In June I wrote a column titled “My Mom’s a Guinea Pig,” which sparked a lot of interest on the subject of vitamin D. You may recall that we were going to have baseline lab work done to find out my mom’s vitamin D level. While we were at it, we went ahead and had her vitamin B12 level checked. The baseline laboratory results were as follows: the vitamin B12 level was 232 pg/ml and the vitamin D level was 14.5 ng/ml. What does all this mean? Well, although the vitamin B12 at 232 was on the low end of the normal range of 208 to 963 pg/ml, the vitamin D level at 14.5 was well below the recommendation of 50 to 70 ng/ml for optimum health. As I always advise before starting any supplement or over-the-counter medication, we discussed our plan with her healthcare provider. My mom began a weekly regimen of prescription strength vitamin D at 50,000 IUs and a vitamin B12 injection of 1,000 mcg.
Within three weeks the “Guinea Pig” had more energy and a greater feeling of well being. In the ninth and tenth weeks, the “Guinea Pig” continued to feel stronger and noticed her fingernail beds were brighter and healthier looking. After ninety days the laboratory tests were repeated; noticeable improvements without adverse side effects were as follows: the vitamin B12 level increased to 544 pg/ml and the vitamin D increased to 34.4 ng/ml. Not bad for a 90-day trial.
So, who is at risk for vitamin D deficiency? Infants exclusively breastfed, older adults, those with malabsorption disorders, surgical gastric bypass recipients, people with darker skin colors, and pregnant women are at risk. Signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are muscle pain, lower immunity, weak bones and fractures, low energy and fatigue, depression, mood swings, and sleep irregularities.
Sources of vitamin D include sunshine, fortified foods such as milk and orange juice, cod liver oil, salmon, egg yolks, and beef liver. You could eat enough of these foods to get the recommended 2,000 IUs per day, but who would want to? You would have to eat about 100 egg yolks or drink about 20 cups of milk per day. During the summer months, an excellent source of vitamin D is sunshine— delivering 20,000 IUs every 30 minutes of full sun exposure. However, excessive sun exposure increases an individual’s risk for certain types of skin cancer while accelerating aging of the skin.
While healthcare professionals have warned and educated the public about the risk and dangers of sun exposure, they have noticed dramatic increases in breast and colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, type 1 diabetes, asthma, the common cold, and influenza. Is vitamin D a cure all? The research has shown great promise and improvements in hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, obesity, seasonal affective disorder, depression, PMS, and osteoporosis. All of the benefits of vitamin D are still being examined; what we do know is that vitamin D is essential to a strong immune system.
I recommend having your vitamin D level checked as well as having a discussion with your healthcare provider or pharmacist before taking any supplement or over-the-counter medication. A safe and effective dose of vitamin D is 2,000 IUs daily.
As for “My Mom the Guinea Pig,” she is happier, stronger, and feeling better than she has in years. During this flu season, I personally want all the protection I can get, so I am taking my vitamin D every day. For free consumer health information on vitamin D and other health related topics, call my friends at the Preston Medical Library at 865-305-9525 or write to them at library@utmck.edu. Vitamin D might not be a cure all, but I believe it’s a link to better health.
Howard Baker, RN BSN
For questions, comments, or suggestions on topics you want to read about, please email me at: howard@howardsbaker.com
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