ONE DAY VITAMIN D seems like a cure for everything. The next we are inundated with the dangers and the lack of science. Some doctors recommend 5000 IU a day or more, but the new daily recommended intake is only 600-800IU. So which is it? How much should we take? Is vitamin D really a super supplement or is it all just more hype?
In my appearance on the Dr. Oz Show, my friend Mehmet and I discussed vitamin D and revealed what the science really says about this essential vitamin. The evidence shows that over the half the population is deficient, almost none of them are diagnosed, and low levels of vitamin D have been related to every from cancer to autoimmune disease, depression to dementia, and more. Based on my work with thousands of patients I can tell you that for some getting optimal levels of vitamin D can mean the difference between health and illness.
I encourage you to watch the show. Here are links to each part:
Mehmet and I had a fascinating discussion on the topic that I feel will unravel a lot of the mystery for many.
Here I have provided you a few additional resources that help you learn the truth about this critical, and often misunderstood, vitamin.
The Sunshine Vitamin: A Closer Look at Vitamin D
Now that the warmer weather months are here, it’s a good time to discuss vitamin D, since it’s also known as the sunshine vitamin. Ironic, because vitamin D is not a vitamin nor a nutrient; it is a hormone produced by the body in the skin from a photolytic reaction with ultraviolet light. Read more …
What’s Missing from the New Vitamin D Recommendations?
Confusion is rampant about the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI’s) for Calcium and Vitamin D recently released from the Institute of Medicine. I have reviewed the report carefully and gathered input from international experts on vitamin D and the clinical team at my medical center—which includes four master’s degrees in nutrition, authors of textbooks on nutrition, and international leaders in nutrition education for physicians and dietitians. Collectively we have 100 years of reviewing nutrition research and applying it with thousands of patients. Here is what I think about the new vitamin D recommendations based on a synthesis of all this information. Read more …