Hi guys,

Today’s TIP is very a propos to our day in the sun at Helen & Jimmy’s pool: getting enough vitamin D!

Discussing vitamin D is like opening a can of worms, as is supplementation in general, so I will attempt to tread carefully.

I’ve been on the fence for years about nutritional supplementation; I tend to mainly subscribe to the belief that humans are divinely and perfectly conceived, thus equipped with everything we need, without any requirement for supplements in our diet. However, what’s got me constantly second-guessing myself on this topic is the fact that the modern world is very toxic, so far beyond what we may have been designed for, that perhaps supplementing becomes necessary.

Like I mentioned in a previous TIP, the soil that our modern food is grown on is severely depleted of essential nutrients. Aside from the many beneficial nutrients we may not be getting at all from our food, we must also consider the further depletion in quality caused by modern food processing, storage and preparation (cooking). All together, these points make a valid argument why it may be smart to add high quality nutritional supplements to our diets.

What we may need certainly depends from person to person, because diet and lifestyle both play large roles. Therefore, this is not a topic I will explore in depth at this time, but regarding vitamin D3 alone (the form that is synthesized by the skin), I can say this:

Without a doubt, vitamin D is essential. It affects over 3000 genes and plays a really important role in calcium metabolism and the immune system. Being deficient in vitamin D is associated with many diseases, so we definitely need to ensure that we have adequate levels of vitamin D. That being said, where do we get it?

• • food alone is definitely not enough: some vitamin D can be obtained from food, although it won’t really bring up your levels much
• • sun-exposed skin can produce roughly 10,000 IU of D3 in less than 20 minutes (for a person with light skin) – besides the fact that it’s free and feels great to be in the sun!
• • perhaps this makes oral supplementation unnecessary… but what about the winter months?!

Given how fast we can produce D3 by getting some sun, it’s very likely safe for an adult to take several thousand IU per day in the winter. Some advocacy organizations like the Vitamin D Council and GrassrootsHealth highly encourage it for disease prevention and optimal health. However, some would say that taking large amounts of vitamin D can be toxic when combined with sun exposure. It is very important to note though, that vitamin A and K2 protect against vitamin D toxicity – and you can get plenty those from cod liver oil + high-vitamin butter oil, which may just be the most important supplement you can take!

If you’re curious or concerned about what your levels of vitamin D are right now, there is some bad news: sadly, just recently, the Quebec government imposed such severe restrictions on vitamin D blood level testing that they have made it virtually impossible for people to find out if they have a deficiency, which is exceptionally common these days. Personally, I don’t take solace from a recent McGill University study, which says that the Vitamin D status in Montréal preschoolers is satisfactory despite low vitamin D intake, in spite of the fact that “almost 95% of preschoolers had vitamin D intakes less than the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)”.

So what is a health-conscious human to do? Start by keeping your eyes and ears open on the ongoing research. The final word from me right now is to hedge your bets intelligently. I suggest we all get a bit of sun daily during the hot months, and supplement wisely in the winter. In case you’re curious about a specific product recommendation, we use a solid brand called Ddrops (1000 IU drops, which is the most concentrated form allowed in Caanda).

I wish you good health and vitality!

If you expect sunshine to provide you with vitamin D, then make sure your shadow is shorter than your height. The long shadow we see in November is proof the sun is not doing it for us any more, and it’s time to take care of ourselves.
–Reinhold Vieth, PhD

Vitamin D deficiency is a global pandemic that has serious health consequences for children and adults. Improvement in the world’s vitamin D status could significantly reduce risk of many chronic illnesses including cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, type 2 diabetes and many deadly cancers as well as infectious diseases including upper respiratory tract infections, influenza and tuberculosis.
–Michael F Holick, PhD, MD

Because vitamin D is so cheap and so clearly reduces all-cause mortality, I can say this with great certainty: vitamin D represents the single most cost-effective medical intervention in the United States.
–Gregory A Plotnikoff, MD