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Myth 1: People get enough vitamin D, so you don't need to
supplement with it.
Truth: This
isn't always the case. In fact, more often than not, people in the northern
parts of the hemisphere don't receive enough of this essential pro hormone.
Most people, especially with lives being spent increasingly longer indoors and
out of the sun, don’t receive a sufficient amount of vitamin D. Those who
take a multivitamin may see that their multivitamin has 100% of the
recommended daily value of vitamin D, however this is typically not enough to
raise vitamin D serum levels significantly. It's a good idea to get
your vitamin D levels checked to make sure that your serum levels are at least
at normal levels. This includes a simple blood test and will give you
and your Dr. a good idea on what dosage to put you on. In most
cases a regimen consisting of 2,000-5,000 IUs of vitamin D is sufficient;
however these doses may be too much if you are among the rare few who are
actually sufficient in vitamin D. Some treating physicians also can also
prescribe extremely high doses of Vitamin D as high as 50,000 IUs. I'm not
particularly a fan of these extreme doses, but they have been shown to raise
Vitamin D levels quicker than using lower doses.
Myth 2: Vitamin D is a Vitamin.
Truth: Vitamin
D is actually a pro-hormone that is derived from cholesterol.
Vitamin D receptors have direct effects on most cells in the body. Vitamin D is involved
in mineral metabolism and bone growth. Perhaps its most important
"known" effect is to facilitate absorption of calcium, however
it is also known to contribute to the absorption of phosphate/magnesium.
Without sufficient vitamin D levels, dietary calcium is not absorbed properly
and thus doesn't get distributed to places in the body where it needs to go.
For example, when calcium doesn't get absorbed into the bone matrix it ends up
being deposited in places where it doesn't belong, such as in the arterial
walls. When calcium builds up in the arterial walls it causes an inflammatory
process which can lead to heart disease. Vitamin D also stimulates the
expression of a number of proteins involved in transporting calcium across the
epithelial cells and into blood. It has also recently been suggested that
vitamin D may have effects on longevity, by allowing certain longevity genes to
be expressed longer throughout the lifespan.
Myth 3: All you need is a healthy diet to get a sufficient amount
of vitamin D:
Truth: This
is perhaps the biggest misconception that I hear from people. My Grandmother is
a good example of how even healthy dieters can be insufficient of vitamin
D. Despite her eating a near perfect diet, her vitamin D serum levels
were so low that she had to be prescribed 50,0000 IU of vitamin D for
2-weeks just to get her vitamin D blood serum levels to normal. It's a fact
that most foods aren't high in Vitamin D. Even known foods that are high in
vitamin D such as fortified milk and fish oftentimes do not contain enough
vitamin D for many individuals. If you have a lifestyle that allows you to be
exposed to plenty of sunshine, then a regular diet may be all that is needed
for sufficient levels of vitamin D, however many individuals simply will not
receive sufficient amounts of vitamin D from diet alone. I must reiterate
how important it is to get your vitamin D blood levels checked no matter how
healthy your diet may be. A vitamin D blood serum level test can provide a
great baseline and help those who are insufficient receive better information
regarding their vitamin D levels.
Myth 4: You can take as much vitamin D as you want.
Truth: Just
as having too little vitamin D can be dangerous, too much vitamin D can be
equally as deleterious to health. While you can't get too much by being
in the sun (the body only manufactures a certain amount of sun exposure),
you can get too much vitamin D via supplementation. Vitamin D is a fat soluble
pro hormone that, when taken in extreme amounts, can cause serious health
issues such as kidney problems and elevated blood calcium. It is commonly
suggested that a person should not exceed 10,000 IUs of vitamin D/day without
being under a Rd.’s supervision. As noted earlier in my example of my Grandmother,
she was under a Doctor’s supervision during her 50,000 IU supplementation and
monitored regularly.
Myth #5: All vitamin D is the same.
Truth: There
are two common forms of vitamin D: vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is far
more bio-available or more easily absorbed into the body. Most vitamin D
supplements come as vitamin D3 due to this fact, however you should check your
label to make sure it is the D3 variant. I have noticed that many multivitamins
are now coming with Vitamin D3 versus D2, however some are still using the
lesser vitamin D2 form. Furthermore, many studies have shown that
vitamin D-3 in even more absorb-able in a liquid base. If you decide you
should supplement with vitamin D3, it's best to take a gel cap with an oil base
as this insures optimal absorption of vitamin D3.
There is increasing evidence of the importance of vitamin D and
its effects on health and longevity. While many people don't need to supplement
with vitamin D due to their geographical location, many people get very little
of this essential nutrient. For those who are deficient, supplementing with
Vitamin D is both convenient and very inexpensive. Most health stores
carry vitamin D3 and it's typically very affordable. iHerb.com, for example,
carries vitamin D anywhere from three to five dollars for a 3-month supply or
even less with an iHerb Coupon. With this being the case, there is no reason
why anyone should suffer from the ill health effects of vitamin D deficiency.
Thank for reading!