Vitamin D for Me!

Vitamin D has been getting a lot of run in the media recently and for good reason. According to the Vitamin D Council-

low levels of Vitamin D have been linked to 17 different types of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, and more.

And for our peripheral artery disease patients, some studies like this one that examined approximately 5,000 Americans showed that:

The researchers found that higher levels of vitamin D were associated with a lower prevalence of PAD. Among individuals with the highest vitamin D levels --more than 29.2 nanogram per milliliter (ng/mL) -- only 3.7 percent had PAD. Among those with the lowest vitamin D levels -- less than 17.8 ng/mL -- 8.1 percent had PAD.

When the researchers adjusted for age, sex, race and co-existing health problems, they found that PAD was 64 percent more common in the group with the lowest vitamin D levels compared with the group with the highest levels. For each 10 ng/mL drop in vitamin D level, the risk for PAD increased by 29 percent.

In fact, the Vitamin D Council has oodles of research showing there is a clear correlation between cardiovascular disease (and other diseases) and a lack of Vitamin D.

Now that we have established that Vitamin D is important to our health. How do we get it? It is well established that with sunlight, our bodies can help synthesize Vitamin D. However, our ability to do that decreases as we get older. Vitamin D is available in some food, but in rather small amounts. Therefore, most of us will need to use supplements to get our Vitamin D.

Here are the Vitamin D Council recommendations:

• regularly receive midday sun exposure in the late spring, summer, and early fall, exposing as much of the skin as possible.
• regularly use a sun bed (avoiding sunburn) during the colder months.
• take 5,000 IU per day for three months, then obtain a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test. Adjust your dosage so that blood levels are between 50–80 ng/mL (or 125–200 nM/L) year around. (you will need to get it tested for this- ed)
  

Keep in mind that the Vitamin D they are speaking of is Vitamin D3- cholecalciferol. Not D2, Not D1- D3 cholecalciferol is the good stuff. And according to Dr. Davis at the Heart Scan Blog, the D3 should be in the gel/liquid form.

All of us (whether we are heart patients or not) should be making sure we maintain adequate levels of Vitamin D in our bodies. I think the evidence is there. Let's make it a little slogan "Vitamin D for Me!"