Healthy Anti-Aging Resources

Vitamin D deficiency has long been associated with poor bone development and has been identified as the cause of rickets. The latest review indicates that vitamin D insufficiency is still very common globally.

The vitamin D status depends on the production of vitamin D3 in the skin under the influence of ultraviolet radiation and vitamin D intake through the diet or vitamin D supplements. The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration is often used to assess vitamin D status. The minimum required serum 25(OH)D for all ages is set at 50 nmol/l. However, current guideline indicates that sufficient serum level should be 75 or 80 nmol/l or even higher.

Usually, between 50% and 90% of vitamin D in the body is coming from the production in the skin. The production of vitamin D3 in the skin depends on sunshine exposure, latitude, skin-covering clothes, the use of sun block and skin pigmentation. In general, serum 25(OH)D is lower with higher latitudes and with darker skin types.

Recent studies from different continents and countries recognized general patterns on the vitamin D status worldwide.
Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D < 25 nmol/l) is highly prevalent in India and China while vitamin D status is better in Japan and South-East Asia.
Vitamin D deficiency is very common in the Middle-East and there is a relationship with skin covering clothes and staying out of the sun.
A poor to moderate vitamin D status is also common in Africa, probably caused by the dark skin types and cultural habits of staying outside of the sunshine.

Vitamin D status is much better in North America where vitamin D deficiency is uncommon but vitamin D insufficiency (serum 25(OH)D between 25 and 50 nmol/l) is still common. In the United States and Canada milk is usually supplemented with vitamin D and the use of vitamin supplements is relatively common.

Vitamin D status in Latin America usually is reasonable but there are exceptions and vitamin D insufficiency still occurs quite often.
In Australia and New Zealand a poor vitamin D status was seen in the elderly who were often vitamin D deficient and also in immigrants from Asia. Vitamin D deficiency also occurred in children when the mother was vitamin D deficient.

Within Europe, vitamin D status usually is better in the Nordic countries (Northern Europe) than around the Mediterranean. This may be due to a lighter skin and sun seeking behaviour and a high consumption of cod liver oil in the Northern countries; while in Southern Europe people stay out of the sunshine and have a somewhat darker skin. A very poor vitamin D status was observed in older people and in non-western immigrants, especially in pregnant women.

Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are globally still very common especially in risk groups such as young children, pregnant women, elderly and immigrants. Moderate sunshine exposure and food fortification with vitamin D can improve the vitamin D status. In order to rise serum 25(OH)D to 50 nmol/l (20 ng/ml) or higher, a large part of the population will need vitamin D supplementation in winter or all year long.

Source:
P. Lips, Worldwide status of vitamin D nutrition. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 121 (2010) 297–300

Lizards lie in it, cats nap in it, plants need it to grow. But over 60% of North Americans are not getting enough of it. Vitamin D from the sun is critical to our health. The “cover-up and slap on the sunscreen” messages have worked too well along with young people spending time indoors instead of being outside in the sunshine.

We are near the end of our 2010 winter season here in New Zealand. My husband is a dentist and we both do not believe in flu vaccines. At the start of  winter I began taking an extra 1000iu Vitamin D3 – total 3000iu daily. My husband just took his normal dose that is contained in the nutritional supplements we both take. My husband got the flu – possibly the H1N1 because I have never seen him so unwell. He is a man who normally shrugs off colds and flus, but not this one. He had to take time off work, pulled a muscle from his violent coughing and even stayed in bed. Meanwhile, as soon as he came down with the flu, I increased my D3 dose from 3000iu to 4000iu daily and I have stayed well.

Anyone keeping up-to-date with health news over the last few years will be aware that more and more research is uncovering the significance of Vitamin D and its effect on our health. The “cover-up and slap on the sunblock” campaign has helped to reduce skin cancer risk but in doing so, Vitamin D deficiency has affected the health of millions of people worldwide (you will not be surprised to find out that more than 1 billion people worldwide and 30-40% of the U.S. population between the ages of 15-49 are vitamin D deficient). Vitamin D affects over 200 genes in our bodies and about 6% of the human genome.

There is a variety of factors that limit the amount of vitamin D we are exposed to: where we live (geographic latitude), season, age, melanin content of skin, the use of sunscreen or sun-obscuring clothing, and a lack of outdoor activity. It is healthy to have bright sun exposure to our bodies for 15-20 minutes per day. People who live in temperate zones (latitude 37 degrees north and south of the equator) will not get the sun exposure required for our bodies to make the 15,000 to 20,000iu of Vitamin D it needs each day. However, overexposure to sunlight does cause skin cancer and wrinkles.

Can we overdose on Vitamin D? It’s not possible to overdose from the sun source because the body can inactivate excess Vitamin D. The body can also store excess Vitamin D in our tissues and use it as required.

So what about food? Vitamin D is unique because very little can be obtained through a normal diet.The Vitamin D that is available in food is insignificant compared to what the synthesis of the sun can provide. The principal source of Vitamin D is through sun exposure on our skin.

For instance, the following is a list of foods that we would have to consume on a daily basis to get the equivalent of 15,000 to 20,000iu Vitamin D from the sun:
Sardines – 30 cans per day or
Milk – 100-200 glasses per day or
Fortified cereal – 100-200 bowls per day or
Egg yolks – 500-1000 per day or
Wild salmon – 2 kilos or 4.5 lbs per day
I would not recommend any of the above to be consumed in such quantities on a daily basis.

Vitamin D has been shown to prevent the following diseases:
Heart Disease
Cancer – Breast, Ovarian, Colon, Prostate, Bladder, Uterus, Esophagus, Rectum, Stomach
Diabetes
Obesity
Dementia
Influenza – upper respiratory infections have shown to be reduced by 90% by supplementing with 2000iu of Vitamin D3. By boosting our Vitamin D3 to 5000iu in the flu season, we do not need to have the flu vaccine.
Bacterial Infection
Depression
Insomnia
Muscle Weakness
Fibromyalgia
Osteomalacia –soft and weak bones, makes you more prone to fractures.
Osteoarthritus
Rheumatoid Arthritus
Osteoporosis
Psoriasis
Hypertension
Multiple Sclerosis – if we do not have enough exposure to sunlight in the first 10 years of our life, we are more pre-disposed to getting MS. So if you grow up in a temperate zone you have a 100% increase in the risk of getting MS.

From Doctor Ray Strand’s desk:
a) “A recent study reported in the Archives of Neurology showed a correlation of a low vitamin D level and the increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. This study included over 3,000 pariticipants. They followed these subjects for a period of nearly 30 years. Those subjects whose vitamin D levels were in the top 25% had over a 30% decreased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, when compared to those who had the lowest levels of vitamin D. This is just another study that shows the importance of maintaining adequate vitamin D levels. I have shared in past Health Nuggest, I like to see vitamin D levels above 60 ng/ml.”

b) “A four year clinical was done that involved nearly 1200 women. This is the kind of study physicians love and always talk about when it comes to pharmaceutical trials. However, very few of them realize that there are these kinds of studies regarding the health benefits of taking supplements. Subjects were assigned to take 1400 mg of calcium alone, or 1400 mg of calcium plus 1100 IU of vitamin D, or a placebo. After only 4 years, the risk of developing any type of cancer was 60% lower in the vitamin D group. If you excluded the cancers diagnosed in the first year because these cancers were most likely already present before the study, there was a 77% reduction in all types of cancer in the vitamin D group.

The researchers pointed out that vitamin D has an effect on at least 200 human genes and is critical in the normal functioning of our immune system and cell division. When there is less than an optimal level of vitamin D, the regulatory process involving cell proliferation and differentiation becomes defective. This can lead to abnormal cell division and thus cancer growth. However, if individuals simply supplement their diet with 1100 IU of vitamin D, they can significantly decrease their risk of all cancers.”

In summary: The research shows that nearly 70% of adults taking 600 IU or less of supplemental vitamin D have circulating levels below the minimum recommended threshold of 30 ng/mL. In fact, some people require up to 12 times that amount to maintain optimal levels of vitamin D. A suggested recommended daily intake of vitamin D3 is at least 4,000 IU per day. Of course every person’s individual needs are different, so it is best to work with your physician to determine what is right for you. If you live in temperate zones it is advisable to take a Vitamin D3 supplement every day and boost it to 5000iu in the flu season.

Expose yourself to bright sun 15 to 30 minutes daily as much as possible, before applying sunblock to your body. I recommend that you do not expose your face and neck though. Avoid over-exposure to sunlight. If possible, get your Vitamin D levels tested by your doctor to ensure that you are not deficient (“25 OH Vitamin D” blood test (also known as “25 hydroxy vitamin D”) and you want to be in the 50-80 ng/ml range).

Further Reading
The Vitamin D Council is a respected source of up-to-date information about Vitamin D.

(NaturalNews) Mike Adams recently interviewed the Executive Director of the Vitamin D Council, Dr. John Cannell, MD, in order to obtain more information about the nutrient which has been gaining ground as a proven necessity for cancer protection, good…listen to this hour long audio   Interview with Dr. John Cannell on benefits of vitamin D

Dr. Michael Holick is the world’s foremost authority on vitamin D and the healing power of natural sunlight. He’s the author of The UV Advantage, and in this interview, Dr. Holick reveals fascinating facts on how vitamin D is created and used in the human body to ward off chronic diseases like cancer, osteoporosis, mental disorders and more. This is one of the most eye-opening interviews you’ll ever read on health.

For women 40+ who want to live life to the full and stay younger longer

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Advanced Doses of Vitamin D Are Required To Achieve Optimal Vitamin D Status

It is currently estimated that more than 1 billion people worldwide have vitamin D deficiency. Relatively small amounts of vitamin D are obtained through the diet and many lifestyle factors reduce endogenous vitamin D synthesis, therefore supplementation offers an important avenue for achieving and maintaining optimal vitamin D status.

Scientists at USANA Health Sciences and Linus Pauling Institute recently conducted a clinical study to evaluate the effectiveness of moderately high daily doses of vitamin D3 on increasing circulating levels of vitamin D during winter, spring, and summer seasons.

19 healthy volunteers, most using USANA’s HealthPakTM daily dietary supplement packs, BiOmegaTM and/or Active CalciumTM supplements, were randomly divided into the treatment or control (placebo) groups. The treatment group was given a daily supplement providing 4000 IU of vitamin D3 for three months from December 2008 to March 2009. The control group received a matching placebo tablet. Both the Vitamin D3 and matching placebo tablets were manufactured at USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (Salt Lake City, USA). Blood samples were drawn at baseline and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of supplementation, to analyze circulating vitamin D levels (25-hydroxy vitamin D3).

The study found that:

* Treatment with 4000 IU/day significantly increased circulating vitamin D levels during the winter and maintained them in the optimal range above 50 mg/mL.
* Circulating vitamin D levels reached maximal levels after 4 weeks of supplementation and plateaued thereafter.
* Upon cessation of supplementation between weeks 12-16, vitamin D levels declined appreciably underscoring the need for continuous supplementation to maintain optimal levels throughout the winter and early spring.
* Supplementation of 2000 IU/day through the late spring and summer maintained vitamin D levels in the optimal range.
* At the conclusion of the study, vitamin D levels in all subjects that did NOT continue supplementation through the summer returned to the baseline values originally measured in December.

This study shows that continuous intakes of vitamin D are needed to obtain optimal circulating levels of vitamin D above 50 mg/mL throughout the entire year.

Source: Dixon B et al; 2009; USANA Clinical Research Poster; Accessed 21 Jun 2010.

http://www.usana.com/media/File/dotCom/company/science/crb/CR_Vitamin_D_Poster.pdf

News.com.au has reported that Gwyneth Paltrow : “has been diagnosed with osteopenia, an illness that can lead to the serious bone disease osteoporosis”. Osteoporosis is ”brittle bone disease” – where the bones begin to look like Swiss cheese. Gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly Vitamin D deficient. What happens is that the bones become so weak, that they break easily and then people fall, many times resulting with a broken hip.

Doctor Ray Strand says “Osteoporosis is an epidemic nutritional deficiency in the United States. More than 25 million Americans suffer with this disease at the cost to the economy of the U.S. of approximately 14 billion dollars each year. At least 1.2 million fractures occur each year in the United States as a direct result of osteoporosis. Spontaneous compression fractures of the vertebrae of the back cause tremendous pain and suffering for those with osteoporosis.
The American diet, with its high intake of white breads, white flour, refined sugars, and fat, has been shown to be deficient in many of the essential nutrients needed for healthy bones”.

I remember as a young child, being fascinated by hunched-over old people “looking for coins on the ground” – I later understood that their spines had deteriorated due to osteoporosis.

We can prevent osteoporosis, but we need to start in our teenage years by getting optimal amounts of calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D. Our bones are growing fast at that time and need the nutritional support to grow strong.

At post-menopause we need to continue with adequate calcium in our diet, bearing in mind that we need sufficient magnesium and Vitamin D for the calcium to be utilised by our bodies, along with advanced-quality broad spectrum supplements (nutriceuticals) – antioxidants, multi-vitamins and multi-minerals. We also need to have adequate amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables. Exercise is crucial to the health of our bones – weight bearing exercises such as walking helps the lower legs but does little for the back and hips; upper body weight resistance exercises such as lifting weights over your head are critical. By taking care of ourselves we can prevent osteoporosis.

Can osteoporosis be reversed without medications? Listen to this 74-year old woman’s experience.

What can you do to reverse osteoporosis?

Click here for a List of Alkaline Foods – The pH Balanced Diet.

For comprehensive advice visit Better Bones.

My nutritional doctor’s advice is:
LIFESTYLE Walking, Vibration training, working with weights, and sunlight
SUPPLEMENTS good multivitamin/mineral, calcium/magnesium combined with boron, silicon and manganese, Vitamin D3, Omega-3 fish oils

I would suggest that if you have a blender/juicer that you make the Green Smoothie’s in the recipes you can download here, and drink one daily.

Doing all that would provide you with the building blocks to getting healthy strong bones (and the other side-effects of a healthy body!!!)

For women 40+ who want to live life to the full and stay younger longer

If you would like to find out which nutritional supplements are recommended for bone health, please request my free eBook, by completing the form on your top right.

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In a recent study, researchers examined the association between vitamin D status and physical performance. Among subjects with low vitamin D levels, physical performance and grip strength were significantly lower than that of participants who did not have reduced levels.

In addition to its role in bone health, vitamin D is thought to play a role in musculoskeletal function. In a recent study, researchers examined the association between vitamin D status and physical performance in a sample of 976 persons over the age of 65. The physical performance of the subjects was analyzed using a short physical performance battery (SPPB) and handgrip strength. The SPPB tests included walking speed, ability to stand from a seated position, and ability to maintain balance in progressively more challenging positions.

Over 28% of the women and 13% of the men had vitamin D levels low enough to be considered a deficiency. Nearly three-fourths of the women and over half of the men had vitamin D levels that were considered insufficient. Among subjects with low vitamin D levels, physical performance and grip strength were significantly lower than that of participants who did not have reduced levels. The finding remained valid after taking into consideration other factors (such as season of the year and physical activity levels).

Given the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in older populations, additional studies examining the association between vitamin D status and physical function are needed. Current vitamin D recommendations are based on its role in bone health, although emerging research indicates vitamin D may also play important roles in preservation of muscle strength and physical function, as well as potential preventative roles in conditions such as cancer.

The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 62:440-446 (2007)

Vitamin D is under the microscope and a huge amount of information is emerging. Most of you would know that we get this hormone (it’s not really a vitamin) by the sun’s interaction on our skin and from some foods.

The trick is to get the balance between getting too much sunlight (and risking skin damage and skin cancer) and getting enough sunlight for adequate Vitamin D production.

How is Vitamin D3 antiaging? When our bodies are tall and straight we look younger than when we are hunched over.

What does Vitamin D3 do?
• Helps to maintain healthy bones. A study reported in the Annuls of Internal Medicine in their August, 2008 issue showed that those women who had the lowest levels of vitamin D had the highest risk of hip fractures. Nearly 40,000 women were followed and the vitamin D status was measured by looking at their 25-hydroxy vitamin D level. They were divided into four groups depending on their vitamin D level. Those women who had the lowest vitamin D levels had the highest incidence of hip fractures.
• Supports efficient calcium absorption
• Necessary for normal bone mineralization
• Important for the maintenance of muscle strength
• Supports robust and healthy immune function (eg flu prevention)
• Supports a healthy heart. A study reported at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Conference in Orlando (March 2010)reported a strong association between reduced vitamin D levels and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Brent Muhlstein, MD and his colleagues followed over 27,000 subjects for a little over one year. Those with very low vitamin D levels were 45% more likely to develop heart disease, twice as likely to develop heart failure, 78% more likely to experience a stroke, and 77% more likely to die than those with normal levels. This is just another reason to check your vitamin D status via a 25-hydroxy vitamin D level and make sure it is greater than 60 ng/ml.

It wise to get your levels of Vitamin D tested. Vitamin D deficiency has become a serious nutritional problem throughout the world. In fact, the more we are learning about the health benefits of vitamin D it is becoming apparent that we need to get our vitamin D levels above 60 ng/ml, rather than above the 30 ng/ml most researchers are using as normal. 2,000 IU/Day or More Needed for Optimal Health.

If required, I do recommend that Vitamin D3 is a part of an overall nutritional supplement program that includes a broad-spectrum multivitamin, multimineral, omega-3 and calcium/magnesium.

From Doctor Myron Wentz: “Today medical research is discovering more and more functions of vitamin D in the human body, every one of them critical for optimal health. For example, vitamin D regulates blood levels of essential minerals such as phosphorus and calcium; it regulates the parathyroid gland, which controls the activity of bone tissue; it is essential to our immune system, plays a role in preventing high blood pressure, and protects against a wide range of diseases, from several forms of cancer to diabetes to multiple sclerosis. One authority estimates that lack of sunshine—and the consequent reduced production of vitamin D—leads to nearly one million deaths per year around the world, 600,000 of those deaths from cancer alone. Many, many times more than caused by the H1N1 swine flu”.

Recommended Reading:
* Very informative article from the Linus Pauling Institute about Vitamin D and the health impact of not having enough of this critical vitamin in your body.
* Research news for breast cancer survivors
* Low Vitamin D levels lead to poor physical performance in the elderly
* Dr. Frank Lipman Integrative Physician Vitamin D: What You Need To Know
* Vitamin D for better golden years
From The Sunday Times: Vitamin D better than vaccines at preventing flu, report claims
From the New York Times What Do You Lack? Probably Vitamin D

6 Things Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You About Longevity & Superhealth. In this amazing clip recorded at the Longevity Conference last March Dr. Mercola reveals 6 amazing insights on what doctors AREN’T telling you about anti-aging & super health. This is no ordinary information, Dr. Mercola is on the forefront of nutritional science and his revelations will shock you! Dr Mercola provides further information on the benefits of Vitamin D3 and how vital it is to our well-being.

Find out which advanced quality nutritional products I use and recommend.

Related Post: Osteoporisis – prevention and care

If you would like to find out which nutritional supplements are recommended for healthy aging, please request my free eBook, by completing the form on your top right.

I trust you found this helpful. If you did, please share it with others by clicking on the Facebook and/or Twitter icons below. And be sure to leave your comments and questions below. Thank you!