Vitamin D Health Benefits

I found from repeated use, on and off, that higher doses of Vit D3 (1000 to 3000iu) results in a negative mood state... So instead I try to make an effort of getting around 10 to 15 minutes of summer sun daily.

Another lesson to myself to remember is that despite all the positive claims and current hype about a supplement or herb, one must listen to their body first.

This is to Kristina from Munich, Germany - If your body is deficient in magnesium, it will not properly utilize vitamin D. Blood or urine tests are often inaccurate, as only 1% of magnesium is found there. I was found to be vitamin D deficient, but it wasn't until I started supplementing with magnesium citrate powder (mixed in juice) for a week or so that I could take vitamin D without other side effects. Check out this link (when you get to this page, move down just a little bit to the section titled: Magnesium and Vitamin D):

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/vitamin-d-cofactors/magnesium/

You must look at your calcium levels; Get these tests or past blood work results: Calcium- Vitamin D and P T H... This is the parathyroid hormone level which controls calcium levels. D is a response of calcium levels!!

Low D is the body's way of protecting itself from heart damage and stroke due to high levels of calcium, it may only be slightly elevated. Taking D will hurt your heart and cause edema when you have eleveated calcium.

Low D IS PROTECTING YOU DO NOT TRY TO MANIPULATE THIS WITH DRUGS< YOU MUST SEEK WHY D IS LOW: PARATHYROID IS KEY! I had an adenoma and thyroid nodules with my low D!

PTH (parathyroid hormone) is the control module for calcium, consider it a thermostat for the body, it is a hormone gland behind the thyroid; it is so important you have four redundant glands that all do the same thing, but only one works at a time.

I had the same problem, was found to have high PTH. Causing high calicium and resulting low D. Reg. Docs all tried to make me take D... HUGE MISTAKE, ok... seriously! My D was only 7-11; It is important that you STOP D, you are harming yourself, doctors can be such idiots!

Go to www.parathyroid.com; read all about it. It was a simple fix, high calicium (mine was never that high but 9. 8-10. 8; my D 7-11; my PTH 90-110; I had one benign parathyroid adenoma... They are benign 99 percent of the time; it is not cancer, dont go there in your mind. My sestamibi scans were negative, dont get caught in that... Oh we cant see it so it doesnt exist, these glands are the size of a grain of RICE ok... Trust no one except the Norman Parathyroid center to get it right if you have high Cal, even a little; or borderline, high PTH and low D... Those three tests alone are enough to diagnose the ademoma without even seeing the bugger!

Have the surgery only the M I R P, minimally invasive, ( I had to go to Tampa and see Dr. Norman, as all others told me it was cancer and it ALL HAD to be removed, including my thyroid and part of the trachea... WRONG... With a very invasive surgery and a life dependant on drugs to survive... NOT THE CASE AT ALL: its outpatient, it takes half a day, and its done. Thyroid nodules were benign as well! They were causing me to be hypothyroid!

The disease is called Bones, STones, Moans, and Groans; If you have achy joints, (I never had stones) been told you have osteporsis developing or osteopenia, high BP , high Cholesterol; GI problems;... Then get this sucker removed; Symptoms of chronic malabsorbtion; all; and changing your diet is the only way to stop these diseases from progressing and developing tumors!

Now, for the cause of this I have finally arrived at FRUCTOSE MALABSORTION; and GLUTEN intol; I have gone gluten free and LOW FODMAP (eliminating foods with high fructose amounts, this includes sugar free additivies, wheat, onions, garlic, apples, honey, HFCS; etc.. With my foods,

the adenoma is a symptom of chronic malabsorbiton, (wiki that) you must find your intolerences and avoid those foods, this is the only cure, I say again, the only cure! Avoidance... Just like a bee allergy, you must not get stung by foods you cannot process, endocrine disease is the result!

- The same swelling a bee sting causes externally is what is happening in your gut (small intestine) and the villi become damaged, cannot uptake minerals from foods, vitamins will NEVER cure this, in fact they will make you sicker!

Sincerely, all my best, Lori PS: Remember medications have fillers, binders and colors that can make all symptoms worse, they did for me everytime. Avoid All colors and dyes, check personal care products, for wheat germ oil; sorbitol; mannitol, etc.

Try going low lactose; real butter hard cheeses only, lactose free milk, no yogurts; no soft cheeses at all; go gluten free; avoid all wheat products (go to www.celiac.com for symptoms and lists of unsafe ingrediets, like MSG, INULIN, modified food startch, etc; Low fodmap foods , avoid apples, pears, cabbage family, some types of beans, no pasta, no breads. (LOW FODMAP) Seek out Shephard works and Wiki on Fructose Malabsorbtion, up to 30 percent of caucasians have it, especially euro decent!

Can anyone please help? My vitamin D is too low and my doctor prescribed me 50.000 IU. But even when I take 600 IU's of vitamin D (pure, no fillers) I wake up the next morning with bags under my eyes (fluid bags, edema). When I keep taking the vitamin D the bags get worse by day, and I get very tired.

Now I'm afraid to take the 50.000 IU and wake up with horrible bags. What could be the problem? Bad liver, liver congestion, low potassium, low calcium, low thyroid? Anyone?

Thanks for help!

Hopefully it will be ok to post this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHCD3fONV1k

The video is by a neurologist who really has no interest in health food or vitamins but found that by getting her patients on high levels of D3 many of them had almost miraculous recoveries from fibro, sleep disorders, migraines, sleep apnea and many more issues. Watch all five parts if you can.

Peace, Steve

There is a LOT of research indicating that vitamin D supplements are safe up to 10,000 IU a day... Unless you have Crohns, irritable bowel syndrome or certain immune deficiencies. Check your blood level in the middle of winter after taking three months of a supplement. This will indicate whether you are getting enough vitamin D throughout the year to support calcium absorption.

I was having multiple hot flashes and also not sleeping well. My blood work said I was deficeint in Vitamin D. Since I started supplementing four weeks ago I am now sleeping and the hot flashes have been cut in half. Is this a coincidence?

Here is a wonderful youtube video by Dr John Cannell on the importance of vitamin D and getting the sun to on your skin "without sunblock". Sunblock has some terrible chemicals which enter your skin easily transdermally to the rest of your body.

He also mentions that wearing sunglasses is blocking the sun from your eyes and is not heathy either.

Anyone who is sick or not feeling well (or wants to stay healthy) should spend time out in the sun with skin exposed on a regular basis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AK6qjCViyw&feature=related

Why go back to shaking hands, just to feel the uncomfortable renewal of ceasing to do so next winter? Look at history, what we traditionally do isn't necessarily a good thing--and sometimes very clearly a bad thing. Why shake hands? Of what benefit is it? Why do we feel compelled to TOUCH a total stranger?? Even someone that isn't a stranger whose health we know is greatly compromised? I haven't participated in this hand-shaking tradition in years. I've also never had the flu and never get colds, and I'm very much over 40 :) To heck with tradition, health is so much better.

Given my recent discovery that most of us have MITES, and in greater numbers as we age, and they can cause serious health issues in those with compromised immune systems (includes so many of us), I'm now adamant about my no-hand-shaking policy. Touching others in loving ways is wonderful, but we should use great discretion in doing so (wash afterward at the very least when health of another is iffy). These mites stayed burrowed beneath the skin much of the time, feeding off of us. Mites love yeast, and if someone tends to be itchy and have flushing of the skin, they likely have an excessive (unhealthy amount of) both. Enjoy life, but we wisely wary, and above all, take care of yourself--both itchy and non-itchy ones ;)

Dove

HI U GOOD PEOPLE DOIN, , , , , , ,

This may not come out too good, but think through it before you hit on me. On Oct 1 , we stop shaking hands at our little country church in Ten Mile. At first , the congregation was slightly irritated but some are now telling me that I'm smart.

We don't get much sun so we up our Vitamin D 3 to 5000 I u's /day. We stopped the flu vaccine years ago. Had you rather have the flu or mercury poisoning? Also , we shop stores before the crowds and know that there are a jullion germs on each buggy handle, door knobs, etc. So we carry anti-bacteria jels with us and wash our hands often.

Come April 1, we start shaking hands again, and cut back on our Vitamin D3. The Intelligent One created the sun which lets you make you own Vitamin D. Ain't that wonderful. Since I's not PC, I wish you all a Merry CHRISTmas. =========ROBERT HENRY=============

About a year ago, a therapist suggested vitamin D for my chronic, nonspecific musculoskeletal pain. She recommended 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily. I got a little better but not much, and didn't associate it with vitamin D supplementation at the time. Then about a month ago I heard about the Vitamin D Council, a non-profit group of physicians and research scientists, and I went on their website.

Knowing from a recent blood test that I am somewhat deficient in vitamin D, and based on what I was reading, I immediately began taking 8,000 IU of D3, and what an improvement! In just a few weeks I am almost completely pain-free in the neck, shoulders, hips and knees. I don't believe it is coincidence because I've been dealing with muscle pain for 6 years now. I will drop back to the Council's recommended dosage in the next few months, at which time I can get some of my vitamin D from the sun.

If there really is a magic bullet, it could very well be vitamin D. It helps just about every aspect of the human body. If you don't spend much time outside, are in the habit of slathering on sunscreen, or if you live north of 35 degrees latitude, you are probably low on D. Please be aware that although this research appears to be solid, and I know for certain it has helped me, it isn't yet mainstream and differs considerably from government recommendations. It is important to have your vitamin D level checked so you have some idea of how much you need. It's also important to know that vitamin D supplements must be D3, which is cholecalciferol, the same thing our bodies make from sunshine.

Sorry to hear how the mirena screwed things up for you. Vitamin D should be taken together with vitamin A to be effective. Check out the information backing this claim at the Weston Price blog

https://www.westonaprice.org/is-vitamin-d-safe-still-depends-on-vitamins-a-and-k-testimonials-and-a-human-study/

Good luck!

Dear Earth Clinic:

I've recently started supplementing with 2,000 I. U. of Vitamin D nightly, before bedtime, in the hopes that it will help with my depression. The Mirena IUD ruined my emotional state (causing not only depression, but panic attacks, anxiety and ridiculous mood swings), and I've spent the last five years trying numerous supplements and "therapy" to get back to "my old self". Needless to say, I haven't had much luck. In any case, when I take the Vitamin D at night, I've noticed upon waking that I have a lot of phlegm in my chest; it takes me about half an hour to cough it all up. At first, I thought that it may either be due to a recent cold or the fact that I get recurring sinus infections. However, I remember reading somewhere that Vitamin D is good for the lungs, so I'm wondering if the phlegm is a good thing? Should I continue to take it? If so, should I decrease the dose or increase the dose?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Blood test showed Vitamin D level at 18 ng/ml. Doc scripted 50000 IU per week of D2. Pain in shin bones and general muscle aches disappeared within 10 days.

Apple cider vingar works with my blood pressure I had a bp of 200/120 apple cider vinegar just one dose dropped it down to 170/100 still extremely high. Now I am 6 foot 3 280 lbs and need to loose weight bad. I still take apple cider vinegar 4 tablespoonfuls once a day. I should do it a least twice but I don't and probably add some raw garlic. As I am athletic run two miles swim a mile and play sports. I am overly stress work the night shift and around obese people.

However vitamin d has worked better for me than apple cider vinegar. I take 5000 iu daily with magnesium 400mg and One a day vitamin for men. Vitamin D helps my immune system hypertension and regulates my insulin all at the same time. This vitamin D 3 works. Please check out vitamindcouncil.org. Most americans do not get enough vitamin d because we are always in doors. It is really cheap at whole foods trader joes walmart even dollar general.

Please Please add vitamin d3 to your daily routine you will feel and see the difference.

I have used the ZRT tests for vitamin D, although I guess the price has gone up. It's a simple blood test - easy to administer. A few drops of blood and send it off. It took about 2 weeks for the results. I still have 2 unused tests. I take a daily supplement of D3 (and a high quality cod liver oil for vitamin A with NO problems maintaining a desirable level of D3 - I think it's a ratio issue)but I'll be vacationing at the beach this summer. I know my levels with supplementation; now I'm interested to see how they change with sun exposure exclusively.

One more thing, a discussion about vitamin D3 and calcium is not complete without discussion of vitamin K2 which dictates calcium deposition.

Doesn't the Vit A in cod liver oil prevent absorption of Vit D?

Just to tell you that yesterday I took one dose of vitamine D3 prescribed by my skin doctor as I was a bit high on vitamin A and a bit too low on D3. The dose, which is taken once every three or every six months was 100.000 U.I. On the box it is written Uvedose and Cholecalciferol.

The 20,000 iu of D 3 has to be a mistake. Folks normally take 1,000 iu and a 5,000 iu dose during flu season, etc.

Hi to EC from Merryanne, here is the following information on my D3:

Brand: Spring valley (from wal Mart)
20000 IU each

ingred: soybean oil, gelatin, glycerin, water, corn oil, carmel (artificial color), cod liver oil, Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)

Hi Joe...The kidneys are used to balance the electrolytes -- or minerals -- within the body. So although taking sodium and potassium bicarbonate with lemon is one of the best remedies for acidosis and will balance many body parameters, this will completely depend on the ability of the kidney to do its job properly. Therefore, I would not attempt this remedy if your father has problems with his kidneys without medical advice from a doctor.

Having said that, there is some recent research that suggests that taking just Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) with water can be beneficial to people with kidney disease. See these links:

Recent Research

Dr Mark Sircus -- Kidney Disease

Hello Briona, I am sorry to hear of your problem,,,I am taking 5,000-6,000 unit of D3 my self for about 6 weeks, and now for the last week I have been having some unusual sideeffects, at least they are unusal for me at 63 years old,,I have been more sexually aroused than when I was 40 years old, It causes me to have problems going to sleep and I do not dare go out for a drink I am afraid I will forget I am a christian lady,,,I feel like a she cat in heat,,,so I have stopped taking for two days and see if that helps,,,but other wise I feel good, more energy,, less appetite, I have lost 6 pounds and enjoy my house work and am in a happy mood, have stoped taking depression medication,,, now if I can get a hold of my sex drive and feel like I will not molest the men around me I will be ok...Merryanne in Central FL

Bill for general alkalizing would baking soda, potassium bicarbonate, and lemon be one of the better combos. My father is diabetic (type 2) insulin shots and his kidneys are not up to par. Would this help or act negatively on them? Any suggestion to support kidney function ? Thanks Again Joe

A few months ago, I was feeling a bit down and slightly depressed, perhaps due to the lack of sunshine during our rainy winter, and decided to take Vitamin D. I am pretty picky when it comes to my health so I selected a reputable brand of D3 (cholecalciferol) and started taking 6000 IU a day. First, my energy level increased and my mood brightened up but after hardly a week, I started feeling very tired, and not well. My legs felt very heavy, like if I had poor blood circulation; going up the stairs became challenging and my muscles were shivering - or felt like it. One night, I woke up, my body in spasm. This is when I stopped taking D3. All symptoms disappeared within 24-48 hours.

Hi Joe...It is possible that Vit D could cause a rise in blood calcium levels when taken in a high or excess dosage. To ensure that this does not happen, simultaneously taking magnesium and borax supplementation would certainly help to regulate the calcium/sodium/potassium balance within the blood/tissues, and thereby help to maintain the body in a more beneficial alkaline state (since excess calcium in the tissues causes acidosis).

Vit D3 and Calcium

Bill

I remember reading about something Ted said where Vit D can easily become calcified under certain conditions. Would you know what situation he is referring to ? Thank You: Joe

Would love to know if anyone has tried this company for an at-home blood spot test for vitamin d levels? My husband's friend (a chiropractor) just emailed him this link. Costs $75 per test. This test is not available for residents of New York, unfortunately. And if you live in California, you will need to have a prescription from a health care provider before you can order the test.

http://www.zrtlab.com

Please send us your feedback if you've used this (or any other online company) to test your vitamin d levels. Thanks!

It sounds like a vitamin overdose, but I am not sure your friend is experiencing vitamin D toxicity. I also supplement with vitamin d3 (5,000 iu/day) and get at least half an hour of sun almost every day (South Bay, California - lots of sunshine). She should stop every supplement for at least 2 weeks and make sure to drink a lot of water to flush liver and kidneys. Add the supplements back in one by one. Let us know how she is in a few days.

Thank you for replying so quickly.

She has been taking Costco:
One A Day for women
D3
Fish oil
Echinacea
Vitamin D with Calcium and Magisium
Vit B12

Also:
Tumeric
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Wellness Booster
Lung complex

Selenium
Milk Thistle
Memory Complex
CoQ10
Memory Complex
5-HTP Mood Enhancer
Vit C
Alive
Spirulina
Grape Seed

She has not taken all of these every day but has done the One A Day and "2" Vitamin D3 and others everyday.

Thank you
Kristina

WARNING!

Warning

I have had a young woman living with me for several months. She was very pleased to find I had a wide variety of supplements available and started taking daily doses of most every thing as she was feeling run down and was in a great deal of stress in her life.

For a while she was feeling much better and we were both pleased. But for the last couple of days she started feeling much much worse which started to scare me.

Today she was in great pain throughout her body and was in terrible shape.

I kept wondering what was the matter, and on a hunch I looked up the side effect of excessive Vitamin D.

Her symptoms almost perfectly mimic the information I found on excess Vitamin D. and from your site I learned there might be a link to cod liver oil which is in the D3 from Costco.

This is scary because she is very sick.

Of course, I will halt all the Vit. D immediately but I do not know what else to do as she has no money to see a doctor.

From other sites I learned that a fair skinned person, which she is, can get enough Vit. D in 45 minutes in the sun in a week. She spend a great deal of time in the sun walking her dog daily etc. so I can believe she is way over dosed as she has been taking this vitamin in three sources as well as getting plenty of sunshine.

It would be good to list the problems here. The ones I have are:

http://www.cforyourself.com/Blog/2008/12/overdosing-on-vitamin-d-side-effects.html

"Ordinary doses can build up in the body over time and cause serious illness. Not surprisingly, the Mayo Clinic (are they defending themselves against Linus Pauling's accusations?) is the best source I've found on-line for vitamin D side effects. Here is their list:

Late symptoms of severe overdose (emerge after months or years of starting supplements)

High blood pressure
High fever
Irregular heartbeat
Stomach pain (severe)

Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:

Early symptoms of overdose (emerge within days or weeks of starting vitamin D supplements)

Bone pain
Constipation (especially in children or adolescents)
Diarrhea
Drowsiness
Dryness of mouth
Headache (continuing)
Increased thirst
Increase in frequency of urination, especially at night, or in amount of urine
Irregular heartbeat
Itching skin
Loss of appetite
Metallic taste
Muscle pain
Nausea or vomiting (especially in children or adolescents)
Unusual tiredness or weakness

Late symptoms of overdose (emerge within weeks or months of starting supplements)

Bone pain
Calcium deposits (hard lumps) in tissues outside of the bone
Cloudy urine
Drowsiness
Increased sensitivity of eyes to light or irritation of eyes
Itching of skin
Loss of appetite
Loss of sex drive
Mood or mental changes
Muscle pain
Nausea or vomiting
Protein in the urine
Redness or discharge of the eye, eyelid, or lining of the eyelid
Runny nose
Weight loss

I did read that Vit.A counteracts the absorption of Vit. D. Does any one have any other suggestions? Please be quick as this is serious!

Thanks so much,
Kristina

Vitamin D3 protects against cancer. Do the research for yourself. Everyone in my family takes 1 D3-5 capsule, 5,000 IU per day unless we are going to be in the sun.

Latest newsletter from the Dr. Cannell and the Vitamin D Council. Please pay particular attention to the paragraph about the harmful effects of Vitamin A and why people should avoid cod liver oil like the plague!

..."However, hidden on page eight is one sentence and a small table, which shows that the benefits of vitamin D are almost entirely negated in those with the highest vitamin A intake."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Vitamin D Newsletter

Remarkable Paper in British Medical Journal

February 28, 2010

This is a periodic newsletter from the Vitamin D Council, a non-profit trying to end the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. If you want to unsubscribe, go to the end of this newsletter. If you are not subscribed, you can do so on the Vitamin D Council's website.

This newsletter may be reproduced as long as you properly and prominently attribute its source. Please reproduce it, post it on Internet sites, and forward it to your friends.

A few weeks ago, the British Medical Journal published a remarkable paper, remarkable that it studied more than 500,000 subjects, remarkable that it had 56 (fifty-six) authors, remarkable that it confirmed low vitamin D levels obtained in the past are a risk factor for developing colon cancer in the future. However, the most remarkable part of the paper is that the 46 scientists minimized the true significance of their own research. They found that vitamin A, even in relatively low amounts, appears to thwart vitamin D's association with reduced rates of colon cancer.

Jenab M et al. Association between pre-diagnostic circulating vitamin D concentration and risk of colorectal cancer in European populations: a nested case-control study. BMJ 2010;340:b5500

This is a prospective nested case-controlled study, which means it uses subject's vitamin D blood samples obtained and frozen in the past and then reviews their medical records into the future to see who gets colon cancer, comparing the study subjects to similar members of the group that did not get the illness. Dr. Mazda Jenab and his 45 colleagues from the International Agency for Research on Cancer confirmed that low vitamin D levels are a risk for colon cancer in a dose response manner; those with the highest levels were about twice as less likely to develop colon cancer compared to those with the highest levels.

However, hidden on page eight is one sentence and a small table, which shows that the benefits of vitamin D are almost entirely negated in those with the highest vitamin A intake. And the retinol intake did not have to be that high in these older adults to begin to negate vitamin D's effects, about 3,000 IU/day. Remember, young autistic children often take 3,500 IU of retinol a day in their powdered multivitamins, which doesn't count any additional vitamin A given in high single doses.

This is the largest study to date showing vitamin A blocks vitamin D's effect and explains some of the anomalies in other papers on vitamin D and cancer. For example, Dr. Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon of the NIH conducted two similar studies on pancreatic cancer, with startling different results. Her first paper showed high vitamin D levels tripled the subsequent risk of pancreatic cancer, her second paper showed no effect. The difference, the first was conducted in a cod liver oil country, Finland, the second in the USA.

Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ et al. A prospective nested case-control study of vitamin D status and pancreatic cancer risk in male smokers. Cancer Res. 2006 Oct 15;66(20):10213-9.

Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ, et al. Serum vitamin D and risk of pancreatic cancer in the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian screening trial. Cancer Res. 2009 Feb 15;69(4):1439-47.

Prostate cancer is another good example; ten similar studies have been conducted on vitamin D blood levels and the risk of subsequent prostate cancer. Dr. Lu Yin of the German Cancer Research Center reviewed them in detail. Eight of the studies found no relationship but two studies found a U shaped curve, that is, an increased risk of prostate cancer at both lower and higher vitamin D levels. You guessed it; both of these studies were from Nordic countries where cod liver oil consumption is rampant.

Yin L et al. Meta-analysis of longitudinal studies: Serum vitamin D and prostate cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol. 2009 Dec;33(6):435-45.

So why is there no relationship between vitamin D levels and the future risk of prostate cancer? All the subjects had their vitamin D levels checked in the late 1980s or 1990s, well into the sun-scare but before the vitamin D revolution. So how did these older people get high levels of vitamin D back then? Multivitamins? No, they only contained a meaningless 400 IU. Vitamin D supplements? No, they were not widely available back then and only contained a meaningless 200 to 400 IU of vitamin D if available. Sunshine? Maybe, but I doubt it. Studies have shown that the elderly were the first to abide by sun-avoidance advice; anyway, the elderly lose the ability to make vitamin D from sunshine; it takes the elderly up to ten times more time in the sun that the young to make an equivalent amount of vitamin D.

However, the elderly of many countries, not just Nordic countries, were raised on cod liver oil and I suspect that a sizable number of Americans continue to take cod liver oil as they age. While cod liver oil from the 1980s and 90s had higher amounts of vitamin D than does modern cod liver oil, it still had toxic amounts of A. I suspect if authors of the above ten studies had controlled for cod liver oil intake, they would have found that high retinol intake was blocking the cancer-preventing effects of vitamin D.

I say this because one author has controlled for retinol intake and the pre-cancerous condition, colon adenomas. Dr. Kyungwon Oh, of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, working with Harvard epidemiologists, found that high retinol intake completely thwarted the beneficial effects of vitamin D, stating, "a higher retinol intake, approximately > 4,800 IU/day, appears to counter the beneficial effect of vitamin D . . ." In other words, exactly what the British Medical Journal paper found with colon cancer.

Oh K et al. Calcium and vitamin D intakes in relation to risk of distal colorectal adenoma in women. Am J Epidemiol. 2007 May 15;165(10):1178-86.

Let"s look at Dr. Pamela Goodwin"s study from the University of Toronto that studied breast cancer survival. This a very different study as it looked at vitamin D levels obtained after the diagnosis of breast cancer and subsequent survival in 535 Toronto women between 1989 and 1996. Vitamin D levels ranged from 3 ng/ml to 70 ng/ml. The women with the lowest levels were about twice as likely to die and to suffer distant cancer recurrence compared those with the highest levels. Ten year survival was 85% for those in the upper one-third of vitamin D levels compared to 74% in the lower one-third. However, the data suggested a U shaped curve for the women with levels above 40 ng/ml, that is, a higher risk of dying, but it was not statistically significant.

Goodwin PJ et al. Prognostic effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in early breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2009 Aug 10;27(23):3757-63.

Again, let"s ask where women would get levels above 40 ng/ml in Toronto between 1989 and 1996? Sunshine? We know the answer is no as the authors found no seasonal variation in 25(OH)D levels in the 535 women, even in the women with the highest levels. So where did blood levels of 40-70 ng/ml come from in the early 1990s? Vitamin D supplements were not widely available in the early 1990s, and only contained meaningless doses when available. As sunshine was ruled out, they could only have gotten it from cod liver oil. I have emailed Dr. Pamela Goodwin, lead author, asking how hard it would be to see if cod liver oil use was asked about in the dietary questionnaire and if she could control for cod liver oil intake. She did find retinol intake was associated with higher vitamin D levels but I am particularly interested in cod liver oil intake in women with vitamin D levels above 40 ng/ml.

It's not just in breast cancer that vitamin D levels appear to have a treatment effect; it's in lung, prostate and colon cancer as well. Again, these are studies of people diagnosed with cancer to see if high vitamin D levels at the time of diagnosis are associated with improved survival.; that is, do high vitamin D levels have a treatment effect? On average, those with the highest vitamin D levels at time of diagnosis lived 2 or 3 times longer. One has to ask how high vitamin D levels are associated with greatly improved survival once you get cancer but a higher risk of getting cancer in the first place. That requires some gymnastic thinking and acrobatic basic science.

Zhou W et al. Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels predict survival in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer patients. J Clin Oncol. 2007 Feb 10;25(5):479-85.

Ng K et al. Clin Oncol. 2008 Jun 20;26(18):2984-91. Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and survival in patients with colorectal cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Jun 20;26(18):2984-91.

Tretli S et al. Association between serum 25(OH)D and death from prostate cancer. Br J Cancer. 2009 Feb 10;100(3):450-4.

Remember, studies of vitamin D levels and subsequent risk of cancer are only one type of epidemiological study. Studies of latitude and cancer are quite clear, the less sunshine the higher the cancer risk. Studies of dietary vitamin D intake and cancer are also mostly supportive but such studies are limited by the tiny doses people get in their diets.

So it is not just autistic children that are being harmed by vitamin A. Avoid cod liver oil like the poison it is and check your multivitamins. Life Extension Foundation just reformulated their multivitamin to contain only 500 IU of preformed retinol. And, I am happy to report that Purity Products, which markets my vitamin D, has no preformed retinol at all in any of their multivitamins, only beta carotene. Purity has also stopped selling cod liver oil. Now, if only Carlson, Solgar, Nature's Way, and other companies would stop selling cod liver oil and stop selling their concentrated vitamin A supplements to a country whose problem is widespread sub-clinical vitamin A toxicity, I'd be a happier agitator.
John Cannell, MD
Executive Director
Vitamin D Council

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