This website will be going into a hiatus while I am engaged in a major project; one that I am very excited about but which will be taking 100% of my time. I will be resuming the blog as time becomes available.
Hiatus
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010Kudos Michael Holick
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009In recent postings I’ve made reference to the work of Dr. Michael Holick, whom I consider the world’s top authority on vitamin D. He discovered the active form of vitamin D and led the research team that determined in the mid-90s that humans have the ability to make activated vitamin D throughout the body. Until then it was thought that the body’s entire supply of activated vitamin D was synthesized in the liver. Perhaps the most important discovery, however, was that the cells in the skin produced vitamin D after exposure to radiation from the sun.
Just this past May Dr. Holick was awarded the Linus Pauling Institute Prize for Health Research. His work over the years on vitamin D—the sunshine vitamin—has provided many other awards and honors, from such organizations as the American College of Nutrition, the American Skin Association, and the American Society for Clinical Nutrition, and including the Linus Pauling Functional Medicine Award from the Institute for Functional Medicine.
In 2004 he published a book, The UV Advantage, that advocated that we all get at least 15 minutes or more of full sun exposure—no sunscreen—several times a week.
This advice was at odds with the medical profession’s consensus on the damaging effects of the sun’s rays. Dermatologists had been warning the public for years to always stay out of the sun, or lather on sunscreen, because sunlight was the cause of melanoma, as well as less deadly forms of skin cancer. Disagreeing with the medical establishment is not often a good move politically, even if you are a leader in your field. Dr. Holick was fired from his post in the dermatology department of Boston University. Dr. Barbara Gilchrest, the department chairwoman, said Dr. Holick’s book was “an embarrassment for this institution and an embarrassment for him.” This was cheered by most of the dermatology hierarchy in the U.S.
I admire Professor Holick for being a goodscientist and commend him for being undeterred in his efforts to let everyone know that we need much more vitamin D than we can get from foods, and that prudent sunlight exposure, as well as supplements, really is needed for optimal health. He has worked tirelessly to get the word out that any hazards presented by moderate exposure to the sun are far outweighed by the multitude of health benefits. Thank you, Michael.
Vitamin D
Monday, July 27th, 2009Vitamin D is being rediscovered. Mainstream views that have dominated nutritional science over the past several decades focus on vitamin D’s role in calcium metabolism and bone health. The recommended vitamin D intakes for adults have been from 200 to 600 IU per day. And reference values for blood levels of circulating vitamin D (indicating adequate vitamin D status) stand at 30-40 ng/ml. But all of this is being revised.
Recent research shows that our conventional wisdom concerning vitamin D is far too narrow and limiting. We now know that, in addition to maintaining bone health, sound vitamin D nutrition plays important roles in supporting cardiovascular health, preventing some cancers, promoting robust and balanced immune function, maintaining sound muscle function, normalizing glucose levels, and more. In my opinion the scientific evidence clearly indicates that the optimal range for circulating vitamin D is 40-80 ng/ml, far higher than the current reference range. Moreover, it is becoming clear that vitamin D intakes in the neighborhood of 2,000 IU per day (and up to 4,000-5,000 IU per day during winter months) are needed to maintain these concentrations.
Unfortunately, this news comes late for many of us. The conventional wisdom has not served us well. Very high percentages of people around the world, particularly those living in temperate climates, are chronically deficient for vitamin D, and their health has suffered because of it. Up to 40% of the U.S. population is vitamin D deficient, and certain groups, such as the elderly, have even higher rates. In the weeks ahead, I will be sharing with you my thoughts on what each of us needs to do to get the amounts of vitamin D we truly need. Stay tuned.
