Vitamin D: Are Higher amounts needed? Ulcerative Colitis & Crohn's

[Guest guest]

Vitamin D:

Are higher doses needed?

Dan Milosevich, C.N.

 

Startling new information shows that the recommendations for Vitamin D may have

been set too low. See the following review of what we now know. What is

Vitamin D?What does Vitamin D do in the body?What are the benefits of sufficient

Vitamin D?What is the best form of Vitamin D?What is the best way to get Vitamin

D?How much Vitamin D is enough? This may surprise you!What are safe levels of

Vitamin D?How could the current recommendations be so far off?What are the

contraindications for high-dose Vitamin D?What are the signs of Vitamin D

toxicity?

 

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is an oil soluble substance that is found in only a few foods, such as

the oil from cod liver, egg yolks, butter, and other cold-water fish such as

salmon, herring and mackerel. It is considered a vitamin because the body's

ability to manufacture it is dependent on environmental factors, in this case,

exposure of the skin to sunlight.

 

Vitamin D is formed in the skin by the action of short-wave ultraviolet light,

the so-called fast-tanning sun rays, on a form of cholesterol found in the skin

called 7-dehydrocholesterol. The rays activate this and convert it into

cholecalciferol, a weak form of vitamin D3, which is then transported to the

liver and kidneys where enzymes convert it to 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, the

more potent form of vitamin D3. Although more than 10 substances belong to a

group of steroid compounds that exhibit vitamin D activity, the commonly

available forms are vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), most often obtained from cod

liver oil and sometimes from wool grease, and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol).

Vitamin D2 is synthesized by irradiating precursors found in plants and yeast.

This is the form of the vitamin commonly added to milk. (top)

 

What does Vitamin D do in the body?

Vitamin D helps in the absorption and utilization of calcium and phosphorus.

Vitamin D is necessary for normal growth in children. In adults it helps with

any function that utilizes calcium or phosphorus, such as transmission of

nerves, the beating of the heart, blood clotting, and many others. (top)

 

What are the benefits of sufficient Vitamin D?

In children, vitamin D will insure that the body forms healthy teeth and bones.

For everyone, it prevents rickets and osteomalacia in the absence of sunlight,

and at higher doses helps prevent osteoporosis and secondary

hyperparathyroidism. Other benefits of vitamin D supplementation include:

prevention of certain cancers, osteoarthritis progression, multiple sclerosis,

and hypertension. Animals studies show that Vitamin D is important for immune

function. There is also evidence that vitamin D may not just help prevent

cancer but may help in tumor regression.

 

Recent research with mice at Penn State has demonstrated a connection between

vitamin D deficiency and two bowel diseases that occur in one out of every

 

1,000 people in North America and Europe, Crohn's disease and ulcerative

colitis.

 

Treatment with Vitamin D for as little as two weeks lessened the symptoms of

these inflammatory bowel diseases in mice. (This was discussed in a recent

Nutrient News article here. See Vitamin D and IBD.)

 

Other researchers have suggested that low Vitamin D levels could be a factor in

sickle cell anemia and severe crises in African Americans (dark-skinned people

need 3 to 6 times more sun exposure time than light-skinned ones to make ample

D.) There is some indication that Vitamin D may be important for many kinds of

autoimmune disorders, besides multiple sclerosis, and it has been noted that

getting sufficient Vitamin D can help reduce the need to urinate at night.

 

Other important roles for Vitamin D come from the work of Carl Reich, MD, of

Calgary. Insufficient Vitamin D prevents the ionization of calcium and thus

makes calcium less able to play it's role in functions in the body. Reich found

that this leads to cell energy starvation, causing fatigue, headaches, muscle

cramps, allergies, gut problems and other problems. Over time, these can become

more serious: asthma, hypertension, osteoporosis, arthritis, etc. Dr. Reich

treated this cell energy starvation using diet and nutrients, including doses of

Vitamin D of 4800 to 8800 IU (less for children), reducing the dose as patients

improved. Using this program for over 30 years, Dr. Reich helped his patients

recover from a variety of ailments. (top)

 

What is the best form of Vitamin D?

Both forms will work but Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) raises serum D levels more

effectively than D2 (ergocalciferol). (top)

What is the best way to get Vitamin D?

Vitamin D pills: use D-3 (cholecalciferol), preferably with an oil-containing

meal. A least a portion of it should be from cod liver oil pills, so that some

Vitamin A and other oils fractions are included. Take Calcium-Magnesium at the

same time. If taking a large daily dose of Vitamin D, divide the dose between 2

or 3 meals.

 

Sunlight exposure: This is the best way to get Vitamin D, as the body

automatically regulates how much Vitamin D it makes from sunlight, and there is

the added benefit of controlling cholesterol. Since vitamin D precursors

require cholesterol for conversion into the hormone-like vitamin, without

adequate sun exposure vitamin D precursors can turn into cholesterol instead of

the vitamin.

 

 

It is estimated that for each 5% of skin surface exposed, approximately 435

IU of Vitamin D can be manufactured. But it doesn't stop with just catching a

few rays. The process requires that the oil on the skin remain intact for awhile

after exposure to the sun.

 

For instance, life guards and farmers, who don't go shower immediately after

sweating in the sun, have the highest serum Vitamin D levels. Try to keep the

oil on your skin for at least several hours after sun exposure. (top)

 

" Throughout my preparation of this review, I was amazed at the lack of evidence

supporting statements about the toxicity of moderate doses of vitamin D.

Consistently, literature citations to support them have been either

inappropriate or without substance. " - Reinhold Vieth

 

 

How much Vitamin D is enough? What levels of Vitamin D are safe?

The dietary allowance set by the National Research Council is 400 IU per day for

all healthy individuals who have no exposure to ultraviolet light. The Daily

Reference Intake (DRI) had been set at 200 IU, and it was recently tripled for

people over 70 years of age, to 600 IU per day - but for everyone else, the DRI

remains at 200 IU. Reinhold Vieth's evidence suggests these levels may be

dangerously low.

According to Vieth, a knowledgeable Vitamin D researcher, there is still no

published data that shows that 200 IU Vitamin D/d has any effect on the

concentration of calciferol in the blood of adults. This low level of D does

tend to prevent osteomalacia - but big whoop…. Osteomalacia is the last stage of

a thirty year process of bone degeneration, that begins with osteoporosis.

 

" Except in those with conditions causing hypersensitivity, there is no evidence

of adverse effects of 10000 IU/d of Vitamin D. Published cases of vitamin D

toxicity with hypercalcemia, for which the 25(OH)D concentration and vitamin D

dose are known, all involve intake of 40000 IU/d. Because vitamin D is

potentially toxic, intake of >1000 IU/d has been avoided even though the weight

of evidence shows that the currently accepted, no observed adverse effect limit

of 2000 IU/d is too low by at least 5-fold. " - Reinhold Vieth

 

Vieth now estimates the daily requirement for Vitamin D from all sources at

4,000 IU/d, and he offers compelling evidence that 10,000 IU/d is a safe and

desirable level. " From all sources " means that these levels are the result of

daily intake of Vitamin D from supplements, from foods such as cold water fish,

and from exposure of the skin to UVB.

 

Although Vieth believes that 10,000 IU/d of Vitamin D is safe for most people,

whether or not that level is desirable is not clear. It's also possible that

some people could develop an excess of vitamin D taking these amounts. We urge

caution using these high amounts, and recommend frequent blood tests for 25(OH)D

levels to make sure that excess amounts are not accumulating. (top)

 

Other Informative Articles

Alpha Lipoic AcidHeartBeta-1,3-GlucanImmunityBody BuildingLuteinBrain

NutrientsMelatoninCandidaPregnenoloneColostrumProgest

CreamDHEAProstateDigestionVelvet AntlerEnergyVisionGermaniumVitamin

DGlucosamineWeight LossVitamin A-Z SoupMichael's NotesNutrient News

How could the current government figures be so far off?

Vieth traced back how it happened. The 1989 US nutrition guidelines said that 5

times the RDA for vitamin D may be harmful - in other words, don't take more

than 1000 IU/d. It cited a 1963 " expert committee report " , which itself referred

back to a 1938 report, in which linear bone growth in infants was suppressed in

those given 1800-6300 IU vitamin D/d. But this citation is meaningless in

relation to adult nutrition.

 

Vieth also traced back a statement from the 1987 Council Report for the American

Medical Association that " dosages of 10,000 IU/d for several months have

resulted in marked disturbances in calcium metabolism...and, in some cases,

death. " This report cited two references, and Vieth says of these: " One was a

review article about vitamins in general, which gave no evidence for and cited

no other reference to its claim of toxicity at vitamin D doses as low as 250 µg

(10000 IU)/d . The other paper cited in the report dealt with 10 patients with

vitamin D toxicity reported in 1948, for whom the vitamin D dose was actually

3750-15000 µg (150000-600000 IU)/d, and all patients recovered. " He goes on to

say: " If there is published evidence of toxicity in adults from an intake of 250

µg (10000 IU)/d, and that is verified by the 25(OH)D concentration, I have yet

to find it. "

 

It's hard to say if the scientists involved made an honest mistake or

deliberately, for reasons unknown, set the dose of Vitamin D at just enough to

prevent frank rickets and osteomalacia. My feeling is that it was due to a

certain mindset, one that wants certainty, and when this is lacking, as it

always is in true nutritional research, resorts to a position that could never

be accused of being too " flaky " or " outrageous " . " Well, we know this level will

prevent rickets, so we can make an unequivocally safe statement… "

Of course, some will point to the decades-old revolving door between government

and the pharmaceutical industry as the motivating force behind not publicizing

the benefits of a non-patentable nutrient. These conspiracy theories may sound

ridiculous, yet it was recently announced by a group of supposedly disinterested

scientists that any recommendations for the use of vitamin D to treat or prevent

any disease should wait until patentable vitamin D analogs could be developed!

You can make your own evaluation of the motivation of these " scientists " . (top)

What are the contraindications for high-dose Vitamin D?

The main contraindication is the existence of primary hyperparathyroidism - but

interestingly, before the occurrence of hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D is

preventative because it reduces parathyroid secretion. Individuals with

sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, or lymphoma may become hypercalcemic when given

increased Vitamin D doses. Some rare individuals are sensitive to Vitamin D at

higher doses.

 

What are the signs of Vitamin D toxicity?

The main signs are sudden hypercalcemia (excessive levels of calcium in the

blood) and/or hypercalcinuria (excessive levels of calcium in the urine).

Toxicity symptoms are headache, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, loss of appetite

and dry mouth. (top)

 

Bibliography:

1. Reinhold Vieth, Vitamin D supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D

concentrations, and safety1,2, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 69,

No. 5, 842-856, May 1999, (http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/69/5/842)

2. Robert P Heaney, Lessons for nutritional science from vitamin D1,2, American

Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 69, No. 5, 825-826, May 1999.

(http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/69/5/825)

3. Clara Felix, The Felix Letter, Nos. 105 & 106, 1999, Catching the Good Rays

4. Krispin Sullivan, C.N., personal communication, June, 2000 (see

http://www.krispin.com)

5. Bill Sardi, Vitamin D Is For Cancer Defense, Nutrition Science News, March

2000,

(http://exchange.healthwell.com/nutritionsciencenews/nsn_Backs/Mar_00/vitamind.c\

fm)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The complete " Whole Body " Health line consists of the " AIM GARDEN TRIO "

Ask About Health Professional Support Series: AIM Barleygreen

 

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/AIM.html

 

PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

We have made every effort to ensure that the information included in these pages

is accurate. However, we make no guarantees nor can we assume any responsibility

for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or

process discussed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small Business $15K Web Design Giveaway - Enter today