severe muscular weakness, 600 IU of vitamin D daily from food will do little to maximize your body’s inner health potential to promote the benefits listed above and have virtually no effect on—obesity, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
So what about just eating more vitamin D rich foods? The problem here is that while it is possible to eat enough vitamin D rich foods to prevent the onset of rickets, it’s virtually impossible to establish or maintain an optimal vitamin D level through your diet alone. To get this job done, most people will need to intake 3000 to 6000 IU of vitamin D3 daily. Let’s take a look at the amount of food that the average adult would need to consume—each and every day—to achieve an intake of 3000 IU of vitamin D:
Cod Liver oil—3 tablespoons
Salmon—1½ pounds
Canned tuna—4 pounds
Milk—30 cups
Beef liver—15 pounds
Yogurt—35 cups
Eggs—75
Swiss cheese—30 pounds
So, you want to drink at least 30 cups of milk a day, it is clear that while vitamin D can be obtained from the foods we eat, the few foods which do contain vitamin D, contain far too little to be of any noticeable benefit. And because of this food must not be considered a satisfactory vitamin D source. 1 2
There really are only two effective ways to receive vitamin D in the amounts necessary for proper health—regular exposure to the sun’s Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays which unlocks the body’s ability to make its own supply of vitamin D or to take a highly-absorbable vitamin D supplement.
Are you getting enough vitamin D? Chances are, you’re not—especially if you’re relying on food as your primary source. There’ only one way to know for sure what your vitamin D level is; you have to check it. Thanks to recent advancements in laboratory testing technology, it’s now simple to assess your vitamin D level in the comfort and convenience of your own home.
Want to learn even more about the importance of vitamin D and why you should know what your level is? Check out our at home vitamin D test.
1. Chan J., Jaceldo-Siegl K., Fraser G.E. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status of vegetarians, partial vegetarians, and nonvegetarians: the Adventist Health Study-2. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 May; 89 (5): 1686S-1692S.
2. Välimäki VV, Löyttyniemi E, Välimäki MJ Vitamin D fortification of milk products does not resolve hypovitaminosis D in young Finnish men. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Apr; 61 (4): 493-7.
What is vitamin D deficiency?
Over the past 10 years, our understanding of the critical importance of vitamin D has been greatly expanded. Once recognized only for its role in causing rickets and bone disease, vitamin D is now known to be one of the most important nutrients in the human body. It’s so important, in fact, that it can literally influence how long you live! Optimizing your vitamin D level maybe the single, most important thing you can do to support your health, improve your appearance and maximize your performance potential.
From a conservative health perspective, you have a vitamin D deficiency if your blood serum level of Vitamin D is less than 30 ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter). Those who are interested in maximizing their health and performance, however, should strive to maintain a level of at least 50ng/ml. The larger the deficiency is and the longer it’s allowed to persist, the greater the risk of a debilitating illness or injury. While there are some common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, it is important to know that these can vary from person to person because the physiological effects of vitamin D are so numerous.
Vitamin D deficiency can be broken down into two main categories.
Very low serum levels between 20ng/ml and 40 ng/ml. This is the range that most people find themselves. The most common symptoms include:
*Frequent colds and flus
*Depression, lack of motivation
*Skin disorders and rashes
*Stubborn body fat
*Reduced muscular strength and recovery
*Poor physical reaction time, balance and coordination.
Extremely deficient levels less than 20ng/ml. People with vitamin D levels in this range will be subject to all of the symptoms above plus a high risk of bone-related weakness, immune disorders and chronic pain.
So, what causes vitamin D deficiency? A lack of consistent exposure to the sun’s UVB rays. Humans are designed to fulfill their vitamin D needs by producing it in response to exposure to ultraviolet-B (UVB) light from the sun. Our “modern” indoor lifestyle combined with conditioned sun avoidance (covering up with clothes or using sunscreens due to fear of skin cancer) are the predominant factors influencing the extraordinarily high rate of vitamin D deficiency we see today.
In addition, certain members of the population are at an even greater risk for developing a vitamin D deficiency due to physiological variables which can include:
*Dark skin pigment. The darker your natural (or tanned) skin pigment, the more UVB exposure you need to create the same amount of vitamin D.
*Excessive body fat. Since vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it can get trapped in fat making it more difficult for the body to metabolize and use. Ironically, a low vitamin D level makes fat loss far more difficult.
*Living at high latitude or in a cold climate. UVB rays are less intense in northern latitudes and colder climates offer far fewer (comfortable) sun-bathing opportunities.
*Advanced Age. As we get older, our skin is less responsive to UVB rays.
*Breastfeeding. Nursing will result in vitamin D deficiency in the baby if the mother fails to ensure her own levels are high enough to provide for her baby’s needs. In addition, when the mother is deficient, the breast-fed child will be deficient due to the low vitamin D content of the mother’s breast milk.
There are only two ways to correct a vitamin D deficiency—through sunlight exposure or vitamin D3 supplementation. While you can get some vitamin D from certain foods, it is virtually impossible to correct a vitamin D deficiency using dietary measures.
How can you find out if you are suffering from a vitamin D3 deficiency? The only way to know for sure is to check your level. A simple, at-home assessment can tell you exactly how much vitamin D your body is making.
In addition, it will be important for you to make sure that your body has enough of the vitamin D co-factors (nutrients that speed and increase the absorption of other nutrients) it needs. If your body doesn’t have or isn’t getting the proper co-factors, it will not receive all the benefits associated with increased vitamin D intake. Vitamin D has many co-factors, the most important of which are omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium (a key mineral).
Want to learn even more about the important and timely question, “What is vitamin D deficiency?”
How do you get vitamin D?
Vitamin D can boost your metabolism, strengthen your bones and muscles, increase your stamina, shorten your recovery time and heighten your mood and concentration—nature’s perfect health and performance enhancer! But how do you get vitamin D? And, more importantly, how do you know if you’re getting ENOUGH?
The answer is partially dependent upon the amount of time you regularly spend outdoors. Although vitamin D can be obtained in small amounts from the food we eat, our bodies require the sun's UVB rays to penetrate the skin prompting the production of this hormone-like substance in the tissues. If you are getting 15-20 minutes of unprotected, full-body sun exposure on a regular, year-round basis, your body is probably making enough vitamin D.
The human body can actually make thousands of units of vitamin D with the proper amount exposure to sunlight. In fact, when sunbathing during the summer months, the body can naturally produce about 20,000 IU’s of vitamin D—the same amount of vitamin D in 200 glasses of milk or the equivalent of that found in about 50 multivitamins. Chances are, this isn’t practical (or even possible) for the majority of people, even those who live in sunny, southern climates.
The answer becomes even more complicated when you consider the following fact: because each and every one of us is genetically-unique, the amount of vitamin D we require—either from the sun, our food or a supplement—will vary. Sometimes dramatically. The amount of vitamin D that your body can produce with direct sunlight depends not only on where you live, the relative intensity of the sun (which can depend on variables such as the time of year and amount of cloud cover) and how much skin you actually expose, but how dark or light your skin is as well.
If you have light skin, you will need 10-30 minutes of summer sun exposure between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM two to three times weekly. If you have dark skin or are tanned, you may need 5 to 20 times more exposure in order to produce the same amount of vitamin D. And due to less UVB intensity and less time outdoors our levels will be lowest in March (following the shorter, colder days of winter) and highest in August or September (following the longer, sunnier days of summer). And to make matters even worse as we get older, the ability to produce vitamin D lessens.
The upshot is that given that 75% of the American population is severely deficient in vitamin D (less than 25ng/ml), you’re probably not getting enough—regardless of your skin tone. So how do you get more vitamin D?
Unfortunately, there are very few foods that naturally contain high amounts of vitamin D. The best nutritional sources are halibut liver and cod liver oils; salmon, tuna, and mackerel. And because our environment is in a sad state of decline, the fish we eat are often tainted mercury and other toxins which can accumulate over time in our tissues. So eating lots of fish is not an optimal solution.
Considering a supplement? There are a few things you should know. First, disregard the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) on any product label. Because established health standards have changed (they were set many years before we science uncovered the critical role vitamin D plays in human health), the RDA is grossly insufficient. If your goal is to prevent a severe deficiency and the onset of bone disease (rickets and osteomalacia), follow the RDA. If your goal is to maximize your health and performance potential, you should strive to establish and maintain a vitamin D level of at least 50ng/ml. This typically will require approximately 1,000 IU of an absorbable, food-based vitamin D3 for every 25 pounds of body weight you carry.
So how do you know what dose you need to optimize your vitamin D levels? The only way to know for sure is to check it. An at-home vitamin D assessments can now tell you how much of the storage form of vitamin D, known as 25(OH)D or vitamin D3 is present in your body.
In addition, if you’ve read what I’ve written about multivitamins, you know that nutrients act in a synergetic way inside the body. Absorption and metabolism of a particular nutrient will be affected, to a greater or lesser degree, by the other nutrients available to the body. This is also true with vitamin D. In order to receive the most health benefit from increasing your vitamin D level, the proper co-factors must be present in the body. Vitamin D has many co-factors, the most important of which are omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium (a key mineral).
Want to learn even more about vitamin D and how you can make sure you’re getting enough of this essential nutrient? Take our at home vitamin D test!
Is Vitamin D good for athletes?
You train for hours, spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on equipment but if your level of this one powerful substance are not optimal you will not get the benefits of all your hear work and money. I am not talking about a new supplement with fancy packaging or high-end marketing but a substance that our body has relied on for thousands and thousands of years.
The substance is vitamin D. And I want to emphatically state that optimizing your vitamin D3 level may be the single, most important thing you can do for your health and performance.
It is important to know that Vitamin D really isn’t a vitamin that you get from dairy but rather, a hormone-like substance that your skin manufactures when exposed to the UV-B rays of the sun.
Vitamin D contributes to peak athletic performance by directing the physical processes involved with muscular function, strength and recovery. In addition, it drives physical reaction time, balance and coordination. In order to understand how vitamin D can impact your athletic performance, it’s important to understand that it functions—much like a steroid hormone (due to its highly-anabolic ability to promote growth, repair and recovery).
What is even more interesting is that the connection between vitamin D and athletic performance has long been known. During the 1960’s and 70’s, the Germans and Russians won many Olympic medals, attributing their success to vitamin D. A 1945 study confirmed that just two minutes of UV exposure three times a week could improve cardiovascular fitness scores by 19 percent. A study dating back to 1938 showed that 100-meter dash times were improved from 13.63 to 12.62 seconds with the use of ultraviolet lamps.
Even in ancient times, many knew the therapeutic benefits that the sun provided (within moderation). Herbert Shelton, famous natural hygiene proponent of the early 20th century, wrote:
“Positive evidence of the hygienic use of the sun is found in the history of the Egyptians and other peoples. The Babylonians, Egyptians and Assyrians had their sun gardens; the Greeks their helioses; the Romans their solaria… The great sanitarium of Hippocrates, on the Island of Cos, was equipped with a large solarium for the use of the sun. The Roman thermæ were all equipped with solaria for those taking sun-baths. Hippocrates extols the exsiccative (drying) action of sun-light. Herodotus gives extensive instructions for the use of the sun-bath, emphasizing its effect in strengthening the muscles and nerves. Antyllos describes at some length the effects of sunlight, his description comparing well with those of modern users. Philostratus tells us that the Olympian athletes were required to take sun-baths."
Yet as powerful of a nutrient for health and performance, 95% of the athletes we have assessed—even those who train regularly outdoors—have less than optimal levels (less than 55 ng/ml) of vitamin D. And even more importantly, those who have restored their vitamin D3 to an optimal level have been able to measurably improve their performance, recover from hard efforts faster and depend on the support of a stronger, more responsive immune system.
1. Optimizing vitamin D levels improves performance. Research published this month in the Journal of Sports Science suggests that higher vitamin levels can improve both your speed and your agility.
The UK researchers conducting the study randomized 30 athletes and 30 age-matched healthy non-athletes into two groups—a vitamin D group (5,000 IU/day) and a placebo. They found that 62% of the athletes and 73% of the controls had vitamin D blood levels < 20 ng/mL. After supplementation, vitamin D levels increased from a baseline mean of 11 ng/mL to 41 ng/mL in the vitamin D group, with no significant change in the placebo group. The vitamin D group demonstrated a significant increase in 10 meter sprint times (P = 0.008) and vertical jump height (P=0.008), with no change among in the placebo group.
Dr. Graeme Close, lead author of the study, said he and his team would like to do further research in order to determine the optimum vitamin D dosages for various tissues in an effort to prove the need for increased RDA supplementation standards.
2. You need to use a proven, tested vitamin D formula and periodically assess your vitamin D level.
In a recent study ordered by the Finnish Food Safety Authority, researchers analyzed 23 vitamin D supplements and found that only eight were within 20% of their advertised content. Some of the products they tested did not contain any vitamin D at all. Researchers were surprised that nearly 50 percent of the products researched contained significantly less vitamin D than claimed on their labels. In addition, products purchased at pharmacies were not any higher in quality than those from supermarkets or health food stores. And there was absolutely no correlation between a product’s price and its quality.
Source: Uutiset News. Finnish uni finds D vitamin supplements deficient. Yle. October 25, 2012.
I can only imagine what the findings would be here in the US, where supplements are not as tightly scrutinized or regulated. Add the likely probability of inadequate dosing and the poor absorption rates of tablets and capsules and you can see why taking a random, off-the-shelf vitamin D formula can be an exercise in futility—especially if you don’t check your level!
Protect your friends and family from the Vitamin D “dupe.” Share this information with the people you care about today!
The health and performance benefits of vitamin D3 are now widely accepted and thoroughly documented. In fact, hundreds of new studies supporting the fundamental importance of vitamin D are being published on a regular and ongoing basis. Just last month, a study published in the medical journal Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology showed an 80% reduction in the risk of death from heart disease and a significantly reduced risk of both diabetes and high blood pressure among participants whose vitamin D levels were the highest. You can read a review of that study here. In addition, several other new studies confirm what we’ve been telling you all along: Despite what your well-intentioned (but misinformed) doctor or nutritionist might believe, the human body requires 4,000 to 8,000 units of vitamin D3 for optimum health and performance—every day. But don't just run out and take this much vitamin D without knowing about the product you're going to use.
Unfortunately, many vitamin D supplements are not easily absorbed. As a result, they simply don’t work well, even when taken in the right amount. Because vitamin D is a fat soluble nutrient, its absorption rate is dependent on a number of variables, like when it’s taken (best with a meal that contains an adequate amount of fat). An individual's personal absorption capacity (which can be greatly affected by nutritional deficiencies and genetic variances) and the specific formulation of the product itself (tablets and gel caps that feature non-nutritive fillers and low-quality oils won't work) will further influence the rate at which your serum levels of vitamin D can or will be restored. The secret is in the size of the vitamin D particle!
Hundreds of studies confirm that a reduction in the particle size of any nutrient will increase its absorption rate. The FDA requires vitamin manufacturers to show only that their tablets or capsules break apart; there is currently no standard for evaluating the size of a nutrient particle being packaged and sold as a supplement. When nutrient particles are too large, they simply cannot penetrate the cells. Products that feature smaller, "nano-sized" particles are far more effective.
Vitamin D3 is essential
It promotes bone, muscle and heart health while strengthening the body’s immune system, reducing inflammation, and improving metabolism.
In fact, the most recent research proves that optimal vitamin D levels are strongly linked to improved sports performance and lower injury rates among competitive athletes.
Are you deficient in vitamin D3?
A study presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons found that only 25% of Division I college athletes had optimal vitamin D3 levels. That means 75% were deficient. At PureClean Performance we’ve been assessing the vitamin D3 levels of hundreds of non-collegiate athletes for the past five years. And only 10% of those tested have had an optimal level of vitamin D!
An optimal level of Vitamin D3 will:
Boost Endurance Studies have shown that vitamin D3 can increase maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), an indicator for endurance capacity.
Enhance Muscular Recovery In order to train for long periods of time, you must be able to recover quickly. Studies have found that vitamin D3 helps muscles recover faster—and more completely.
Increase Muscle Force Research has suggested that vitamin D3 supplementation will lead to increased power output in vitamin D deficient individuals.
Improve Balance Vitamin D3 is involved with balance—the ability to maintain a vertical center line with minimal postural sway. Recent research has shown that those with optimal levels of vitamin D (55 ng/ml) had significantly better balance than their vitamin D deficient counterparts.
Reduce the Risk of Stress Fractures
In a recent study, researchers analyzed the vitamin D3 status of 124 patients with confirmed stress fractures. Eighty-three percent of the patients with stress fractures had low levels of vitamin D, measuring 40 ng/ml or below.
This study correlates with an earlier study of 600 female Navy recruits who were found to have a twice the risk of stress fractures of the tibia and fibula with a vitamin D3 level of less than 20 ng/ml compared to those with concentrations above 40 ng/ml.
Based on these findings, Dr. Jason Miller, a foot and ankle surgeon from Premier Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Pennsylvania, recommends that all athletes (especially those participating in higher-impact sports) maintain a vitamin D3 level of at least 40 ng/ml. It’s time to take action!
1. Assess your vitamin D3 level.
Consult with your health practitioner, or order our convenient, at-home vitamin D3 assessment. Ideally, your result should confirm a vitamin D3 level between 50 and 60 ng/ml.
2. Boost your body’s ability to produce vitamin D.
If possible, get 20 to 30 minutes of regular, full-body and mid-day sun exposure a couple of times each week. The use of a sun exposure meter can help you determine your personal rate of exposure. A simple device like this (available on Amazon for $5.00) will do the trick.
When you can’t get enough sun, supplement with RemeD—our highly-effective, sublingual spray. Use one spray per 30 pounds of body weight in conjunction with vitamin K. I recommend this formula from the Life Extension Foundation.
3. Re-assess your vitamin D3 level.
After three or four months, check your level again. Remember, you level will naturally be higher in late summer and early fall; it will reach its lowest point during the winter months.
The Problem with Vitamin D and the Root Cause Protocol?
The Root Cause Protocol (RCP) is a holistic approach that focuses on balancing minerals and addressing nutritional imbalances rather than specifically targeting vitamin D alone. The balance of copper, iron, and magnesium can indeed affect vitamin D uptake and utilization in the body. Here’s how each mineral plays a role:
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Optimal Levels: There is a growing recognition that optimal levels of vitamin D in the blood may be higher than previously thought. While traditional norms suggested that levels above 30 ng/mL were sufficient, recent research and expert recommendations lean towards higher thresholds, often suggesting levels closer to 50-60 ng/mL for optimal health benefits.
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Forms of Vitamin D: Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) has become more widely recognized as the preferred form of vitamin D supplementation. It is considered more effective in raising and maintaining blood levels of vitamin D compared to vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol).
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Individual Variability: There is increasing acknowledgment of individual variability in vitamin D requirements. Factors such as age, skin color, latitude (sun exposure), diet, genetics, and health conditions can significantly influence an individual's vitamin D status and requirements.
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Supplementation Guidelines: Guidelines for vitamin D supplementation have become more nuanced, taking into account factors such as baseline vitamin D levels, sunlight exposure, dietary intake, and potential interactions with other nutrients. Supplement doses may vary widely depending on individual circumstances and health goals.
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Monitoring and Testing: Routine monitoring of vitamin D levels through blood tests has become more common, allowing for personalized supplementation strategies based on individual needs and responses to supplementation.
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Integration with Mineral Balance: The RCP emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balance of minerals, including magnesium, calcium, and others, alongside vitamin D supplementation. This holistic approach aims to optimize overall health and avoid potential imbalances that could arise from isolated supplementation.
Overall, the understanding and approach to vitamin D supplementation have evolved towards a more personalized and nuanced understanding of optimal levels, forms, and integration with broader nutritional needs. This evolution reflects ongoing research and a deeper appreciation for the complex interplay of factors that influence vitamin D status and its impact on health.
More about magnesium and vitamin D:
You have been following my posts, you will know how critical it is to have synergy in your diet and nutritional supplement program. Your body has thousands of physiological processes and each of the major players such as vitamin D, essential fats, nitric oxide and micronutrients not only support the activity of each other but when deficient (just like a chain with a weak link) can cause the whole system to fail. In our research, we found time and time again that restoring a single factor alone such as replacing vitamin D without adequate omega 3 or whole food derived micronutrients produces inferior results.
New research highlights this point and specifically speaks to the importance of the micronutrient magnesium and how it is critical for vitamin D activity in your body. In fact, magnesium is so important for the proper use of vitamin D, it can actually boost vitamin D's protection from fatal heart disease and colon cancer by nearly 500 percent and from overall death by over 100 percent! And furthermore even if your vitamin D levels are optimal, if your magnesium levels are low, you will not get the benefits that you are hoping to receive.
This it is a big problem, because not only do 75% of the population have less than optimal levels of vitamin D, over 80% of the population has less than optimal levels of magnesium! Yet, we really don’t hear too much about magnesium. The problem is that just like vitamin D, magnesium plays serves so many functions that it's hard to pin point a specific area of problem. In fact, researchers have now detected 3,751 magnesium binding sites on human proteins. In addition, magnesium is also found in more than 300 different enzymes in your body, which are responsible for optimal energy, muscle function and recovery, bone strength, bowel motility, emotional balance and stress resilience among many other things.
As it turns out your body can't effectively use vitamin D without adequate levels of magnesium.
The three major enzymes responsible for activating, storing and transporting vitamin D around your body are all magnesium dependent. This means that no matter how much vitamin D you take, your body cannot properly use it if you are deficient in magnesium.
On the other hand, a high magnesium intake actually appears to boost vitamin D levels. One large new study from the USA has just shown that adults with a magnesium intake of >420 mg daily were 66 percent less likely to be vitamin D deficient compared to those with lower intakes. Also, those who took at least 100 mg daily of supplemental magnesium had 70 percent less risk of being vitamin D deficient.
In addition, magnesium not only improves your vitamin D status, but it also boosts the beneficial effects of vitamin D.
The effect was impressive for death from heart disease. Those with high vitamin D but low magnesium had just 9 percent less risk of death, but those with high vitamin D and high magnesium intake had a 43 percent risk reduction. That's a boost of 478 percent in the effectiveness of vitamin D for preventing lethal heart disease. Even at low levels of vitamin D, magnesium more than doubled the protective effect of vitamin D (241 percent), and this was statistically significant.
So how much magnesium is needed for optimal protection?
If you want to maximize the health benefits of vitamin D, you must have an optimal intake of magnesium. Studies suggest this is anywhere from 264 to 420 mg daily. Most people can keep their levels in the healthy range without resorting to supplements, simply by eating a varied diet, including plenty of dark-green leafy vegetables, almonds, dark chocolate, spices, pumpkin and flax seeds and avocados. But the problem is only a minority of people achieve this daily intake due to inferior diets.
Organic is best
And not surprising, the best way to consume magnesium is organically-bound in foods rich in chlorophyll such as dark green vegetables. Chlorophyl is needed by plants to capture solar energy and convert it into their metabolic energy. Magnesium is in the center of the chlorophyl molecule and is what gives it the green color and allows it to utilize the sun's light energy. So without magnesium, plants would not be green and life would not exist on our planet. Interestingly, hemoglobin is the body’s version of chlorophyll as they share a similar structure but has iron plugged in the middle which provides blood it’s red color. If they were reversed plants would be red and blood green!
And it is important point to mention is that levels of magnesium in your food are dependent on the levels of magnesium in the soil where they're grown. Organic foods typically have more magnesium, as most fertilizer used on conventional farms rely heavily on nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium instead of magnesium.
Practically, we have found that for almost everyone magnesium levels can be restored and maintained, following a diet rich in green vegetables, healthy fats and dark chocolate supplemented with organic whole food concentrates such as those found in Fruit N Veggie Might and for those under high levels of physical or emotional stress, taking certain medications or large amounts of calcium that drive magnesium levels down, using a topical magnesium spray or lotion such as Ancient Minerals.
For much more information on the importance of magnesium check out this article by Dr. Mercola. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/17/magnesium-benefits.aspx
The upshot?
Synergy is crucial in both your diet and supplement program. One factor alone will never get the job done and in some cases can back fire and make matters worse!
Low Vitamin D: Like smoking a pack of cigarettes daily
If you have been reading my posts, you probably already know that an optimal level of vitamin D3 is critical for a strong immune response, healthy metabolism as well as strong muscular performance and recovery but the vitamin D 3 story just got even better.
A recent study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that optimal vitamin D3 is even more important as it both prevents disease and extend our life! The researchers found that raising serum vitamin D 3 levels above 50ng/ml in those who were deficient would reduce the disease mortality rate by an estimated 20 percent and increase life expectancy by five years.
To put this in to perspective, having low levels of vitamin D carries the same health risks and shortening of life as smoking a pack of cigarettes for 15 years! Or another way to look at it, improving vitamin D 3 levels will provide a similar health and life extension benefit has regular physical exercise!.
Why is this effect so powerful?
Vitamin D-sensitive diseases account for more than half of the global mortality rate and includes cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory infections, respiratory diseases, tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus. So by increasing vitamin D3 levels, there is a dramatic reduction in the most common causes of death.
But they learned something else.
It seems that an optimal level of vitamin D3 is important to preserving the length of our teleomeres. Telomeres are the endcaps of DNA strands in our chromosomes. Just like the plastic tips on shoelaces, telomeres preserve DNA information each time the cell divides, but with each cell replication, our telomeres get shorter and shorter. And when they get too short, the cell begins to malfunction and eventually die.
Why is this so important?
Medicine now knows that one of the main things we can do to slow the aging process and prevent chronic chronic disease is to preserve the length of our telomeres. Many of the traits of long-lived societies: a healthful diet, minimal exposure to toxins, invigorating physical activity, low stress, a purposeful like and community contacts have all been linked to slowing the shortening of our telomeres.
In addition, a number of nutrients have been uncovered that preserve our telomeres and therefore lengthen cell life. Chief among these is vitamin D.
So how much D do you need?
Whatever it takes to achieve a vitamin D3 level between 50-65 ng/ml. We have found that it typical takes about 500-1000iu of a highly absorbable vitamin D 3 for each 25 pounds of body weight.
Sounds simple right?
Just buy 5000 iu of an inexpensive vitamin D3, remember to take it once daily and you are good to go. Unfortunately for most people this will not get the job done. We have assessed many people using ample amounts of vitamin D3 who fail to achieve an optimal level of vitamin D3.The problem is that many people
have trouble absorbing the oral forms of vitamin D3 and a high percentage of the vitamin D3 formulas on the market are not reliable.
The lesson here is two-fold.
In order to be assured of achieving a level of vitamin D3 that will improve both your health and longevity, you need to use a formula that has been proven effective to restoring vitamin D3 levels and then follow-up with periodic assessments to verify that your dosing is correct for you. .
You can do that here with our RemeD Vitamin D3 spray and at-home Vitamin D3 assessment. RemeD is rapidly and reliably absorbed and has been proven with hundreds of people to restore an optimal level of vitamin D3. And the Vitamin D3 assessment allows you to send a drop of blood collected with a simple finger-stick to the lab for accurate vitamin D3 levels.
Don’t forget omega 3 levels
While you are taking steps to restore vitaminD3, do the same for your omega 3 levels. It turns out that optimal omega 3 levels have the same powerful effect on preserving telomere length. A recent study at Ohio State showed that healthy adults who took adequate amounts of a high-quality omega-3 supplements for just four months reduced inflammation, oxidative stress and preserved the length of their telomeres! You can check out the study here. http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/omega3aging.htm Or your best option?
Vitamin D: Find a Formula that Works! Or should you even supplement with Vitamin D?
What is your vitamin D level?
Finding out the answer to this simple question may be the single, most important thing you’ll ever do for your health, appearance and performance! Current scientific research suggests that all cells and tissues in your body have vitamin D receptors, which means that each and every cell and tissue in your body needs it for proper function.
Did you know that vitamin D controls your body’s ability to produce energy and determines just how good your coordination, reaction time, strength, speed and endurance are? That a low level of vitamin D can lead to increased body fat? That vitamin D plays a major role in controlling inflammation—the culprit that causes sore muscles and slow recovery? Or that vitamin D has a proven, positive effect on the immune system? If your vitamin D level is low, you’ll be far more prone to flus, colds, and infections.
Scientific research and our experience in testing hundreds of people show that more than 85% of all active people are vitamin D deficient—including those receiving regular sun exposure!
You can't rely on sun exposure or food.
While exposure to the sun’s UVB rays support your body’s ability to manufacture its own (adequate) supply of vitamin D3, it’s not always practical—or even possible—to rely on the sun, especially during the colder months of the year. Even during the warmer months, its unrealistic for most people to get 30 minutes of full-body sun exposure three times weekly during mid-day hours. And, despite what you may have been told, increasing your dietary intake of vitamin D rich foods won’t work either. It is simply impossible to get enough Vitamin D from the food you eat, unless you’re capable of drinking 60 large glasses of milk each day. Even then, most of the supplemental vitamin D found in dairy products is synthetic. Because it is a non-natural substance, vitamin D2 (as opposed to vitamin D3) is not well-utilized by the body. The fact of the matter is, your body needs a good vitamin D supplement.
Are you using one of those inexpensive tablets or gel caps?
Know that they won’t work—no matter how many you take! Because Vitamin D is an oil-based nutrient, tablets are very poorly absorbed and almost always ineffective at raising a low vitamin D level. Even oil-filled gel caps or liquids (most which contain GMO soy oil) due to individual differences in absorption are not reliable. Spending less money on products that don't work isn't really a bargain at all.
Remember: Your body is unique; so is your need for vitamin D.
Two people can have the same build, body weight and ethnic background but need markedly different doses of vitamin D for optimal health and performance. In fact, the individual variation in dosage needs can be incredible! What *each and every different body needs is partly determined by size and weight (the bigger you are, the more vitamin D you’ll need), a 100-pound woman may require 14,000 units while a 320-pound man may require only 1,000 units to achieve the same blood level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D3. The “one-size-fits-all” Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is—at best—misleading. Assessing your vitamin D level is an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY for determining the dosage that is adequate and correct for you.
The sound, sun solution!
After testing many formulas, we choose the sun as the best method to get vitamin D, and plus it is FREE! It has proven time and time again to be the most reliable and effective vitamin D product on the market and when combined with proper mineral balance from the Root Cause Protocol, it's turns out we don't need as much vitamin D as we thought we did to supplement with.
The take home point.
For optimal health and performance, it is essential to optimize your vitamin D3 levels. And the only way to do this is with a product that you can trust will get the job done. How about the sun!
Being healthy and physically fit doesn’t have to be complicated. But it does require some attention to the scientific details. If you want to feel and perform well, you’ll need to optimize your vitamin D3 level. Studies have clearly shown that vitamin D3 improves muscle reaction time, strength, balance, and coordination. You can refer to a previous post on this subject here. But wait. There’s more! A new study entitled Nutrients: Vitamin D and Human Health published in the journal Nutrients showed that vitamin D3 facilitates faster muscular recovery and prevents tissue damage following intense exercise.
Researchers assessed the vitamin D level and the amount of force a physically-active adult could exert before and after intense exercise. Each study participant performed intense exercise by pushing against a force plate with one leg while the other leg acted as a control. The subjects’ strength was tested on days one, two, three, and seven following the exercise. Based on their measurement data, it was clear that participants with the highest vitamin D3 levels also had a faster rate recovery and less muscular damage.
The bottom line:
If you want to go faster, get stronger, and recover quicker, assess and optimize your vitamin D3! We know it works because we frequently hear about the benefits from our PureClean Performance members. And the breadth and depth of its effects of are multiplied when combined with the regular use of whole-food micronutrients, nitric oxide, and essential amino acids.
Is it time to check your vitamin D3 level?
Your personal potential for muscular strength and recovery depends upon having enough (55 to 65 ng/ml) vitamin D3. If you’re regularly using PureClean Performance, then you're getting the job done. But regardless of your current supplement routine, it's important to assess your vitamim D3 level on a regular basis. And you can do it with a simple, at-home finger stick assessment. No painful blood draws (or doctors' appointments) are necessary.
Being healthy and physically fit doesn’t have to be complicated. But it does require some attention to the scientific details. If you want to feel and perform well, you’ll need to optimize your vitamin D3 level. Studies have clearly shown that vitamin D3 improves muscle reaction time, strength, balance, and coordination. You can refer to a previous post on this subject here.
But wait. There’s more!
A new study entitled Nutrients: Vitamin D and Human Health published in the journal Nutrients showed that vitamin D3 facilitates faster muscular recovery and prevents tissue damage following intense exercise.
Researchers assessed the vitamin D level and the amount of force a physically-active adult could exert before and after intense exercise. Each study participant performed intense exercise by pushing against a force plate with one leg while the other leg acted as a control. The subjects’ strength was tested on days one, two, three, and seven following the exercise. Based on their measurement data, it was clear that participants with the highest vitamin D3 levels also had a faster rate recovery and less muscular damage.
The bottom line:
If you want to go faster, get stronger, and recover quicker, assess and optimize your vitamin D3! We know it works because we frequently hear about the benefits from our PureClean Performance members. And the breadth and depth of its effects of are multiplied when combined with the regular use of whole-food micronutrients, nitric oxide, and essential amino acids.
Is it time to check your vitamin D3 level?
Your personal potential for muscular strength and recovery depends upon having enough (55 to 65 ng/ml) vitamin D3. If you’re regularly using PureClean Performance, then you're getting the job done. But regardless of your current supplement routine, it's important to assess your vitamim D3 level on a regular basis. And you can do it with a simple, at-home finger stick assessment. No painful blood draws (or doctors' appointments) are necessary.
A Final PureClean Performance Nutrition Perspective
Researchers at Creighton University Medical Center recently reported that much higher daily doses of vitamin D are needed to prevent serious disease than previously thought.
In their study, researchers compared the Vitamin D intake and accompanying blood levels in a group of 3,667 people who took supplements ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 IU of vitamin D a day. Results showed that 10,000 IU a day was not toxic, while a daily dose of 4,000 to 8,000 IU was needed to lower the risk for breast cancer, colon cancer, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes. The evidence also suggests that 9,600 IU might be needed to ensure that 97.5% of the population reaches a blood value found to dramatically lower the risk for these serious diseases.
The current recommendation established by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine (IOM) ranges from 400 to 800 IU. The IOM also acknowledges that a daily intake of 4,000 IU of vitamin D appears safe for adults and children, age nine and older. The results of this study suggest that intakes much higher than this might be beneficial and are still below the 10,000 IU a day limit established by the IOM as the lower end for potential risk.
The take home point? This study once again reconfirms that if you want to achieve optimal benefits from vitamin D, it is absolutely essential to assess your vitamin D level.
Do you know what your vitamin D level is?
Get an at home test now to see!
Source:
The Highest Bar. Life Elevated. PureClean Performance