Vitamin D Extremism

What do I mean by Vitamin D extremism?

First they told us not to eat foods that have cholesterol, such as egg yolks or butter, to avoid heart disease. Our bodies make vitamin D from cholesterol when skin is exposed to sunlight.

Then they told us to avoid sunlight and use sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. So we were not supposed to eat the building blocks of vitamin D and get the sunlight that made it happen.

Not surprisingly, now they are finding an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency!

This deficiency puts us at risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, and much more, and doctors are prescribing massive doses of vitamin D. What they don't tell us is that taking large doses of vitamin D without balancing it with other fat-soluble vitamins, such vitamin A and vitamin K, may lead to vitamin D toxicity.

Also, if your body has less than 30 ng/dl of vitamin D, you are considered vitamin D deficient. Yet the Institute of Medicine declared in November 2013 that 20 ng/dl is sufficient for good bone health.

So we have gone from one extreme, which promoted vitamin D deficiency, to another, which promotes vitamin D toxicity!

The following is an excellent article, putting things in their proper perspective:

Stay informed. Stay well.

Fred Amir