Vitamin D Sufficiency™ - CASE of 12

Although most often categorized as a vitamin, vitamin D is actually a hormone. Vitamins cannot be produced by the cells in your body and thus must be obtained via consumption from dietary sources. Vitamin D, however, can be made by the cells in your body in a process that involves the conversion of cholesterol derivatives into vitamin D using sunlight.

Vitamin D3 is produced in the skin of humans (and other vertebrates) after exposure to ultraviolet B light (uVB). Vitamin D3 only becomes biologically active after two conversions; one in the liver (primarily) to 25-hydroxyvitamin D(25 OHD), the circulating form of vitamin D, and then in the kidney to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25 (OH)2D), the biologically active hormone form which is also known as calcitriol. Calcitriol or biologically active vitamin D is often considered the most potent steroid hormone in human physiology.

Like all steroid hormones, vitamin D is involved in the genetic regulation of the production of proteins and enzymes which are essential for wellness and prevention. Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption and maintains blood levels of calcium and phosphate for proper bone development and muscle action. Some of the other roles of Vitamin D are assistance in the regulation of cell growth, immune function, neuromuscular action, and regulation of inflammation. It assists the action of insulin and has been shown to have a significant role in cancer prevention. Many cells have Vitamin D receptors and many genes are influenced by the action of Vitamin D. In fact, it has been estimated that the human genome has over 2700 binding sites for Vitamin D. from http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/what-is-vitamin-d/) This is why being deficient in Vitamin D can lead to increased risk of many diseases, and, conversely why being sufficient in Vitamin D is essential for wellness and prevention.

Before we discuss the evidence regarding vitamin D sufficiency and health and vitamin D deficiency and illness let's first look at the basic science regarding the importance of vitamin D for human immune function and health. A basic understanding of why vitamin D is a genetic human requirement for wellness and prevention will allow greater understanding of why vitamin D supplementation is required.

The innate immune system is the component of our immune system that is genetically programmed to respond to antigens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and any other threatening non-self invaders). The innate immune system uses what are termed effectors that are genetically coded to respond to antigens or invaders. The most studied of these effectors are named antimicrobial peptides or AMPs. AMPs not only attack the invaders they also trigger tissue repair and activate the adaptive or acquired immune system (the branch of the immune system that creates antibodies to specific antigens after exposure).

Recent research has shown that vitamin D up-regulates the genetic expression of AMPs in immune cells. Vitamin D also plays an important role in controlling the inflammatory response initiated by specialized immune cells called macrophages. A deficiency of vitamin D means deficient control of inflammation. In the skin vitamin D also activates the immune system against antigens.

"Thus, vitamin D both enhances the local capacity of the epithelium to rapidly produce endogenous antibiotics and, at the same time, dampens certain arms of adaptive immunity, especially those responsible for the signs and symptoms of acute inflammation." Cannell et al. 2008 Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin A Toxicity, Frequent Respiratory Infections, and the Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic. Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology 117 (11): 864-870

First and foremost, if Innate Choice creates a supplement you can be ASSURED that there is ample, valid scientific evidence showing that the nutrient is essential for human wellness and prevention AND that it is not attainable, or readily available, in industrial society.

What this means is that you require sufficient amounts of vitamin D, that you require supplementation to attain sufficient levels, and that without supplementation you are at severe risk of developing the illnesses associated with deficiency of vitamin D.

The issue of vitamin D deficiency as a major causal factor in immune system related illnesses such as seasonal cold and flu, chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, and atopic and autoimmune disorders like allergies and multiple sclerosis, has received a lot of attention in the last few years. Clinical journals as well as the mainstream media have been reporting evidence that modern industrialized humans are severely deficient in Vitamin D and that this deficiency is a major contributing factor to illness and lack of wellness and prevention.

There are literally thousands of peer-reviewed scientific articles establishing vitamin D deficiency as a significant causal factor in serious illnesses. At this point we can confidently state that having sufficient levels of vitamin D is essential for both wellness and prevention.

Vitamin D insufficiency can result in thin, brittle, or misshapen bones, while sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, and, together with exercise, helps to protect older adults from osteoporosis. Vitamin D also modulates neuromuscular function, reduces inflammation, and influences the action of many genes that regulate the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of cells which is critical in terms of cancer prevention.

The role of vitamin D deficiency in other serious illnesses is also being reported. "As Holick's New England Journal of Medicine review stressed, the litany of vitamin D deficiency diseases is now legion. Evidence even suggests that vitamin D is involved in the triple current childhood epidemic of autism, asthma, and autoimmune diabetes. Not only do tenable mechanisms of action exist to explain vitamin D's role in all three, but epidemiological evidence suggesting a vitamin D connection to these devastating diseases is growing." Cannell et al. 2008 Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin A Toxicity, Frequent Respiratory Infections, and the Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic. Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology 117 (11): 864-870

"Improving calcium and vitamin D nutritional status substantially reduces all-cancer risk in postmenopausal women." Lappe et al. 2007 Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. Am J of Clin, Nutr. 85 (6): 1586-1591.

"Vitamin D is an inhibitor of the renin-angiotensin system and has anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant properties." "Low serum 25 (OH) D levels are associated with a higher prevalence of Peripheral Arterial Disease. Several mechanisms have been invoked in the literature to support a potential anti-atherosclerotic activity of vitamin D." Melamed et al. 2008 Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and the Prevalence of Peripheral Arterial Disease. Thrombosis andVascular Biology 28: 1179-1185

The most important thing to know is that in the VAST majority of cases, vitamin D deficiency is asymptomatic up to the point of serious illness. The second important thing to know is that symptoms are very poor indicators regarding the CAUSE of illness, many, many causes of illness present with the same symptoms. However, here is a list of symptoms that can occur.

• Frequent Colds and/or Flu 
• Depression 
• Chronic pain 
• Joint pain 
• General muscle pain and weakness 
• Headaches 
• Muscle cramps 
• Weight gain 
• Restless sleep 
• Fatigue 
• High blood pressure 
• Poor concentration 
• Bladder problems 
• Constipation or diarrhea

Because Vitamin D is so important in the regulation of so many cellular, tissue, organ, and system functions, deficiency of this essential nutrient has been shown to play a role in almost every major disease. The real issue is not what specific disease will develop but the fact that deficiency results in a decrease of health and function and an increase risk of illness. The list of diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency continues to grow. Here is a list of diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency that are reported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes
• Osteoporosis and Osteopenia (Bone Loss)
• 17 varieties of Cancer (including breast, prostate and colon)
• Obesity
• Influenza (flu)
• Colds
• Autoimmune diseases
• Multiple sclerosis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Chronic Pain
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Bursitis
• Parkinson's Disease
• Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Gout
• Infertility and PMS
• Periodontal disease
• Psoriasis

The answer is SUNLIGHT. In order to get the daily requirement of vitamin D from sunlight you would need to have direct summer month sun exposure on your arms and legs for a minimum of 10-15 minutes per day. This is why vitamin D deficiency is so common in non-tropical climates, especially in the winter months. Of course in the industrial nations neither the climate nor the season are accurate determinants of the amount of sun exposure because most people spend the majority of their time inside or covered up when outside.

So, if you are not getting a minimum of 15 minutes per day of direct summer sunlight on bare arms and legs (without sunscreen) then you need another source of vitamin D. What are the other available sources of vitamin D you ask? Great question!

The simple fact is that humans were never meant to get their vitamin D from food. Genetically humans are designed to get vitamin D from sunlight. As we have outlined above this is simply not a realistic option for most humans living and working indoors or who live in areas where sunlight levels change with the seasons. It should be noted here that humans with pigmented skin (non-caucasians) require significantly more sun exposure to achieve sufficient vitamin D levels. This means these people are at an even greater risk for illnesses caused by vitamin D deficiency.

As humans migrated away from the equator we had to devise ways of replacing the sun as a source of vitamin D. In other words, in order to survive non equatorial climates humans had to find a source of vitamin D other than sunlight. Over thousands of years of experimentation virtually every human culture learned that the best way to stay sufficient in vitamin D in environments with reduced sun exposure was to consume marine animal liver or liver oil. Cod liver oil is probably the best known and widely recognized as the best source of dietary vitamin D for humans. For centuries humans have used cod liver oil as a safe and effective way to achieve sufficient vitamin D levels in the absence of sun exposure.

• Fatty wild fish like mackerel, salmon, halibut, tuna, sardines and herring
• Fortified milk, orange juice and cereal
• Dried Shitake mushrooms
• Egg yolks

To get adequate amounts of vitamin D from food, you would have to eat at least 5 servings of salmon a day or drink 20 cups of fortified milk.

It is estimated that anywhere from 30 to 100% of Americans, depending upon their age and community living environments, are deficient in Vitamin D. More than half of all American children are vitamin deficient. Supposedly almost 3/4s of pregnant women are vitamin D deficient, predisposing their unborn children to all sorts of problems. Worldwide, it is estimated that the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency affects one billion people.

The fact is that we spend too much time indoors and when we go out into the sun, we lather sunscreen on ourselves. We no longer provide our bodies with the genetically required nutrients and we have a major epidemic on our hands.

How much vitamin D you need varies with age, body weight, percent of body fat, latitude, skin coloration, season of the year, use of sun block, individual variation in sun exposure, and - probably - how ill you are.

As a general rule, old people need more than young people, big people need more that little people, fat people need more than skinny people, northern people need more than southern people, dark-skinned people need more than fair skinned people, winter people need more than summer people, sun block lovers need more than sun block haters, sun-phobes need more than sun worshipers, and ill people may need more than well people.

What we need to know is whether or not we can attain sufficient vitamin D levels without supplementation. To answer this question we must first know how much vitamin D humans require and then we must learn what the natural, available sources of vitamin D are. Let's start with the human daily requirements.

According to Dr. Robert Heaney, humans utilize approximately 4000 IUs of vitamin D3 per day. Heaney et al. 2003 Human serum 25 hydroxycholecalciferol response to extended oral dosing with cholecalciferol. Am. J Clin. Nutr. 77: 204-210. Dr. John Cannell MD, the Executive Director of the Vitamin D council stated in a recent Vitamin D Council on-line newsletter http:// www.vitamindcouncil.org/vitaminDToxicity.shtml entitled ‘The Truth About Vitamin D Toxicity' that there is no evidence anywhere in the published literature that even 10,000 IUs per day of vitamin D is toxic to humans and that human toxicity does likely not occur until over 40,000 IUs of daily consumption. "Vieth reports human toxicity probably begins to occur after chronic daily consumption of approximately 40,000 IU/day (100 of the 400 IU capsules)." He goes on to state that "Physician ignorance about vitamin D toxicity is widespread" and concludes by stating that "In fact, living in America today while worrying about vitamin D toxicity is like dying of thirst in the desert while worrying about drowning." In other words any danger associated with vitamin D is from deficiency NOT toxicity.

The Food and Nutrition Board of the US Institute of Medicine has set the tolerable upper intake level (TUIL) for vitamin D at 2000 IU per day for adults. As you can see above many vitamin D experts disagree with this low setting and state that human adults can require supplementation with up to 4000 IUs per day in the winter months. With all this in mind it appears that it would be prudent to ensure a minimal daily intake of 1000 IUs of vitamin D3 for children, 2000 IUs for adults, and 4000 IUs for pregnant and lactating women who have not previously been sufficient. A pregnant or lactating woman who has maintained sufficient vitamin D levels for years prior to pregnancy will likely not require an increase in daily intake. It would also be prudent to have vitamin D levels tested.

Only about 10% of your vitamin D comes from diet, so it is nearly impossible to get adequate amounts of vitamin D from your diet.

The only 2 reliable sources of vitamin D are the sun and high quality supplements.

Sunlight exposure is the only reliable way to generate vitamin D in your own body. Vitamin D is produced by your skin in response to exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. In fact, this is such an efficient system that most of us make 20,000 units of vitamin D after only 20 minutes of summer sun without suntan lotion. That's 100 times more than the government recommends per day! There must be a good reason why we make so much in so little time. The sun's rays cannot penetrate glass so you will need skin exposure outdoors to to generate vitamin D in your skin. Also sunscreens, even weak ones, almost completely block your body's ability to generate vitamin D.

The other reliable source is supplements. Most important is that you take vitamin D3, (cholecalciferol) the active form of vitamin D. Do not take vitamin D2 as it is not as biologically active nor as effective, and nor as safe as vitamin D3. The current recommendations from the Food and Nutrition Board of the U.S. Institute of Medicine: from 200 to 600 IU/day depending on one's age, are way too low. These values were originally chosen because they were found to prevent osteomalacia (bone softening) and rickets

Small amounts found in fish and egg yolk and liver but not enough to get sufficient amounts.

Lanolin is found in sheep's wool, and Innate Choice uses wool from healthy, live New Zealand sheep.

One sheep can produce between 2-30 pounds of wool per year. The sheep is sheared and the wool is washed in hot water with detergent to separate the lanolin grease. This lanolin grease is centrifuged to separate the lanolin fat from the lanolin alcohol (this process is known as saponification). Next crude cholesterol is separated using solvent washes, purified and turned into "pre-Vitamin D3" using a four step chemical process. This pre-Vitamin D3 is exposed to ultraviolet radiation to turn it into Vitamin D3.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin so it is typically found in a "carrier oil" when it is in liquid form. As with all Innate Choice products we always look for the best option based on quality not price. Although we could have opted for a low quality fat carrier like corn oil or palm oil, our choice was olive oil and we took that one step further to create this product with Certified Organic Olive Oil.

Yes. Innate Choice D-Sufficiency is safe for everyone and should be part of your whole family's regular supplement plan for healthy living.

Suggested use: Take 1or more drops daily with a meal or as directed by a health professional.

It is impossible to generate too much vitamin D in your body from sunlight exposure: your body will self-regulate and only generate what it needs. Although very rare, it is possible to overdose and become toxic with supplementation as vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and therefore stored in the body for longer periods of time. Therefore if you are taking 5,000 IU or more daily, you should have your blood levels monitored approximately every 3 months.

Dr. John Cannell MD, the Executive Director of the Vitamin D council stated in a recent Vitamin D Council on-line newsletter http:// www.vitamindcouncil.org/vitaminDToxicity.shtml entitled ‘The Truth About Vitamin D Toxicity' that there is no evidence anywhere in the published literature that even 10,000 IUs per day of vitamin D is toxic to humans and that human toxicity does likely not occur until over 40,000 IUs of daily consumption. "Vieth reports human toxicity probably begins to occur after chronic daily consumption of approximately 40,000 IU/day (100 of the 400 IU capsules)." He goes on to state that "Physician ignorance about vitamin D toxicity is widespread" and concludes by stating that "In fact, living in America today while worrying about vitamin D toxicity is like dying of thirst in the desert while worrying about drowning."

The current ranges for "normal" are 20 to 55 ng/ml. These are much too low!!! They may be fine if you want to prevent rickets or osteomalacia, but not for optimal health. The ideal range for optimal health is 50-80 ng/ml.

No. You can store your D-Drops in a cool dark shelf. IF refrigerated the olive oil will thicken. This does not harm the produce simply return the bottle to room temperature.

The expiration date for your product is 2 years from the time of manufacturing and is stamped on the right hand side of the label.

Typically, you will have 10-15 months from when you receive it to consume it.

• Naturally Occurring (D3) from lanolin
• 500iu/drop (600 Drops/Bottle)
• Delivered in 100% CERTIFIED ORGANIC OLIVE OIL
• Essential for All Ages
• Easy to use dropper included

A typical serving of Innate Choice® A&D Sufficiency™ will supply enough Vitamin D for a small child. Adults should also supplement with Vitamin D drops to achieve sufficient amounts of Vitamin D especially during the non-summer months.