Statements are
- FACTS/TRUTHS
- FALSE/MYTHS
- Lack consensus - so far
- There is a vitamin D winter (Lack Concensus.
A clinical trial made an error 30 years ago - decreasing tanning bed intensity until it stopped generating vitamin D in those who had enough
Should have very different results if increase UVB intensity for people who are vitamin D deficient (the Spring affect) - 10 minutes of sun every other day provides enough vitamin D (MYTH
- RDA of 600 IU is enough for everyone under age 70? (FALSE - it is more like 3,000 IU
- Like other pills, the amount taken does not need to change with my body weight (same amount for a 10 lb child as for a 300 lb adult?) (FALSE
- 20 ng is enough (FALSE - optimal amount is >40 ng
- Vitamin D should be taken with an evening meal (TRUE, but it does not matter very much,
except some people stay unable to get to sleep due to the vitamin D (sunshine) - Topical Vitamin D works (No consensus. Science does not support local benefit from topical treatment, but it does work well
- You get plenty of vitamin D thru windows (FALSE - no UVB, only UVA
- UV-A destroys vitamin D (TRUE - so watch out for windows and getting sun late in the day
- Pet cats, dogs and birds do not need any time in the sun (FALSE
- Vets give 3X as much vitamin D to animals than what the govt says is needed for humans (TRUE
- Vitamin D is a hormone, not a vitamin (TRUE
- Vitamin D is more powerful than all other hormones ( TRUE based on the # of genes controlled)
- Doctors have a lot to gain by improving the vitamin D levels of their patients see 17 reasons why are doctors reluctant to accept vitamin D
- There have not been enough RCT to prove that vitamin D works ( FALSE - more Intervention trials than 5 other vitamins combined)
See also Proof that Vitamin D Works > 40 proofs as of April 2014 - Salmon have a lot of vitamin D (True for wild salmon, False for farmed salmon, which has only 1/4 as much)
- 10,000 IU of vitamin D is toxic (MYTH - as a monotherapy, 12,000 IU of vitamin D can be taken for > 1 year. Far more if the cofactors are balanced
- 30,000 IU of vitamin D is toxic (FALSE - adverse reaction only it taken for more than 30 days without balancing cofactors)
- 100,000 IU of vitamin D is toxic ( FALSE - toxic only if taken for more than 20 days without adjusting cofactors
- I need to have a test after taking vitamin D for several months to make sure I am not getting a toxic amount (FALSE: Extremely hard to get a toxic amount
- I need to have a vitamin D test BEFORE taking any (FALSE - only need a test to be sure that you are getting enough Vitamin D
- All people in groups which are at high risk of being vitamin D deficient (Obese, elderly, dark skin, far from equator, etc) should be tested before they are prescribed with vitamin D
(FALSE: it is far more cost effective to prescribe then perhaps test to see that enough was give - very little concern about giving too much) - There is no risk to my starting to take 5,000 IU of vitamin D (FALSE - About 1 in 300 people have an allergic reaction, probably due to low Magnesium or allergy to wool)
- Vitamin D2 is almost as good as vitamin D3
(FALSE many studies have shown that taking D2 actually decreases the D3 level in the blood, unfortunately many doctors around the world still prescribe vitamin D2) - Omega-3 does not interact with Vitamin D (Lack consensus:
- When I increase my vitamin D I do not need to change my Magnesium, Calcium, nor Vitamin K-2 (FALSE
- Eat fish three times a week and your vitamin D will be adequate (FALSE - Would just be OK if you only needed 600 IU of vitamin D average
Also, even Norwegians have found that farmed fish do not provide enough vitamin D now - Can get all of your vitamin D needs from food and sunshine (FALSE - Would just true if you only needed 600 IU
- Drink a cup of milk every day and your vitamin D will be okay (FALSE- same as above
- A daily multivitamin will meet your vitamin D needs (FALSE- same as above
- You do not develop vitamin D deficiency if you live in a warm, sunny place (FALSE - people stay out of the hot sun n the middle of the day
In the Middle East they get health problems in the summer that others get in the winter - they avoid the sun that much - Eating a healthy diet will take care of your vitamin D needs
(FALSE: far less vitamin D (as well as Magnesium) in our current food, and many things in food can actually block the Vitamin D which you do get) - More Kidney stones if take more vitamin D (MYTH
- Need lots of Calcium while getting lots of vitamin D (FALSE: just the opposite actually, should decrease Calcium)
- No tan is a safe tan (FALSE: just need to tan slowly, so as to never burn/harm the DNA in the skin )
- If I sunburn easily I need to stay out of the sum (FALSE, being sunburned easily is often a sign of being very vitamin D deficient)
- Should reduce cholesterol (FALSE: actually should increase cholesterol - which is needed to produce vitamin D)
- Sunlight alone causes skin cancer ( FALSE: only if TOO MUCH sunshine. Why does melanoma often occur where the sun does not shine)
- Can get enough vitamin D from the sun to last you thru the winter (FALSE - it will last 3 months MAX
- Can get enough vitamin D even if wearing lots of sunscreen (FALSE -unless you do not apply enough of it
- I should take vitamin D before and after surgery (FACT - some surgeons refuse to operate on people with less than 50ng of vitamin D
- While having chemotherapy I should also take vitamin D
(FALSE, taking vitamin D during chemo can be deadly, as the Vitamin D increases the response of many Chemos) - Patients on intravenous feeding get 200 IU of vitamin D daily (FACT: hospitals have not increased the amount given for many decades)
- Dark-skinned people need less vitamin D (TRUE: their bodies appear to be more efficienct at using the vitamin D which they do get - PTH)
- Only vertebrates need vitamin D - to build bones (FALSE:
- As I get older I need only a little more vitamin D (US govt says just 200 IU more than the 600 IU RDA)
(FALSE: older skin produces about 1/3 as much vitamin D and older guts absorb less vitamin D, older livers are less able to put the vitamin D into the blood) - Lard has lots of vitamin D (FALSE used to, but now rarely have 'free range' pigs)
- Vitamin D is the most toxic vitamin (MYTH - started from the fact that 2,000 IU PER KG of body mass is toxic, which it is
- Medical schools stopped teaching that 2,000+ IU vitamin D is toxic over 40 years ago (FALSE: Myth was still in a text book in 2010)
- Functioning kidney is essential for getting vitamin D to the body (FALSE: many cells can activate vitamin D - no kidney supplies about half
- 1000 IU increases vitamin D level by 10 ng (FALSE1: This is only true if pre-existing blood level wa < 20 ng. At 50 ng it will add only 5 ng, At 80 ng it will add only 2 ng)
- 1000 IU increases vitamin D level by 10 ng (FALSE2: The response varies between similar individuals by more than 4X)
- The body can storeup a toxic amount of vitamin D in your fat tissue
( MYTH:The body knows how to eliminate vitamin D and many other materials from the body - such as Vitamin A, Iron, . . . . ) - Athletes are helped by Vitamin D (FALSE: Vitamin D only helps those who are deficient - Typically indoor athletes, not outdoor (unless dark skin)
- Vitamin D increases bone strength (FALSE: Vitamin D increases bone density, which may have little to do with bone strenght)
- Vitamin D can cure some diseases (FALSE: Vitamin D might be able to cure recent MS, but no other disases as of April 2013)
- Vitamin D can treat many diseases (FALSE:Vitamin D can treat fewer than 15 diseases as of April 2013, it is, however very good at disease PREVENTION
- Vitamin D can treat heart arythemias (FALSE: Magnesium is far better at reducing arythemias)
- The shorter lives of African-Americans are due to lower levels of vitamin D ( TRUE: several studies support this, none oppose it)
- Vitamin A can block the benefits of vitamin D (TRUE: if >2.2 micromols)
- Vitamin D will reduce your weight (FALSE: It has been found to reduce weight in ONLY 1 in 3 women)
See also Dieters lost 5 more pounds if achieved more than 32 ng of vitamin D – RCT March 2014 and Need 40 to 80 ng of vitamin D to lose weight – Colgan Sept 2013
and Those low on vitamin D were 2.4X more likely to gain weight – June 2013 - Fluoridation of water does not change vitamin D levels (FALSE: Fluoridation reduces Magnesium which is essential in the use of vitamin D)
- Iron deficiency anemia reduces vitamin D levels (TRUE: Anemia reduces the livers ablity to process vitamin D)
- UV is better than vitamin D in treating Multiple Sclerosis (Controversy)
- Vitamin D supplementation can cost you more than $5 a day
(Only TRUE when vitamin D causes you to live years longer in a senior assisted facility - at say $25,000/year) - Oil-based vitamin D is best, since vitamin D disolves in fat (Controversy - see Oil-based Vitamin D3 has the worst bioavailability – April 2014
- Meat has little vitamin D (FALSE as of 2014 - there is a form of vitamin D in many meats which has been processed by a liver, and works just fine for humans