Posts Tagged vitamin D

Recently a government agency known as The Institute of Medicine weighed in on the topic of vitamin D. After convening a 14 member panel of researchers to analyze over 1,000 published studies …

There are many types of neuropathies caused by many different things, diabetic neuropathy appears to be caused by chronically elevated blood sugar which results in changes to the blood vessels that feed the nerves. These negative changes appear to starve the nerve of vital oxygen and nutrients. With that said, diabetic neuropathy is likely worsened by many other nutritional factors and deficiencies. One such deficiency was recently noted in a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

In this study, researchers gave 51 diabetics who suffer with neuropathy a dose of vitamin D that equates to just over 2,000 IU daily. After three months the treatment group enjoyed significant decreases in neuropathic pain. All patients who were enrolled in the study had low blood levels of vitamin D at the start of the study and researchers noted significantly increased blood levels by study’s end. These increases in blood vitamin D correlated with decreases in nerve pain.

Comment by Dr. Ray Hinish

Vitamin D appears to play an important role in preventing nerve damage and maintaining healthy pain receptors. In addition, it is believed that adequate vitamin D levels result in improved nerve repair and growth. Over the last few years vitamin D has moved up the ranks of natural medicine to reach superstar status. This is just one more notch in the belt of vitamin D. Remember, always choose natural vitamin D3, also called cholecalciferol. I recommend NOW Vitamin D3 1,000 IU .

esearchers at Arizona State University studied 20 overweight subjects and followed them through a weight loss program. As the subjects lost weight, those people who were supplementing with 500 mg vitamin C daily enjoyed stable vitamin C levels while the other subjects levels dropped steadily. As vitamin C levels dropped so did the ability of the subjects body to burn fat through a process called oxidation.

It has been noted in previous research that subjects with higher blood vitamin C levels burn 30% more calories when they exercise than subjects with lower vitamin C levels. This connection may have to do with vitamin C’s role in the production of l-carnitine, an import fat burning nutrient. When supplementing with vitamin C, I prefer to use food sources of vitamin C such as amla, acerola cherry powder, etc. As a supplement, I use a daily dose of food source vitamin C from a manufacturer called The Synergy Company.

(J Am Coll Nutr Johnston 24 (3): 158.)

Vitamin K exists in two main forms, K1 and K2. Vitamin K1 is the form found in plant foods, especially green leafy vegetables. This form of vitamin K is considered inactive and requires activation by the body in order to have an impact on the cells. Studies with vitamin K1 have been somewhat disappointing due to poor activation by the body. Vitamin K2 is the activated form of vitamin K found in fermented foods such as natto as well as some dairy sources. Vitamin K2 is involved in a process called carboxylation that is important in the formation of healthy bones as well as the removal of calcium from the arteries. To date, a number of studies have proven the benefits of high dose vitamin K2 (45 mg daily) in the reversal of osteoporosis. These findings are truly exciting.

In a recent study, researchers tested the impact of low dose vitamin K2 on the carboxylation process. Compared to placebo, 1.5 mg of vitamin K2 daily resulted in significant carboxylation of osteocalcin which indicates significant protection from bone loss.

(Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 2009; 55(1): 15-21.)

Dr. Ray’s Notes: The clinical research published to date is quite impressive, but I have always wondered if we could get away with lower doses. The majority of the research on vitamin K2 utilized 15 mg of vitamin K2 three times daily. Although this study does suggest that lower doses do enhance carboxylation, until we have data that suggests that low-dose K2 also increases bone density and decreases fracture rate then we must continue to recommend the higher dose for people diagnosed with osteoporosis. For those who are looking to prevent osteoporosis, it appears that lower doses may be sufficient to protect against osteoporosis and calcification of the arteries.

Although we are seeing more research every day about how vitamin D impacts many different conditions, the likelihood is we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg as far as what conditions will benefit from vitamin D supplementation. For example, here are some examples of recent data:

1. Low vitamin D blood levels increase risk of poor brain function by 200 percent. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol, 2008 Dec 10;)
2. Low vitamin D linked to increased risk of colon cancer (Nutr Cancer, 2009; 61(1): 70-5.)
3. Vitamin D protects against Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (Mult Scler, 2009; 15(1): 9-15)

Aside from these studies there are literally hundreds of other studies linking vitamin D to bone health, heart health, cancer risk, immune function, flu prevention, and much more. The fact of the matter is vitamin D has hormone-like activity that interacts with over 600 known genes. By interacting with these genes, vitamin D can either activate or inactivate a certain process in the body depending on the need. This means, vitamin D may activate the uptake and utilization of minerals while simultaneously inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. Few other nutrients have such a robust impact on the body. On your next physical, ask your doctor to order a vitamin D blood test. I will warn you however, if it does come back low avoid the prescription vitamin D and instead opt for natural vitamin D3 which can be found at any health food store.

In this article, I hope to prove to you the importance of vitamin K in your diet and supplements.
First, it is important to note that vitamin K exists as two main forms; vitamin K1 and K2. Vitamin K1, called phylloquinone, comes from vegetables and is converted into vitamin K2 by intestinal bacteria. Vitamin K2 is the activated form of vitamin K and is found in organ meats, egg yolks and some fermented foods such as natto. We get much more vitamin K1 in the diet then we do vitamin K2.
In the body, vitamin K activates two enzymes: osteocalcin and matrix GLA-protein. I realize that those two words may be Greek to you but they are important to know because they have two different impacts on the body. When vitamin K activates osteocalcin, the result is more calcium and minerals get deposited into the bones resulting in stronger bones. When vitamin K activates matrix GLA-protein the result is less calcium is deposited into the arteries. Some research suggests that matrix GLA-protein may even decrease the calcifications of the arteries that are already present . Now that you know how important these two enzymes are to the body you can see how devastating a vitamin K deficiency can be. In addition, it should be noted that vitamin K2 is much more active in the body and is the only form that can activated these two critical enzymes.

Why are we deficient in vitamin K?

This deficiency likely occurs for three main reasons.

1. We don’t eat enough vegetables. Most vitamin K in the diet comes for plant sources in the form of vitamin K1. The vitamin K1 is then activated by intestinal flora and absorbed as K2.

2. Our intestinal bacteria are out of balance. Many of us are deficient in healthy bacteria that play important roles in the conversion of vitamin K1 into the active K2. Many things can decrease the number of healthy bacteria in the gut such as: antibiotics, chlorine, stress, etc.

3. We do not eat organ meats, fermented foods or egg yolks. These foods are the primary sources of vitamin K2.

Knowing that both factors are important in the maintaining healthy vitamin K levels, you can see that it is important to get more vitamin K in the diet and to make sure that your intestinal bacteria are in good balance.

How do we do this?

In our society, I believe that it is necessary to supplement with vitamin K in order to optimize the vitamin K levels in the body. You can find vitamin K supplements in both the K1 and K2 form. It is generally recommended that you opt for the vitamin K2 as the research confirms that it is far superior for the prevention of bone loss and the protection from artery calcification. If you are generally healthy, I recommend a low-dose vitamin K2 from Jarrow formulas called MK-7 which provides 90 mcg of vitamin K2 from natto. This is a small dose that meets your daily vitamin K needs which may suffice to maintain healthy bones and arteries. If you suffer with bone loss or calcification of the arteries I recommend a therapeutic dose of 15 mg (15,000 mcg) three times daily. This dose has been studied and proven to be safe and effective for improving bone loss while normalizing carboxylation to activate the osteocalcin and matrix GLA-protein. You do not need to worry that vitamin K will cause excessive clotting unless you are on a medication called Coumadin (warfarin) which works by blocking vitamin K in the body. If you are on Coumadin, research has shown that a small dose of vitamin K2 such as the dose found in the Jarrow MK-7 can actually help you to achieve more consistent INR levels while possibly preventing complication of long term Coumadin use which includes bone loss and artery calcification. Always discuss vitamin K supplementation with your health care practitioner prior to starting as you will likely need to increase the dose of the Coumadin to account for the effect of the K.

In recent months, some rather well controlled studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals relating to the health benefits of vitamin E. The first study that we will discuss comes out of Harvard Medical School and evaluated the benefits of 600 mg of vitamin E every other day versus placebo for an average period of 10 years. The study monitored almost 39,876 women age 45 or older and evaluated their risk of serious, life-threatening blood clots.

Overall, vitamin E decreased the risk of life-threatening blood clots by 21%. These included dangerous clots within the legs and lungs. Some people are at higher risk of developing these clots. Women who were at high risk of blood clot (those who had a blood clot prior to starting the study) enjoyed a 44% decreased risk of future blood clots compared to their placebo counterparts. In addition, subjects who took vitamin E enjoyed an 8% decrease in risk of bleeding in the brain, a condition called hemorrhagic stroke; this was an interesting and unexpected finding. (Circulation. 2007;116:1497-1503)

Another study from Harvard School of Public Health evaluated 600 IU of natural vitamin E, 500 mg of vitamin C and 50 mg of beta carotene on risk of cardiovascular disease. At the end of the nine and a half year study the subjects who took their vitamin E enjoyed an 11% decrease in risk of combined cardiovascular event, including heart attack and stroke. When the researchers looked at the people who were nearly flawless with taking their vitamin E they saw a 22% decrease in heart attack risk, a 27% decrease in stroke risk and a 9 % decrease in risk of overall death. People who took both vitamin E and C together on a consistent basis enjoyed a 31% decreased risk of stroke while beta carotene had little or no benefit during the study. (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2007;167:1610-1618)
Given these studies, it appears that natural vitamin E is not the monster that it was made out to be by the press. Other recent research has demonstrated other important facts:

Vitamin E may protect against Alzheimers disease. (JAMA, 2002;287:3230-3237)
Vitamin E may protect against Lou Gehrig’s Disease (Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 2007,78:367-371)
Vitamin E may reduce the risk of advanced prostate cancer by 71% (Journal of the National Cancer Institute,2006;98:245-254)

(This review is a summary of the report by Dr. Jack Challem’s The Nutrition Reporter newsletter)

Cliff Notes” that will highlight the 16 key points regarding vitamin D. For those of you who consider yourselves nutrition nerds like me, these facts make for great conversation at parties. So here we go!

Vitamin D is a hot topic right now and I recently read a wonderful article that I felt did a great job of summarizing the research literature on vitamin D. Rather than writing another boring article on this topic, I decided to write up the “Vitamin D Cliff Notes” that will highlight the 16 key points regarding vitamin D. For those of you who consider yourselves nutrition nerds like me, these facts make for great conversation at parties. So here we go!

1. Vitamin D is a potent steroid hormone that plays an important role in over 200 repair and maintenance genes of the body. This means vitamin D has over 200 known mechanisms by which it promotes health and longevity aside from its benefits to the bones.
2. Your blood test levels for vitamin D should stay between 40-50 ng/ml all year round. During winter months, many people may need up to 5,000 iu daily in order to maintain this level.
3. A recent study found that 1,100 iu of vitamin D3 daily over a 4 year period dramatically decreased the risk of non-skin cancers.
4. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with many other diseases such as heart disease, arthritis, blood pressure problems, multiple sclerosis, periodontal disease, macular degeneration, inflammatory diseases, stroke, diabetes, mental illness and instability on your feet. Now you see why this is such a hot topic!
5. A recent analysis of the research suggests that 2,000 iu of vitamin D may virtually eliminate cold and flu.
6. Vitamin D deficiency may lead to unexplained back pain and, in these people, high doses of vitamin D (5,000 iu to 10,000 iu) may alleviate the pain!
7. Vitamin D deficiency is rampant and affects young and elderly alike. Vitamin D deficiency can occur even in people who live in sunny climates.
8. Stress fractures in otherwise healthy people may indicate vitamin D deficiency.
9. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to muscle pain and weakness.
10. Prescription vitamin D is not human vitamin D and is 2-4 times less effective than cheaper, non-prescription vitamin D (cholecalciferol).
11. The average adult needs 2,000-4,000 iu of vitamin D daily to maintain a healthy level. Although this is a good “standard recommendation” each person absorbs, utilizes and produces vitamin D to different degrees and may require a little more or a little less to optimize their blood levels.
12. If you are aged, obese and/or dark-skinned you may need 3,000-5,000 iu to maintain healthy levels.
13. Pregnant women should have their vitamin D blood tests performed every 3 months and optimize the blood levels using supplements. Lactating women should consider doses up to 6,000 iu daily to provide acceptable amounts to their child through breast milk. Vitamin D is crucial for the proper development of a growing child.
14. Bottle-fed infants should be supplemented with 400 iu of vitamin D daily. Breastfed children should be supplemented with 800 iu daily unless the mother takes high enough doses of supplemented vitamin D. Toddlers and older children who do not get sufficient sun should take 1,000-2,000 iu depending on their weight.
15. Vitamin D is safe. Most adults would have to take well over 10,000 iu of vitamin D for many months or years before they would suffer side effects from toxicity.

For those who would like to read the entire review article, it can be downloaded for free from The Vitamin D Council by clicking the following link: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/PDFs/diagnosis-vitdd.pdf. There are many vitamin D supplements on the market, recently Carlson Labs came out with a very high potency line of liquid vitamin D. They have three formulas: 400 iu per drop, 1,000 iu per drop and 2,000 iu per drop. These products are convenient alternatives to softgels. If you would like a powerful multivitamin that provides 2,000 iu of vitamin D daily, I recommend the Purity’s Perfect Multivitamin.

By blocking this enzyme, the medication decreases the body’s internal production of cholesterol. Unfortunately, a well known and fairly common side effect is muscle pain and weakness that can often be debilitating. In addition to blocking the production of cholesterol, it is well known that these medications also block the production of important nutrients such as coenzyme Q10. We have known that a deficiency of coenzyme Q10 can lead to muscle pain and that supplementation can help to reverse this side effect. A recent study sheds light on another nutrient that is closely linked to muscle pain, vitamin D. We have known that vitamin D deficiency can cause both pain and weakness in the muscles, however, research had not linked vitamin D deficiency to muscle pain induced by cholesterol lowering medications…until now.

In a study of 621 patients who were prescribed statin medications, it was found that those who suffered with the muscle pain were significantly deficient in vitamin D. When the patients who suffered with muscle pain were supplemented with vitamin D, 92% of the patients saw resolution of their pain symptoms.
(Transl Res, 2009; 153(1): 11-6)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:

We have always known about statin’s impact on coenzyme Q10 levels and we commonly recommend coenzyme Q10 supplementation in those who take a statin medication. This study, may explain why some people continue to have pain even after supplementation with high doses of coenzyme Q10 and I am now beginning to recommend vitamin D supplementation for those who are taking statins. This makes perfect sense given the fact that your body produces vitamin D from, you guessed it, cholesterol. When cholesterol drops, it makes good sense that vitamin D levels may drop as well. In this study, the participants were placed on the prescription vitamin D at a dose of 50,000 iu weekly. I would recommend using a natural form of vitamin D on a daily basis rather than a synthetic form in high dose once weekly. For the general population I recommend 2,000 iu daily. If your blood is significantly deficient, you may require higher doses. Have your doctor order a blood test for 25-OH vitamin D with your next cholesterol test and to learn more about vitamin D, read our article 15 Facts You Must Know About Vitamin D.

As these protein caps shorten, research suggests that our cells are more susceptible to disease and the aging process is accelerated. Free radicals and stress have been closely linked to the process of telomere shortening and thus it appears that our lifestyle can play an important role in the rate at which we age.

A recent study evaluated the effect of certain supplements on slowing the process of telomere shortening. In this study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists discovered that taking a multivitamin daily can actually slow the rate at which the telomeres shorten. In fact, regular multi-vitamin users enjoyed 5.1 percent longer telomeres. This may not sound like much but it may turn out to be quite significant. What if that results in a 5.1% increase in lifespan? What if that 5% difference means the difference between developing a disease and not suffering with that disease? Admittedly, we do not know what that 5.1 percent difference translates into as far as health and wellness is concerned. With the information we have, I feel that any protection we can provide to the chromosome the better off we will be.

Other findings of this study include:

1. B12 supplementation also resulted in increased telomere length
2. B-complex showed no benefit or detriment to telomere length
3. Vitamin C and E from food protected the telomere from shortening
4. Iron supplementation sped up the process of telomere shortening

Supplement Recommendations Based on Article:

This study used a simple once-daily multivitamin. If you are a regular reader of the newsletter or a regular listener of our radio program then you know that a standard one-a-day multi is insufficient for optimal benefit. If you would like a simple multi-vitamin then I usually recommend the Multi-T/D by Pure Encapsulations which is taken one capsule twice daily. This simple formula would be significantly better than the one-a-day multi used in this study. If you want even more protection then I would recommend trying the Nutrient 950 without iron by Pure Encapsulations. This formula is taken 3 capsules twice daily. For a detailed discussion of the multi-vitamins we offer, check out our Virtual Pharmacist section https://www.illnessisoptional.com/virtual-pharmacist/78.html .