I have been taking high-dose Nattokinase NSK-SD since February 2004. When the softgel strength was raised two or three years ago from 1400 FU (72 mg) to 2000 FU (100 mg) each, my dose was increased to 2 - 2 x a day. At one time my test results were 555, then went down some, and bounced upward again till the last reading of 383 mg/dL this month. Possibly inflammation or stress causes my body to accumulate fibrinogen faster than the Nattokinase can eliminate it. My doctor's second suggestion as a natural supplement to treat excess fibrinogen was bromelain powder. I tried it a few times, but can't seem to stay with it.
How much Vitamin D3 were you taking at the time the psoriasis almost disappeared? More than one or two 50,000 IU capsules per day? I think I will try increasing mine again for a while. I think my psoriasis is made worse on my hands because I can't stay away from sugar and carbohydrates when I'm on my computer for hours...I munch instead of stopping for meals. When I binge, my hands get worse. I know, I'm bad!!
Scroll up about 8 posts and you will have your answer.
__________________ "The nurse should be cheerful, orderly, punctual, patient, full of faith, - receptive to Truth and Love" Mary Baker Eddy
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In a cross-sectional study involving data from 637 residents of southern Arizona in the United States, where there is a high degree of regular exposure to the sun, vitamin D deficiency was found to be quite prevalent, particularly among Blacks and Hispanics.
The mean serum 25(OH)D was found to be 26.1 ng/mL in the total population. 22.3% of subjects had 25(OH)D levels >30 ng/mL, 25.4% had concentrations <20 ng/mL, and 2% had concentrations <10 ng/mL. 55.5% of Blacks and 37.6% of Hispanics were found to have 25(OH)D concentrations <20 ng/mL, as compared to only 22.7% of Whites (non-Hispanic).
Exposure to the sun had a greater effect on Whites, as compared to Blacks and Hispanics, whereas BMI appeared to have a greater effect on Blacks and Hispanics.
The results of this study suggest that regular monitoring of vitamin D status and possible vitamin D supplementation may be necessary, even among persons exposed to regular sunlight, particularly Blacks and Hispanics.
Thanks for that bit of info Harry. I was trying to explain the difference in skin color and how it affects absorbtion of sunshine for the manufacturing of Vitamin D to my daughter a few days ago, but couldn't come with a good example. This should do it.
__________________ "The nurse should be cheerful, orderly, punctual, patient, full of faith, - receptive to Truth and Love" Mary Baker Eddy
Visit www.HealthSalon.org
Dr Cannell (vitamindcouncil.org) now say to NOT take a fish source. It is already converted and upsets the balance of A and D. Only take D3 and no Vit A. Eat carrots, parsley etc (tons of carotenoids).
Also the 1,25 form (usable form) should be measured if you have a chronic fatigue type illness if the bacteria are converting the 25 for for you, to protect themselves. See the Marshall Protocol string.
Anyone who believe vitamin D deficiency is not the cause of rickets is simply wrong.
Marshall also believes vitamin D is toxic, despite the fact that we evolved with high levels of it.
He misinterprets the scientific literature to support outlandish claims.
If there is any truth to the theory that L-form bacteria are behind chronic disease, Marshal is doing it a disservice by associating it with these other theories.
There will always be some exceptions to the general rule. That is why we have sexual selection to make sure there is a variation in the gene pool to test out if particular genetic traits have particular advantages in exceptional circumstances. But the general rule is that if our DNA evolved to attain and maintain a natural vitamin D status given full body sun exposure then that is probably the natural level our bodies work best with. Only when we see papers reporting higher incidence of chronic illness at vitamin D status above or around 50ng will I take Marshall seriously.
Just look at the levels of vitamin d given safely to people with MS. The seasonal fluctuation in the number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tend to be fewest at the times when serum 25(OH)D concentrations are highest. Taken together, the data suggest that vitamin D3 may play a role in the regulation of clinical disease activity.
RCannon, I bet about 1/3 to 1/2 of the chronic fatigue cases out there would just disappear if these folks did a regimen of MMS.
__________________ "The nurse should be cheerful, orderly, punctual, patient, full of faith, - receptive to Truth and Love" Mary Baker Eddy
Visit www.HealthSalon.org
RCannon, I bet about 1/3 to 1/2 of the chronic fatigue cases out there would just disappear if these folks did a regimen of MMS.
but what does MMS contain?
I'd bet that correcting current Vitamin D insufficiency would reduce the pain that those with CFS suffer and correct the physical tiredness.
While I disagree with the author of this paper on the amount of Vitamin D daily that would be required to achieve optimal response he's on the right track. Vitamin D and Rehabilitation: Improving Functional Outcomes
Interesting....
The talk here has been about D3 so I assume there is a D1 & 2? Is the majority just deficient in D3? or is there a D complex we should be taking?
Interesting....
The talk here has been about D3 so I assume there is a D1 & 2? Is the majority just deficient in D3? or is there a D complex we should be taking?
The only form the human body is currently known to use is D3.
D2 is the form used by plants
D2 has to be converted to Vitamin D3 (the biologically inert form) before it can be hydroxylated to Calcidiol (this is the form that circulates, has a half life around 3 weeks) and calcidiol is then further hydroxylated to Calcitriol, the most active hormone, which is only made on demand and has a half life measured in hours about 5)
That is why 25(OH)D calcidiol is measured as that shows the availability of Vitamin D and your vitamin D status over a period.
Whereas 1.25 (calcitriol) only shows if your body is actually using the active hormone at a particular point in time. 5hrs later same test different number and if you test 4 times daily each could be different.
Bit like the difference measuring the amount of fuel in your petrol tank and the amount of fuel being burnt at any one time. The first tells you how far you can travel and the second tells you how fast the engine is running at any particular time.
When you get a 25(OH)D test they may measure both D2 and D3 scores. You only score on the D2 side if you have been consuming Ergocalciferol (the prescribed form of Vitamin d or been eating UVB exposed mushrooms) however as some people are unable to convert D2 to D3 this may not be a useful measure of anything and may confuse rather than provide any useful knowledge other than you have actually been taking the prescribed form of vitamin D.
To be certain your body has sufficient of the form human DNA evolved to function best with you need the D3 score to be around 55ng but 60~70ng may be better for those with chronic disease up to 80ng is entirely natural and would be standard for peoples living outdoors under the sun with little clothing.
A 25(OH)D3 number under 32ng or 80nmol/l indicates your body has less vitamin D required for calcium uptake and as calcium is used for every single muscle fibre action and every single input into each brain neuron that's not a good idea.
Your daily vitamin D needs are only met in full when 40ng/ml 100nmol/l is scored.
You only have a significant store of vitamin D above 50ng/ml and it's above this level we see the risk of chronic illness serious reduced so that by 55ng/ml it looks like most people have sufficient reserves to cope with the challenge posed by most chronic conditions. However, those who currently have a disease diagnosis (cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc) may find slightly higher levels improve their body's ability to deal with that condition more effectively.
Perhaps it would be sensible to point out that when you lay under the sun (or other uvb source) naked there is a range of substance created, in other words it isn't just an instant switch from cholesterol to D3, there are previtamin D3's and post vitamin D3's. We assume that the post D3 are not used by the body as we assume the pre vitamin D3's are only used to make D3 .......BUT,..... we have learnt so much about vitamin D3 over the last 10 yrs that every week those following the story have to update their understandings. There may well be more to learn,that is exciting. I don't think we have a complete understanding as yet and so I'm getting sun/uvb exposure as well as taking AN EFFECTIVE amount of D3 5000iu/daily and getting my 25(OH)D levels checked regularly.
Your daily vitamin D needs are only met in full when 40ng/ml 100nmol/l is scored.
I was simply making the point that Heaney has shown humans use on average 4000iu/daily so anything less than 4000iu =40ng/ml 100nmol/l is going to compromise the system. This is measurable at levels below 80ng/ml 32ng/ml (approx 3000iu/d) but simply because we cannot measure immediate consequences that occur between 32ng and 40ng/ml is not evidence the system isn't compromised.
Quote:
I think 60ng-90ng per ml is more realistic. In fact, up to 100ng/ml would be ideal.
I don't disagree.
I just don't have the evidence to support that claim.
These are NATURAL levels and I find it hard to understand why the level at which human breast milk flows replete with D3 is not regarded at the bio marker of Vitamin D sufficiency?
If I had a diagnosis of cancer I would ensure my status was kept at that level.
If anyone is worried by the above suggestion a brief look at this graph of recorded adverse events should be sufficient to show intake you have to get over 150ng 375nmol/l before there is much chance of an adverse event and that requires a daily intake @ 40,000iu for a prolonged period.
Joseph Lister, British surgeon who discovered antiseptics.
It is hard to imagine, but it was not until 1867 that Joseph Lister published his findings about the critical need of using sterile procedures in the surgical setting. Back then, doctors seldom washed their hands prior to surgery, let alone sterilize the instruments they had used on the previous patient.
Before Dr. Lister�s sterile techniques were adopted, patients frequently died from infections introduced during surgery.
Joseph Lister had little interest in financial or social success. These traits enabled him to endure the criticisms hurled by the medical establishment about the extra steps he took to ensure his surgical environments were clean.
One of Dr. Lister�s greatest challenges was to persuade his colleagues that germs did in fact exist. Back then, most doctors still believed in the theory of spontaneous generation.1
Convincing today�s medical establishment about proven methods to save lives may be less daunting than what Dr. Lister encountered, but it is still nonetheless challenging.
Today�s Body Count
Back in 2007, I urged the federal government to declare a national emergency. My rationale was that millions of Americans were going to needlessly die if the epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency was not immediately corrected.2
My article was based on irrefutable scientific evidence documenting how vast numbers of lives could be spared if everyone took at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 each day.2
I went a step further and showed how mandatory vitamin D supplementation could resolve today�s health care cost crisis by slashing the need for expensive prescription drugs and hospitalizations.2
I took it two steps further and offered to donate 50,000 one-year-supply bottles of vitamin D3 so the government could give these away to those who could not afford this ultra-low cost supplement.2
It is now 16 months later. The federal government has done nothing to inform the public of the opportunity to radically reduce their risk of dying by taking a supplement that costs less than 6 cents a day!
Vitamin D More Effective Than Previously Known
A large number of new vitamin D studies have appeared in the scientific literature since I wrote my plea to the federal government. These studies don�t just confirm what we knew 16 months ago�they show that optimizing vitamin D intake will save even more lives than what we projected.
For instance, a study published in June 2008 showed that men with low vitamin D levels suffer 2.42 times more heart attacks. Now look what this means in actual body counts.3
Each year, about 157,000 Americans die from coronary artery disease-related heart attacks.4 Based on this most recent study, if every American optimized their vitamin D status, the number of deaths prevented from this kind of heart attack would be 92,500.
To put the number of lives saved in context, tens of millions of dollars are being spent to advertise that Lipitor� reduces heart attacks by 37%. This is certainly a decent number, but not when compared with how many lives could be saved by vitamin D. According to the latest study, men with the higher vitamin D levels had a 142% reduction in heart attacks.3
This does not mean that you should stop taking medications if you can�t get your cardiac risk factors under control by natural methods. It does mean that you should make certain you are not vitamin D-insufficient.
Please note that all forms of heart disease kill over 869,700 Americans each year.4 These lethal forms of heart disease include cardiomyopathy, valvular insufficiency, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, coronary thrombosis (blood clot in coronary artery), and coronary atherosclerosis (narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries). There is reason to believe that vitamin D could help protect against most of these forms of cardiac-induced death.5
Billions of Dollars in Health Care Savings
There are 920,000 heart attacks suffered in the United States every year.4 According to the American Heart Association, the annual cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity related to these heart attacks is over $156 billion.4
The annual retail cost of all 300 million Americans (including children) supplementing with 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day is $6.6 billion.
So if vitamin D�s only benefit was to reduce coronary heart attack rates by 142%, the net savings (after deducting the cost of the vitamin D) if every American supplemented properly would be around $84 billion each year. That�s enough to put a major dent in the health care cost crisis that is forecast to bankrupt Medicare and many private insurance plans.
Sparing Countless Numbers From the Agonies of Cancer
The evidence supporting the role of vitamin D in preventing common forms of cancer is now overwhelming.2
Vitamin D-deficient women, for example, have a 253% increased risk of colon cancer.6 Colon cancer strikes 145,000 Americans each year and 53,580 die from it.7 Based on these studies, if everyone obtained enough vitamin D, 38,578 lives could be saved and medical costs would be reduced by $3.89 billion.8,9
A study published in January 2008 showed that women with the lowest level of vitamin D were at a 222% increased risk for developing breast cancer.10 Most studies show that higher levels of vitamin D can reduce breast cancer incidence by around 30-50%.11-14
Each year, approximately 186,800 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,950 perish from it in the United States.15 This needless toll of suffering and death caused by insufficient intake of vitamin D is unconscionable.
Prostate cancer will be diagnosed in an estimated 189,000 American men this year. Almost 30,000 will die from it.16 Men with higher levels of vitamin D have a 52% reduced incidence of prostate cancer.17
The first-year costs of prostate cancer treatment are approximately $14,540.18 If all aging men achieved sufficient vitamin D status, about $1.4 billion could be saved each year.
So as you can see, there is no real health care cost crisis. What the population suffers from is frighteningly low blood levels of vitamin D. During winter months in Canada, for instance, an estimated 97% of the population is vitamin D-deficient.19
Vitamin D Protects Against Stroke
Stroke is the number three cause of death in the United States.20 It is also one of the most feared diseases because of its high incidence of permanent disability.
In a study published in September 2008, blood indicators of vitamin D status were measured in 3,316 patients with suspected coronary artery disease. The subjects were followed for 7.75 years. For every small decrease in blood indicators of vitamin D status, there was a startling 86% increase in the number of fatal strokes.21
The doctors who conducted this study concluded: �Low levels of 25(OH)D* and 1,25(OH)2D* are independently predictive for fatal strokes, suggesting that vitamin D supplementation is a promising approach in the prevention of strokes.�21
*Note: 25 [OH] D and 1,25[OH]2D are blood markers that measure vitamin D status in one�s body.
If all that vitamin D did was to reduce stroke risk, it would be critically important for every American to ensure optimal blood levels.
Low Vitamin D Doubles Death Rate
Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide problem. Yet no conventional medical organization or governmental body has declared a health emergency to warn the public about the urgent need of achieving sufficient vitamin D blood levels.
According to John Jacob Cannell, MD, founder of the non-profit Vitamin D Counsel: �Current research indicates vitamin D deficiency plays a role in causing seventeen varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, and periodontal disease.
This does not mean that vitamin D deficiency is the only cause of these diseases, or that you will not get them if you take vitamin D. What it does mean is that vitamin D, and the many ways in which it affects a person�s health, can no longer be overlooked by the health care industry nor by individuals striving to achieve and maintain a greater state of health.�22
Vitamin D seems to reduce the risk of almost every killer disease of aging. In fact, a recent study shows that humans with low vitamin D status are twice as likely to die over a seven-year time period!5
Each year, the federal government spends $1 billion in research aimed at finding ways to prevent or cure the killer diseases of aging.23 Yet the government is oblivious to the most medically effective and cost-effective way of preventing needless death. This is analogous to how the establishment ignored Joseph Lister�s pleas for a sterile environment in the surgical arena.
Difference Between �Deficiency� and �Insufficiency�
Doctors are not trained to recognize a vitamin D deficiency until rickets develop in children or osteomalacia (softening of the bones) develops in adults. Clinical vitamin D deficiency is diagnosed when blood levels of a vitamin D metabolite (25-hydroxyvitamin D) drop below 12 ng/mL.
According to the world�s foremost experts, however, optimal blood levels of vitamin D are between 30 and 50 ng/mL and higher.24,25 Those with blood levels below 30 ng/mL are considered to have insufficient vitamin D.
These widely varying numbers explain why mainstream medicine is at a loss to understand the widespread health problem created by less than optimal vitamin D levels. If physicians view a patient�s medical chart and see a vitamin D blood level of 18 ng/mL, they will think this person has adequate vitamin D. The reality is that a vitamin D blood level this low predisposes this patient to virtually every killer disease of aging and may in fact be the reason that individual has become a �patient� instead of remaining healthy.
There clearly is a need for a new consensus in the medical community to redefine vitamin D deficiency as a blood reading below 30 ng/mL. As we at Life Extension long ago learned, it can take decades for the establishment to change its reference ranges to reflect scientific reality.
What Can be Done?
Despite the startling number of needless deaths, the federal government has done nothing to warn the public of the lethal dangers associated with vitamin D insufficiency.
We will distribute my original 2007 article along with this editorial to every member of the new Congress and the President in January 2009. Hopefully someone will understand the urgency of declaring a health emergency and advise that every American maintain a vitamin D blood level of at least 30 ng/mL.
If the government continues to ignore our pleas, perhaps private insurance companies will consider sending free bottles of vitamin D supplements to all of their subscribers. The outlays for medical procedures and prescription drugs would be expected to plummet in groups who took their vitamin D supplement each day.
The media has done a good job in reporting on the numerous positive findings about vitamin D over the past two years. Sales of vitamin D supplements have been increasing, so at least some Americans are getting the message and taking steps to guard against vitamin D insufficiency.
In the meantime, Life Extension will continue to report on new findings about vitamin D. We have found that if we repeat a message long enough, much of the public will wake up to scientific reality and the desire for self-preservation.
ALL HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS SHOULD BE TESTED FOR VITAMIN D
The pioneer of antiseptic procedures in the hospital setting was a Hungarian physician named Ignaz Semmelweis. In one of the world�s great detective stories, Dr. Semmelweis went back 100 years to find out why there was such an increase in puerperal fever (childbed fever) that had killed thousands of mothers in obstetric units.
Dr. Semmelweis correlated increases in autopsies performed at hospitals with greater incidences of lethal puerperal fever. It turned out that doctors would leave an autopsy room with their hands covered in decomposing human tissues (and lots of bacteria) and deliver babies with their fetid hands.
Semmelweis instructed his interns to wash their hands with chlorinated lime solutions and documented an immediate reduction in puerperal fever incidence.
Despite the logic of his arguments and concrete proof shown by the reduction in mortality when hand-washing procedures were followed, Semmelweis faced a wall of opposition. Back in those days, maternity hospitals had horrendous reputations and were sometimes referred to as deathtraps. Some suggested that lives could be saved simply by closing the clinics where people went in with minor problems and ended up dying agonizing deaths. Doctors of the day refused to accept that they were the ones responsible for the deaths of thousands of young woman. Semmelweis was eventually committed to an insane asylum where he died.
Move forward to 2009, and hospitals are still places to avoid. Medical errors, antibiotic-resistant infections, sleep interruption, pneumonia, and malnutrition continue to ravage those confined to the hospital setting.
An overlooked problem with institutional confinement is that patients admitted with insufficient vitamin D can rapidly develop severe vitamin D deficiency due to complete lack of sunlight and malnutrition caused by commotion in the hospital environment.
A strong argument could be made that every patient admitted to a hospital should have their blood tested for vitamin D and supplements administered to ensure that blood levels remain considerably above 30 ng/mL. The improvement in immune function along with reduced inflammatory responses alone could result in many more patients leaving via the hospital lobby rather than its morgue.
There are respected medical authorities today advocating universal vitamin D supplementation, but their pleas are all but ignored by most practicing doctors. Unlike the plight of women in childbirth exposed to puerperal fever by ignorant doctors in the past, no informed person has to suffer from lack of vitamin D. More and more people are taking their supplements with them when they go to the hospital because they know they will need them there more than in any other place.
Where to Purchase Vitamin D
Fortunately, the patent for synthesizing vitamin D expired long ago. It is an ultra-low-cost supplement available at any health food store, pharmacy, and most grocery stores. There is no economic impediment precluding immediate widespread supplementation.
I want to thank loyal Life Extension members for purchasing most of their supplements from our Buyers Club over the past 12 months. We use proceeds from these sales to fund critical research projects aimed at eliminating needless disease and death. We also support an ongoing campaign to reform incompetent government policies that deprive Americans of life-saving medical therapies.
Just once a year, we discount the price of every product we offer. During our annual Super Sale, members stock up on our most advanced formulations and enjoy considerable savings.
Please know we remain relentless in tearing down the walls of medical ignorance that are by far the leading causes of disability and death in the United States.
2. Faloon W. Should the president declare a national emergency? Life Extension. 2007 Oct;13(10):7-17.
3. Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Hollis BW, Rimm EB. 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of myocardial infarction in men:
a prospective study. Arch Intern Med. 2008 Jun 9;168(11):1174-80.
5. Dobnig H, Pilz S, Scharnagl H, et al. Independent association of low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d and 1,25-
dihydroxyvitamin d levels with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Arch Intern Med. 2008 Jun 23;168(12):1340-9.
6. Holick MF. Vitamin D and sunlight: strategies for cancer prevention and other health benefits.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008 Sep;3(5):1548-54.
8. Lappe JM, Travers-Gustafson D, Davies KM, Recker RR, Heaney RP. Vitamin D and calcium
supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1586-91.
9. Brown ML, Lipscomb J, Snyder C. The burden of illness and cancer: economic cost and quality of life.
Annu Rev Public Health. 2001;22:91-113.
10. Abbas S, Linseisen J, Slanger T, et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of post-menopausal
breast cancer--results of a large case-control study. Carcinogenesis. 2008 Jan;29(1):93-9.
11. Rossi M, McLaughlin JK, Lagiou P, et al. Vitamin D intake and breast cancer risk:
a case-control study in Italy. Ann Oncol. 2008 Aug 18.
12. Giovannucci E. Vitamin D and cancer incidence in the Harvard Cohorts.Ann Epidemiol. 2008 Feb 19.
13. Abbas S, Linseisen J, Chang-Claude J. Dietary vitamin D and calcium intake and premenopausal breast cancer risk in a
German case-control study. Nutr Cancer. 2007;59(1):54-61.
14. Robien K, Cutler GJ, Lazovich D. Vitamin D intake and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women:
the Iowa Women�s Health Study. Cancer Causes Control. 2007 Sep;18(7):775-82.
17. Li H, Stampfer MJ, Hollis JB, et al. A prospective study of plasma vitamin D metabolites,
vitamin D receptor polymorphisms, and prostate cancer. PLoS Med. 2007 Mar;4(3):e103.
18. Wilson LS, Tesoro R, Elkin EP, et al. Cumulative cost pattern comparison of prostate cancer treatments.
Cancer. 2007 Feb 1;109(3):518-27.
21. Pilz S, Dobnig H, Fischer JE, et al. Low vitamin D levels predict stroke in patients
referred to coronary angiography. Stroke. 2008 Sep;39(9):2611-3.
I was reading some of the original Vitamin D research from around the time they discovered vitamin D in the 1920's. Right back then Mellanby working with dogs showed that the level they required wasn't merely the level that allowed maximum uptake of Vitamin D3 BUT the level at which Bone Mineral Density was maximized.
The 30ng/ml mentioned in the above article ISN'T even the level at which calcium uptake it optimized. That occurs at 32ng/ml or 80nmol/l. At that level the amount of calcium you consume compared with the amount you excrete shows your body has taken the optimum amount available.
But as Mellanby showed 90yrs ago that is only the first stage. What matters ultimately is can your body fix that calcium where it is meant to go and can it make it stay there?
To achieve that you need 42ng/ml of Vitamin D3 105nmol/l.
While I applaud the sentiments in Faloon's article the fact remains if we are going to see the benefits that are available from adequate vitamin D3 status it has to more than just scrape the lowest common denominator.
It's not as if there is any great cost differential between 2400iu 5000iu and 10,000iu/d
Code WAB666 $5 discount. 25(OH)D POSTAL TESTING COST PRICE
If you haven't been using any vitamin D3 this winter start with the 10,000iu for 8~12 weeks then move down to the 5000iu and retest. the 2400iu may be just about sufficient in the summer if you also get full body midday non-burning sun exposure regularly .
I know, I'm bad!!
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