Herald Article #6, Vitamin D

In this weeks health talk I will be discussing Vitamin D, which actually is not a vitamin but a combination of neuro-steroid/prohormone (sort of like a precursor to a hormone with the ability to amplify the expression of other hormones). It is also labeled as a powerful epigenetic influencer (having the ability to change a gene expression that is not through DNA change). Humans have about 30,000 genes and currently we know that Vitamin D is responsible for regulating at least 2,000 of them. A number of informed health care professionals will say that Vitamin D is where the biggest bang for your health care buck is. With an overwhelming number of high quality studies showing that Vitamin D plays a major role in weight control, high blood pressure, autism, cancer, anti aging, skin disorders and more. In past articles, I have cited studies showing how Vitamin D outperforms the flu shot and Metformin, blood sugar control. So lets talk about how the mechanics of exposing your skin to sunlight actually results in the production of Vitamin D, because that is the way we optimally maintain health promoting levels. There are many types of sunlight rays, the main two for this discussion are Ultra violet (UV) A & B. UVA has the ability to increase our risk of cancer (more discussion later). UVB creates Viamin D3 with the help of skin bacteria and cholesterol, then it passes through the skin and enters the bloodstream and is modified first in the liver then again in the kidneys to an active form that is able to create change. The concept that sun exposure causes cancer has created our current epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency. Over the last 100 years our exposure to the sun has actually decreased, but because there is a small connection to non melanoma skin cancer(about 1500 deaths per year) the campaign to further reduce sun exposure has contributed to the 200,000 to 300,000 deaths per year from more common cancers such as Lung, Breast, and Prostate. So what is the problem and how do we reverse this Vitamin D deficiency? There are three ways to accomplish this, they are natural sunlight, tanning beds, and supplementation. First lets address what healthy sun exposure looks like, and what the body requires to support the sun exposure and not promote increased cancer risk. On average you need about 10 minutes a day of whole body exposure with out immediately jumping in the shower. The following all factor in: time of day, (if your shadow is shorter than you, you will make Vitamin D, if your shadow is longer than you, you will not). Windows block the good UVB and let the cancer risk UVA through. Clothing blocks UVB, and sunscreen (most contain toxic chemicals that your skin will absorb) blocks UVB. The pigmentation of our skin and our age (the darker and olde, the more time is required). Getting sunburned is dangerous, Never let yourself Burn. You must correct/improve your ratio of omega 6 fat to omega 3 fats by reducing your intake of the bad omega 6 in cheap veggie oils, trans fats and hydrogenated fats, while increasing your omega 3 (and some good omega 6) by eating more nuts and seeds and taking a fish oil supplement. You must maintain a healthy pool of antioxidants by eating more veggies and berries. This is essential in helping the body make vitamin D and not producing disease such as cancer. If prudent sun exposure is not possible where you live or because of your job then there are tanning beds and supplementation. Tanning beds must have the new electronic ballast not the old magnetic. Look for beds that provide the best ratio of UVA to UVB and how they are cleaned and disinfected after each use. Here is a need in our community that could be filled by a local entrepreneur without a staggering amount of capital. Supplementation should be under the guidance of a knowledgeable practitioner, performing blood testing to determine where your current level is and to monitor your progress into a healthy range. As deficient as most of us are, it takes a very specific high therapeutic dose to get into a healthy range. Emulsified D3 is best, never D2 and speak to your practitioner about specific short term therapeutic doses for acute infection. Next week we will discuss Cholesterol.