IS VITAMIN D REALLY BAD FOR US?

[GitOverIt]

Hi everyone!!! Miss me?
we had some bad storms in our area and our broadband modem got zonked!
We had to go on a wait list as comcast was busy with all kinds of problems (but I didn't care..... darn it....... I wanted it fixed NOW!) it took a week....can you imagine being without a computer for a week?

here is something I thought was interesting for all our vitamin D takers...just shows how studies can be misinterperted and easily deceivable to the public if someone isn't on their toes checking!

Is vitamin D really bad for you?

You probably know that I'm a huge fan of vitamin D. After all the great information I've told you about it, I'm sure you're a big fan too. But not everyone is. A brand-new study says vitamin D and calcium are bad for your brain.

The authors did MRI scans on elderly subjects. They found that those who took more calcium and vitamin D were far more likely to have brain lesions in the MRI scans.

How can this be? After all I've told you about vitamin D, is it really bad for you?

Well, some of what these researchers found was right on target. But they missed the real cause of cognitive impairment. Let me explain.

Dr. Martha Payne from Duke led this study. Her previous studies demonstrated that high-fat dairy products increased the risk of brain lesions. But these studies also found that it wasn't the fat causing the problem. So Dr. Payne looked deeper. And now she's implicating calcium and vitamin D in vitamin D fortified foods.

She's absolutely right. But that still doesn't mean vitamin D is bad for you.

You see, dairy is fortified with vitamin D2. That's the synthetic form. It's not a healthy substance, and you shouldn't put it in your body. I don't even like to refer to it as vitamin D. If you are looking for vitamin D, be sure that it's the natural form - vitamin D3. But that's not the biggest problem with this study.

The biggest problem is that high-fat dairy foods are typically homogenized. This is a prescription for disaster. Your body uses bile to break down fat. Then it sends it to your liver for proper processing. Homogenization breaks up the fat into tiny particles. These particles are so tiny that they can get absorbed directly into your lymph and blood, bypassing the protective effects of your liver. This is totally against your body's physiology.

Furthermore, homogenized fat contains an enzyme called xanthine oxidase, a known destroyer of your arteries. Homogenization deprives your liver of the opportunity to detoxify this enzyme before it can damage your arteries.

Thanks to this study, you'll now hear the press tell you calcium and vitamin D are dangerous. But they neglected to tell you which vitamin D is involved and the impact of homogenization.

I've always believed dairy is for baby cows. You don't see baby cows homogenizing and pasteurizing what comes from mom's teat. But we do. That said, I do eat small amounts of organic fermented dairy and a bit of organic raw cheese. Don't be afraid to do the same if the rest of your diet is healthy. I can't deny that there is some benefit in eating dairy protein, especially for vegetarians. But if you drink milk or dairy products, make sure it's organic and raw.

And definitely keep taking your vitamin D3. Most people are deficient and need to take up to 5,000 mg daily. My favorite brand is Healthy Resolve. It comes in 5,000 mg tablets, so you have to take only one pill a day - instead of the usual five.

Yours for better health and medical freedom,
Robert Jay Rowen, MD

Ref: "High Calcium and Vitamin D Intakes Associated With Higher Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Elderly," Science Daily, May 2, 2007.

[grannyfranny]

Thank you,,Sally,,I was getting worried about you. Our Internet and TV cable has been messing up lately and I WANT MY NEWS!!!!!!!!!

[mcordy77]

that's why both BJ and I keep pushing D3 (cholecalciferol) which is the BEST form of D, and not D2 (ergocalciferol) which is really both inneffective and a lousy manufactured chemical (Deltalin) pushed by Eli Lilly and Company as a "beneficial" D in milk (also found in cheap D supplements and inexpensive multivitamins).

D2 is synthetic, and STILL needs sunlight to be activated by the body into...you guessed it...D3!

So take the D3 to begin with! (no sunlight required)

Also glad to report, I never liked milk

Mark

[bjmacc]

hi sally...welcome back...

I think i posted this before...the article is wrong...D2 is not in milk..

http://vitamind.ucr.edu/milk.html

At the present time almost all milk sold commercially in the United States has 400 IU of chemically synthesized vitamin D3 added per quart. Any vendor of milk for human consumption containing added vitamin D3 is required by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include a notice on the milk carton label. Usually this label states "400 IU of added vitamin D3". However it is not required by law to indicate either the manufacturer of the added vitamin D3 or the sources of the cholesterol and 7-dehydrocholesterol used for its production.

I'm trying to find some numbers on that study ,so far it was a study on depression and the elderly..60-86 ...half were diagnosed as depressed..the calcium numbers and Vitamin D numbers made no mention of supplements or dosages that i can find..just consumption of dairy...well even dairy doesn't have high levels of D..100 iu in a glass of milk..and calcium ...i thing a glass of milk is 300 mg....something doesn't fit...

Now, interesting enough..in the same month and journal there was published another study lamenting the low calcium levels amongst the elderly

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/5/1361

...i'll keep looking...because i'm as intrigued by poor science as well as good science.


bj

[AnnieB]

Sounds to me like Dr. Payne is speculating on what possibly caused those legions and is suggesting Vitamin D and calcium--since an increase in other sorts of fat doesn't seem to increase legions. At the same time, Robert Rowen is ALSO simply speculating on what HE thinks caused it...homogenization of dairy products. So I don't find either theory totally convincing...yet.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/555904

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0501115230.htm

"In earlier studies, Dr. Payne's team had found that individuals who consumed more high-fat dairy products had more brain lesions than those who did not follow such a diet but that fat intake in general was not a significant factor. If not the fat, the researchers asked, what was it about a high fat dairy diet that accounts for the positive correlation with brain lesions?"

[bjmacc]

I agree annie...you would have thought that if MRI 's were taken..a simple blood test would have shed some light on vitamin D and calcium levels and given some support on the reporting techniques and accuracy.

[PaulKensington]

Hello,

I think I noted in another post that I read vitamin D could be dangerous in excess (over 900 units) due to calcium accumulation in the kidneys, heart and other organs.

Apparently natural foods tend to contain not just vitamins, but a balance of other factors too, which enables your body to derive the best benefit.

I understand that there are reasons for processing milk, just as there are reasons why people cook food (both because of health risks), even though the processing and cooking depletes nutrients. Raw milk is apparently dangerous for some and is legally quite hard to acquire in some countries. (Having said that, it might be nice to have the choice of raw milk, with a suitable warning displayed).

I looked at a few of bj's posts. I think the long term risk of some everyday substances like ibuprofen might not be well studied, but the benefits in comparison to some of the conventional medicines might well outweigh the risks. Thanks for your kindness posting these bj.

Paul

[guri]

Thank you all, especially Sally & Dulane for your generosity. The information you share I happily read and appreciate. Super simple, yummy left-over-using recipe below.

Have been doing Close-to-Pagano for several months. Already had stopped gluten. Had lived over 20 years with no refined sugar...... finally fell of that wagin with a thunk! Now occasionally have somehting sweetened with a little sugar. No 'fast food', ie McDonalds. After reading here, no nightshades, except for a couple goofs.... at a celebration, saw baba ganoush and said to myself, 'Aha self! Something I love & can eat!' Of course, it's eggplant. Oh well. And some foods have tomatoe/peppers which I fish out, but of course ingested the essence.
Have been in touch w Gary & got remedies from him. Actually, Psorolin has helped; had paradoxical response to 777 when I used it: spots that were clearing got worse on application of 777. The Psorolin, his supplement capsules, fish oil, milk thistle have worked well, so I never again used the 777. Anyone have any suggestion on this?
BTW, saw Derm, a Doc I like very much, in her eighties. she suggested three days of Clorbetone [sp?] After coming back to this list and seeing strong possibility of bounce back, I didn't.

So, in honor of you-all, esp Sally, here is what I think is a P-friendly Recipe. Didn't see Recipe Board. Sorry if that's an oversight on my part.


Yummy Pasta Salad [Gluten Free; uses left-overs]

Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoe or Rice vermiccelli [I used the Sweet Pot. Taste/texture similar to the rice noodles.]
Cabbage
celery
other vegetables if you choose
sesame oil
cooked/leftover chicken or fish,
or marinated tofu* [directions for marinating tofu below].
Capers

Method: Put uncooked noodles in bowl.
Boil water, and cover noodles w boiled water and let sit for 10 minutes.
While it sits, thinly slice cabbage into shreds, same for celery, carrots, summer squash, sweet potato, other veggies would work too.

When pasta is ready, drain.

Optional & suggested: this is easier to eat if pasta is in smaller piece. It cuts more easily after cooking. Take your kitchen shears, and cut pasta in pot, rotate pot, cut in other direction, about 10 cuts or so per direction gets pasta to about 2 inch lengths.

Lightly salt the pasta [for some reason, with rice/sweet pot pasta, I think it tastes better salted after cooking.]


Add Sesame oil to still warm pasta, mix. Cut capers--the larger are more flavorful-- over the pasta, so any juice drips into pasta adding to the rich flavor, and add capers. Then add veggies, chicken or fish or marinated tofu.

Enjoy!!!

*To Marinate Tofu: Drain liquid from Tofu. Press tofu. This can be done by having a brick wrapped in Aluminum foil.
Put weight, ie, wrapped brick/heavy can [ for example of tomatoes. A use for the canned tomatoes some of us have on a shelf!] on tofu, let drain as long as works for you.
Once drained, tofu quickly accepts new flavor, doesn't need long marinade. Simply sprinkling with [wheat free if necessary] soy sauce and adding some ginger gives a luscious flavor.

[GitOverIt]

hi guri! I posted your recipe in the anti-inflammatory recipe section sounds like a good one ...I'll have to try it and let everyone know....(once I get all the ingredients together)

http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showt...t=24739&page=3

[RichJ]

hi gurl,
sorry i can't help much but welcome to the p family. you have met some of the wonderful people on here and will find alot of great info. welcome and nice to meet you.

have a good weekend all

richard

[guri]

Hi, Sally,

good idea, thanks.

i came back today to find that recip! I didn't write it down, and will be a quick one to make for friends with our leftover chicken this evening!
I tried another version with mung bean thread and grill roasted veggies. Used olives cut up... The roasted veggie flaver just didn't work. A thumbs down!

I have two on-going questions....
Source of Saflower/Saffron tea other than China? Our store only buys from sources they have a relationship with there now. I do have plenty other teas.

Also, I found the scent of777 difficult, and it un-did the healing I'd had with the Psorolin in one place. Just me?

And, are you still clear? delighted for you if you are!
best,

[GitOverIt]

Hi Guri I just answered you in the clearing thread.....and gave where to buy both teas ......American saffron is what you want...does China have American saffron

also yes I am pretty clear......maybe 95% I have 3 spots on hairline that didn't clear when everything else did and one ear (inside) but it isn't bad.
I ran out of Psorolin last early spring and have been waiting for Gary's new product with a higher percentage of wrightia.......no petroleum in the new ointment!

it is called Psorayur...the first shipment is 100 jars and will be on his web site in a day or two (or you can call now and pre order to make sure you get one of the first)

[WhoaTrigger]

Hi Sally, glad you survived the storms.

I have a question regarding Vitamn D. I take 2-3 grams of fish oil capsules a day. I've never taken cod liver oil, probably for silly reasons. I'm worried about mercury content, although I know it can be tested or filtered or some such thing to make it safe. My question is this...Now that the daylight is lessening and I live in a northern climate where it's unlikely I will get much sunlight this winter, I want to take vitamin D supplements.
So the best kind is Vitamin D3 (cholecaliferol)? Can I continue to take the fish oil with it?
Also, I wonder why it's only cod that is used for liver oil. Why not other species? Any ideas?

[mcordy77]

D3 from cod liver oil is a bad idea. Too much Vitamin A. Too many toxins.

Read here...D3 tablets do not raise serum blood levels of D.
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/se...el/vitamin%20D

The oil based D3 from Jarrow or a whole foods store will work best to raise D blood levels.

And yes...you can safely take D3 with fish (body) oil (as opposed to fish liver oil).

Lastly...I fell across this site tonight...and my jaw dropped.
Check it out.

the first map shows the amount of sunlight one can expect to recieve each year county by county in the US. The next four maps show the rates of breast, colon and ovarian cancers as well as MS by county.

WOW.
http://www.sunarc.org/index.htm

Mark

[bjmacc]

great link mark...you look at these maps and wonder...what does it take?

bj

[blairmary]

I am a little confused about how to take all these supplements. I started a week ago taking the Barney Formula and was wondering how much D3 should I take. My D3 comes in 600 units plus my multivitamin says it contains 400 units of vitamin D plus I take calcium Plus D and it contains 400 units of Vitamin D. I have read that it needs to be D3 so should I take another D3 tablet of 600 units. I am so afraid of taking too much. Plus I have read in other readings that taking the Ibuprohen is not good for Psoriasis. What do you say. I am new to this board and I have tried to many things for my Psoriasis. I just want some help for this dreaded disease. How long will it take for me to see some improvement. I am mainly concerned with my face and neck. I have so much redness and flakeness . Any advice would be appreciated. Mary in Alabama

[NYGuy11]

Excellent article Sally, thanks.

Mark...that link...WOW!

[NYGuy11]

I am a little confused about how to take all these supplements. I started a week ago taking the Barney Formula and was wondering how much D3 should I take. My D3 comes in 600 units plus my multivitamin says it contains 400 units of vitamin D plus I take calcium Plus D and it contains 400 units of Vitamin D. I have read that it needs to be D3 so should I take another D3 tablet of 600 units. I am so afraid of taking too much. Plus I have read in other readings that taking the Ibuprohen is not good for Psoriasis. What do you say. I am new to this board and I have tried to many things for my Psoriasis. I just want some help for this dreaded disease. How long will it take for me to see some improvement. I am mainly concerned with my face and neck. I have so much redness and flakeness . Any advice would be appreciated. Mary in Alabama

Read this link: http://psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?t=22725

As for Vitamin D, you should be taking Vitamin D3, where you get 1000 iu PER PILL. All you need to do is take 1 Vitamin D3 pill with 1000 iu in it. That's it.

Ibuprofen is NOT bad for psoriasis...many of us take it with Barney's Formula.

[mcordy77]

Mary,

Most any health food or natural food store (such as Whole Foods) will carry D3 (cholecalciferol) in 1000 IU (or 400IU) GELCAPS.

The gelcaps (oil based D3) are much better absorbed and are known to be better than tablets at raising blood level D3.

As for D2 (ergocalciferol) commonly found in vitamins such as One-A-Day, and sold in drug stores in tablet form as a supplement...well...a noted cardiologist, Dr. Davis, suggests that D2, which is a man-made drug (therefore patentable) best belongs in the trash. "By the way, I've seen people taking vitamin D2 preparations, called "ergocalciferol," who are every bit as deficient as those who take no vitamin D at all. Avoid D2 or ergocalciferol preparations: they're worthless."

Make a trip to a health food store (or Jarrow.com) and get yourself D3 Gelcaps!

Mark

[WhoaTrigger]

Thanks for the links Mark. I am convinced, and it's to the health food store to get some Vitamin D3 gel capsules! The research is overwhelming that we in the north are probably low in it. Wonder why our docs don't know this...

[mcordy77]

WhoaTrigger,

I have seen more and more pages (Science Watch being the latest) that say D2 is not worth one red cent for us...yet it is in most multi-vitamins...and every bottle of D in the drug stores..is either D2 or crappy D3 tablets.
All the "fat-soluable" vitamins, such as A and E...come in what????
GELCAPS! Why no D3 in the stores that way??? I am completely aghast..

Then.. I fall across that link with the UVB rays vs. cancer rates...My jaw dropped to the floor.

To scary for words.
Good enough to post again...
http://www.sunarc.org/index.htm

2000IU of D3 gelcaps for me every day!

mark

[th1amigo]

Psoriasis can be successfully treated:
http://tinyurl.com/39ryhk
http://bacteriality.com/2007/08/10/interview1/
http://bacteriality.com/2007/10/06/interview4/
http://bacteriality.com/2007/10/31/blaney/

Read patient 5, especially, re Psoriasis:
http://winmlm.neostrada.pl/mp/townse...2007.Part2.pdf

The truth about Vitamin D:
http://winmlm.neostrada.pl/vitamindb...ewresearch.pdf
http://bacteriality.com/2007/09/15/vitamind/
http://autoimmunityresearch.org/karolinska-handout.pdf
http://tinyurl.com/5v5gu
http://tinyurl.com/4bere
http://bacteriality.com/2007/10/24/brain_lesions/
http://tinyurl.com/6reeq

[bjmacc]

The majority of people in the northern latitudes have a deficit of Vitamin D..Since your body does make it from sunlight, it is actually not a vitamin..but assuming it is, because you make it shows how natural it is.

Unless you are an Inuit living on fish and seal liver in the arctic, or a lifeguard in mexico, you do not get enough vitamin D. You do not get enough vitamin D from sunlight in northern or far southern climes...it is not in most foods and in insufficient quantities in diet.. Studies show most in the uk, and across canada and the US have a deficit or low levels.

I have multiple links if you would like them showing how vitamin D lowers risk of many cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis and diabetes. These are not anecdotes but sound scientific research. Recent research has found a 70% reduction in some cancers and a 50% reduction in breast cancer with adequate dosage.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0910162408.htm

The canadian cancer society just issued an advisory that every healthy adult canadian should take at least 1000iu/day..thats 25mcg/day.

I will leave you with one link...http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/
This is a website developed by scientists, researchers, phd's and md's...they sell nothing and give knowledge for free...read it and get an accurate picture of Vitamin D rather then misinformation.

Unfortunately, most doctors aren't up to speed on vitamin d and recent literature.. When was the last time a doctor suggested vitamin D or a test? The subject is relatively new, the metabolism of vitamin D wasn't discovered until 1969 at the university of wisconson.. There has been a race to find a patentable analog so drug companies can make a profit...such as dovonex.. but because it so cheap, it is not marketed or promoted. This is why these scientists had to build a websight..not to make money...but to pass on knowledge.

Regarding safety, Vitamin D is one of the most maligned compounds in history..only a small percentage can't take supplemental Vitamin D or must stay out of the sun. This is because the disease they may have (sarcoidosis, some lyphomas, hyperparathyroidism and a few others) makes too much vitamin D and any additional may cause high calcium ..A vitamin D calcidiol blood test is always advisable..it will give you a baseline and tell you where you are at.

The safe upper limit guidelines are 2000iu (50mcg)/day...but many researchers suggest this limit should be 10,000/day...such at in the following paper this past march.

An urgent need to recommend an intake of Vitamin D that is effective.from scientists all over the world (look at the names and universities under the title)

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/85/3/649

and from that paper..

"A recent review in this Journal applied the risk assessment method used by the Food and Nutrition Board to update the safe tolerable upper intake level (UL) for vitamin D . The method focuses on the risk of hypercalcemia. The conclusion was that the UL for vitamin D consumption by adults should be 10,000iu/day


In the near future and in the depths of winter....in this forum i suggest you will see some good reports about vitamin D and psoriasis...it is cheap, safe and effective...and will add health , better spirits and years to your life.

bj

[th1amigo]

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone precursor. And we all know what steroids do - make you feel better .... in the short term, not long-term. Their immunosuppressive effects cure nothing, I'm afraid. My spouse and I live in northern climate. Our D levels were dysregulated. We've eliminated all exogenous Vitamin D, lowered the 25-D to levels considered "deficient" and we are finding relief from chronic illness, as are many others with various chronic conditions. With all the supplementation of Vitamin D in our food supply, our societies are seeing nothing but an increase in chronic disease, not a decrease.

Has anyone considered the "scientific" literature that stated that ulcers were caused by many things (other than bacteria)? In the end, it took a couple of researchers the guts to prove that it was bacteria behind ulcers and they were ridiculed - they won the Nobel Prize decades later. All the so-called "scientific" literature out there rarely makes mention of measuring the active 1,25-D metabolite, so I, as others are noting, find it hard to swallow the accuracy of their "research". Hundreds, if not thousands, are now ridding themselves of their diseases and they're doing this as part of their disease by eliminating Vitamin D. All the Vitamin D supplementation has cured no one. The Vitamin D industry (including the Council) stands to lose a lot .... reputations and $$$.

[bjmacc]

Vitamin D is a natural steroid..your body makes it..your body needs it and is not getting enough as suggested by the following paper.

These scientists all from over the world..... look under the title and see the wealth of information and education they represent..from universities workwide...It simplistic to think they are in it for the money.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/85/3/649

bj