Research published just this month in the Archives of Internal Medicine revealed that 75% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D. The researchers found that from 1988 to 1997 the average vitamin D levels were about 30 nanograms per milliliter and dropped to 24 nanograms per milliliter by 2004. While the researchers say that normal is 30 nanograms per milliliter, there is other evidence to suggest that optimal levels are between 45-50 nanograms per milliliter to as high as 75-120 nanograms per milliliter. That means that most of us have been deficient for some time. Children are deficient at rates similar to those of adults, and children born to mothers who are vitamin D deficient are at high risk of being deficient themselves.  

Increased supplementation of vitamin D will only partially address the problem. Not all vitamin D is manufactured equally and our bodies require not just an input of vitamin D but good digestion to properly absorb what is eaten as well as  properly-timed exposure to sunlight without the interference of sunblock. 

Inadequate vitamin D can manifest in a myriad of ways before full blown disease such as heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and high blood pressure. Asthma and multiple sclerosis have also been associated with low vitamin D levels–so has depression (and seasonal affective disorder), periodontal diseases, colds, and flus. In fact, in a recent article in the Alternative Medicine Review, the researchers suggest many, if not most, modern diseases are a result of vitamin D deficiency. If you stop to think about it, it makes sense. We have basically moved our lives indoors as we spend most of our time working inside. When we do go outside we use copious amounts of sunscreen to protect us from the sun. And we know that vitamin D really isn’t a vitamin but rather a hormone responsible for the regulation of multiple functions, including calcium regulation. 

Does this information mean that one should start taking the new recommended guidelines of vitamin D (which may go up to as high as 10,000 IU a day but will probably be at around the 1500-2000 IU level)? No; it is important to have your vitamin D levels tested prior to substantial supplementation so that a baseline is established and future improvement may be monitored.  Further complicating the picture is the fact that since the intake, absorption and activation of vitamin D occur through different organ systems, the problem can be a result of any one of those systems. For example, one may absorb plenty of vitamin D that the liver can convert but the kidneys may not be functioning optimally to do the final activation step. Or it may be that the person is not absorbing enough through diet and or sunlight. 

Finding a doctor who understands both the details of vitamin D metabolism, and where in the process you personally will benefit from treatment in order to increase vitamin D levels, is crucial.  Please give us a call so that we may help you to maximize or restore your health by utilizing the best of science and nature.