Worried about a Vitamin D Deficiency?

I hear and read about people taking 1000s of IUs daily. Is this really necessary? Or helpful?

One of my favorite writer-physicians, Dr. John McDougall (www.drmcdougall.com), has pointed out that even though people are consuming increased amounts of vitamin D pills, common diseases are still occurring. The reduction in the diseases—which one would expect from eliminating the deficiencies and increasing the blood levels of vitamins—has just not occurred.

It’s a challenge to not become cynical about this. When there’s money to be made by the manufacturers and sellers of supplements, I do get a tad cynical.

Nutritional Imbalances and Metabolic Illnesses

When people start consuming concentrated supplements—and I’m not just talking about vitamin D, but all kinds of concentrated supplements—the result is often a nutritional imbalance, which can lead to metabolic illnesses.

What is a metabolic illness? Your body uses the process of metabolism to make or get energy from food that you eat. If the chemical processes involved are disrupted, then a metabolic disorder—such as diabetes—can result.

Having too much or too little of a substance in your body can contribute to disruption of the body’s chemical processes. Taking concentrated, isolated vitamin supplements can cause nutritional imbalances, disrupting the metabolism of your body.

Correct the Cause

Why not correct the problem of what is causing the vitamin D deficiency? It’s not a deficiency of vitamin D pills. It’s lack of sunshine.

Another interesting point that Dr. McDougall mentions is that it has been noted that many illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease, common cancers, and multiple sclerosis, occur more commonly in people who live far away from the equator. The assumption is made that this is because people don’t get enough sunshine and develop a vitamin D deficiency because of this.

However, an important consideration is overlooked. People who live farther away from the equator tend to eat more animal foods and less plant foods.

Sunshine is important in overall good health but is of less importance in preventing the serious diseases of modern society; healthy food is what really lays the foundation for good health!

But let’s say you’re concerned about vitamin D deficiency and you want to take care of that concern naturally, by getting enough sunshine. How much do you need?

Research has shown that getting sun on the arms, hands and face, two to three times a week for 20-30 minutes is enough for white people. Do this in spring, summer and fall, and you should be okay, since studies have shown that the amount of vitamin D you have in your body in the winter is based on what you’ve produced during summer, fall and spring. Asian-Indians may need three times as much exposure as whites, and blacks may need as much as ten times.

Overexposure to the sun does not cause vitamin D toxicity, but it can cause skin damage.