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Posted: Mon Jul 16th, 2007 20:36 |
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Test your vitamin D knowledge
WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN FIRST GRADE?
In first grade, I learned:
-To stand in line and not cut in.
-To raise my hand if I had something to say.
-To not interrupt when a teacher was talking.
-To print the letters of the alphabet.
-The names of the 50 United States.
-Vitamin D is the "sunshine vitamin."
Most people learn most of their lessons well, but the final and most important lesson is forgotten by most. Today I take you back to school with a series of questions and authoritative answers. Test your vitamin D knowledge
QUESTION #1
Most humans get vitamin D from
A) Exposure to sunlight.
B) Drinking body fluids from diseased animals.
C) 7-11.
D) Pills made in factories.
ANSWER to QUESTION #1
A) Exposure to sunlight.
"Exposure to sunlight provides most humans with their vitamin D requirement."
Journal of Nutrition 1996;126(4 Suppl)
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QUESTION #2
How much sunlight must an adult be exposed to in order to satisfy his/her vitamin D needs?
A) 10-15 hours per day in tropical sun.
B) 10-15 seconds per day while wearing #32 block lotion.
C) 10-15 minutes per day, two or three times each week.
D) 10-15 days of continuous solar radiation.
ANSWER to QUESTION #2
C) 10-15 minutes per day, two or three times each week.
"Adults need 10-15 minutes of sunlight, two or three times a week to ensure proper vitamin D levels."
Journal of Pediatrics, 1985; 107 (3)
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QUESTION #3
Can too much vitamin D be dangerous?
A) No. Kids eat 1000 micrograms per day of Vitamin D.
B) No. Vitamin D added to milk helps build strong bones.
C) No. Vitamin D is added to milk because FDA requires it.
D) Yes. Too much vitamin D can be hazardous to one's health.
ANSWER to QUESTION #3
D) Too much vitamin D can be dangerous. "Consuming as little as 45 micrograms of vitamin D-3 in young children has resulted in signs of overdose." (one quart of milk contains 400 IU, or 10 micrograms).
Pediatrics, 1963; 31
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QUESTION #4
Can you believe everything you read on a carton of milk?
A) One quart of milk contains 400 IU of Vitamin D.
B) Dairymen have little clue as to how much D they add to milk.
C) Milk prevents osteoporosis.
D) Cows eat grass.
ANSWER to QUESTION #4
B) Dairymen are clueless. "Testing of 42 milk samples found only 12% within the expected range of vitamin D content. Testing of 10 samples of infant formula revealed seven with more that twice the vitamin D content reported on the label, one of which had more than four times the label amount. Vitamin D is toxic in overdose."
New England Journal of Medicine, 1992, 326
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QUESTION #5
Can too much vitamin D cause Alzheimer's disease?
A) Nah.
B) Yep.
ANSWER to QUESTION #5
B) Yep.
"Vitamin D increases aluminum absorption, and high aluminum levels in the body may cause an Alzheimer's-like disease."
Canadian Medical Association Journal 1992 147(9)
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QUESTION #6
What have scientific studies proven in infants?
A) Children fed breast milk do not need vitamin D.
B) Children fed breast milk must have supplemental D.
C) Infants fed cow's milk have stronger bones.
D) Infant's fed elephant's milk have the strongest bones.
ANSWER to QUESTION #6
A) The dairy industry and USDA have a LOT to learn about bone formation and Vitamin D absorption "Eighteen breast milk and 17 formula-fed infants, ages 2 to 5 months were studied. The serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (Vitamin D) level was significantly lower in breast-milk than formula-fed infants but bone mineral content was not different. This demonstrates adequate mineral absorption occurs from a predominantly vitamin D-free transport mechanism."
Journal of Pediatrics, 1998 Apr, 1324
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BONUS QUESTION
Does the vitamin D added to milk work?
A) Of course it works, stupid!
B) That's what the dairy industry wants us to believe.
C) It cannot possibly work; it's just a clever marketing ploy.
ANSWER
C) It not only doesn't work, but by consuming too much artificial vitamin D in milk, one can develop osteoporosis. "It has since been discovered that the vitamin D necessary to absorb the calcium moving down the intestine must already have been in the bloodstream for a while; what is present with that calcium (in milk) is useless at that stage. Vitamin D is part of the mechanism to break bone down so that it can then stretch and grow. Thus an overdose of D can eventually lead to osteoporosis."
Vegetarian and Vegan Nutrition,
by George Eisman, M.A., M.Sc., R.D.
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Posted: Thu Aug 16th, 2007 00:24 |
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Action regarding health issues may take many years
Some of you might appreciate reading this American Journal of Public Health article given certain obvious analogies between manufacturers of lead-based products and those who would supplement our food with Vitamin D.
It is startling to learn that "in the first third of the 20th century a broad scientific literature on the subject accumulated" pointing to "dangers of lead poisioning to workers and children." Yet, it wasn't until the 1950s (at least in the US) that industry finally began to limit the use of lead in paints and 1971 (!) that The Lead Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act was passed and in 1978 that lead was banned in residential paint in the United States. My understanding is that other developed countries have been much quicker to adopt these standards.
Why did it take so long to act given the abundantly clear health implications? Will it take us, the community of the concerned, as long to finally get food "manufacturers" to stop supplementing Vitamin D in our food?
Abstract follows:
A major source of childhood lead poisoning, still a serious problem in the United States, is paint. The dangers of lead were known even in the 19th century, and the particular dangers to children were documented in the English-language literature as early as 1904. During the first decades of the 20th century, many other countries banned or restricted the use of lead paint for interior painting. Despite this knowledge, the lead industry in the United States did nothing to discourage the use of lead paint on interior walls and woodwork. In fact, beginning in the 1920s, the Lead Industries Association and its members conducted an intensive campaign to promote the use of paint containing white lead, even targeting children in their advertising. It was not until the 1950s that the industry, under increasing pressure, adopted a voluntary standard limiting the amount of lead in interior paints. ~paulalbert
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Posted: Sat Aug 25th, 2007 22:08 |
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Pregnancy increases 1,25-D
During pregnancy the hormone 1,25-D is overexpressed in the endometrium. I cover this in a review paper which I have written, and which will hit the streets later this year. The citations I give to the basic research in this area (from 1979/1980) are:
- Viganò P, Lattuada D, Mangioni S, Ermellino L, Vignali M, Caporizzo E, Panina-Bordignon P, Besozzi M, Di Blasio AM. 2006. Cycling and early pregnant endometrium as a site of regulated expression of the vitamin D system. J Mol Endocrinol. 36(3):415-24.
- Tanaka Y, Halloran B, Schnoes HK, DeLuca HF. 1979. In vitro production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 by rat placental tissue. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 76(10):5033-5.
- Steichen JJ, Tsang RC, Gratton TL, Hamstra A, DeLuca HF. 1980. Vitamin D homeostasis in the perinatal period: 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D in maternal, cord, and neonatal blood. N Engl J Med. 1980 302(6):315-9.
- Gray TK, Lowe W, Lester GE. 1981. Vitamin D and pregnancy: the maternal-fetal metabolism of vitamin D. Endocr Rev. 2(3):264-74.
These pathogens are flora, they have been around for centuries. The germs have cleverly adapted to use the mechanisms in pregnancy which are supposed to protect the fetus to actually proliferate and persist. What changes between individuals is the mix of species present, the subsequent mutations, as well as the profound changes to the body's proteins, enzymes and metabolites. In some folk the symptoms may progress to a diagnosable disease.
Many female Th1 patients are diagnosed during the post-natal period when their 1,25-D levels fall back to baseline, and they lose the palliation from the steroidal actions of this metabolite
..Trevor..
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Posted: Sun Mar 9th, 2008 00:26 |
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The Myths and Realities of Vitamin D and Sunlight
American Academy of Dermatology Fact Sheet: available online at http://tinyurl.com/2s9p2y
NEW YORK (May 3, 2004) - Recent media coverage of unsubstantiated reports linking the health benefits of vitamin D to unprotected sun exposure is leading to further confusion among the public. For decades, dermatologists have advised the public to practice proper sun protection to prevent skin cancer - and that same advice holds true today, despite any claims to the contrary.
Speaking today at the American Academy of Dermatology´s (Academy) Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month news conference, dermatologist Darrell S. Rigel, M.D., clinical professor, New York University Medical Center in New York City, debunked the current myths about vitamin D and offered practical advice on getting an adequate supply of this nutrient.
"As a dermatologist who treats the ravages of skin cancer on a daily basis, it is appalling to me that anyone in good conscience could make the claim that intentional sun exposure - for any length of time - is beneficial," stated Dr. Rigel. "The fact is, skin cancer is increasing at an alarming rate and scientific research confirms that our best defense is avoiding excessive, unprotected sun exposure."
Dr. Rigel addressed the most common myths about vitamin D and sun exposure, including:
Myth #1 - Regular use of sunscreen blocks ultraviolet (UV) exposure to the skin and leads to decreased vitamin D levels.
Fact - A 1997 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute of patients with Xeroderma Pigmentosa (a disease that causes multiple skin cancers in persons exposed to the smallest amounts of ultraviolet radiation), who have had maximum UV protection over several years, showed that these patients have normal vitamin D levels despite virtually no UV exposure.
Myth #2 - It takes a significant amount of UV exposure to maintain normal levels of vitamin D.
Fact - Normal vitamin D levels are easily maintained through routine daily activities (even when wearing sunscreen) and a normal diet. Supplemental vitamin D tablets are typically not needed.
Myth #3 - Sunscreen blocks all of the UV radiation hitting the skin, so that those wearing sunscreen cannot form vitamin D.
Fact - There is no such thing as a total (or even near total) UV block. Even the most effective sunscreens currently on the market let through enough UV to allow for adequate vitamin D formation.
Myth #4 - Skin cancer is not a dangerous disease, so protection is not very important.
Fact - One American dies every hour from melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.
Myth #5 - Decreased vitamin D levels lead to increases in other cancers and other diseases.
Fact - "There are no scientific studies that prove this statement," explained Dr. Rigel. "The claim is based on a study that finds that overall cancer rates are higher in the northeast United States, a location with lower sunlight levels than many other places in the country. Those making this claim conclude that since the Northeast has lower UV levels, this is the reason why cancer rates are higher in this region. However, several studies prove this theory is false. These include studies that show that cancer rates are low in the Northern Plains states (areas with the lowest UV levels in the country) and small regional studies (New York state), where cancer rates are highest in areas with industrial pollutants and are not related to sunlight levels."
"When we take a close look at these myths and evaluate the facts, the course of action is clear," said Dr. Rigel. "Until there is science that tells us otherwise, it is imperative that people protect themselves from the sun. Anyone concerned about not getting enough vitamin D should either take a multivitamin or drink a few glasses of vitamin D-fortified milk every day. Given the fact that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has declared UV radiation as a known carcinogen, exposing oneself to it for the sake of vitamin D is not the answer."
The Academy recommends that everyone practice a comprehensive sun protection program, including avoiding outdoor activities between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun´s rays are the strongest, seeking shade whenever possible, wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 and reapplying it every two hours, and wearing sun-protective clothing.Headquartered in Schaumburg, IL, the American Academy of Dermatology, founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 14,000 dermatologists worldwide, the Academy is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails. For more information, contact the Academy at 1-888-462-DERM (3376) or http://www.aad.org.
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