We need to talk.
“What about?” you ask.
About a vitamin that just about everyone says is great for you cardiovascular health. Even most respected natural health experts.
Reality: it can actually damage your cardiovascular system. Severely. By hardening your blood vessels, for example, along with all the resulting complications.
The unfortunate bit of all this: half of all patients over 60 are strongly encouraged to stock up on this vitamin.
How will you make sure you’re not one who’s taking too much of this vitamin?
Well, here’s a quick way: first, find out what vitamin we’re talking about.
The investigation group from the Johns Hopkins Medical School looked at data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2001 to 2006 involving 15,000 participants.
None of the survey participants had cardiovascular-related conditions, but fairly low amounts of vitamin D.
The results of the survey brought to light an interesting connection between vitamin D levels and CRP –a known marker for cardiovascular inflammation associated with stiffening of blood vessels.
Researchers found that study participants who had what was considered “normal” levels of vitamin D had significantly lower levels of inflammation.
However, they also discovered that any additional increase of vitamin D in blood levels was related to a significantly heightened risk for CRP (a marker of cardiovascular inflammation).
Nevertheless, it is important to understand that vitamin D is crucial to our cardiovascular health, especially when levels of vitamin D are too low.
Many studies proved that optimum vitamin D levels reduce the risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, and even reduce mortality.
On the other hand, there can be too much of a good thing, posing unnecessary health risks to people who take vitamin D supplements.
Health care providers should be aware of the potential risks of overloading on vitamin D and recommend it only when there is an obvious need for it.
Remember that the best source of vitamin D is sunshine. A daily walk outside for at least 20 minutes in the morning will ensure that you have the optimal levels of vitamin D in your system.
And you can never overdose on vitamin D from sunlight. Your body will just stop taking it in.
However, if you are not sure if you lack or have too much of this vitamin, talk to your physician and ask for a blood test to determine your vitamin D levels.
The generally accepted recommended blood levels of vitamin D are 50-70 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)
However, if you do need to supplement with vitamin D, at least make sure that you are using vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and NOT Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol).
Vitamin D3 is the same type of vitamin D as produced in our bodies in response to sunshine.
Vitamin D 2 is a synthetic form of vitamin D, typically prescribed by doctors.
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ok then what's the bad effect of Vitamin D2 to our body
I don’t understand the nanograms part. How many IU’s are too much? I take 2,000 I.U’s a day.
Thanks for this clarification regarding the Vit D3— And from the Sun is the best. We so often become confused and believe that more is better, which it is not. — It is unfortunate that Vit D2 and so many other vitimans are of a synthetic nature — Would you eat a Synthetic Fruit?
As indicated in this article, Vit D2 is synthetic (not assimulated as the natural Vit D3 received from the Sun). i.e. Not well received by your body.
As indicated in this article, Vit D2 is synthetic (not assimulated as the natural Vit D3 received from the Sun). i.e. Not well received by your body.
Frankly, I am suspicious of this article. While I agree that taking vitamin D2 is a bad idea, (I would not recommend most synthetic vitamins), I am not convinced that D3 is a problem. I looked into the Johns Hopkins study and cold not find if they differentiated between them. And since vitamin D3 levels in the upper ranges do so much to prevent many serious health problems, I am wondering who funded the study and what the real controls were.
The Grass Roots Health Study has been studying D3 for more than a decade. They have hundreds of thousands of participants, world-wide, and they have not identified any increased inflammation or cardiac risk associated with high D3 levels. And for those dealing with cancer, I often recommend levels above 90 ng/ml. We never see any problems with that, and we very carefully track CRP and other inflammation markers, since they need to be as low as possible when dealing with cancer.
The difference of d2 & d3 explained well but other subject seem little doubtful
The headline for this article is a bit over the top… right out of the National Enquirer style book. What next….B-12 causes three headed babies? The body of the article doesn't even begin to support the hysterical title. One "survey" involving 15,000 patients while interesting isn't conclusive. Which type of Vit D were the subjects taking in the survey? Is there a difference in the effect using synthetic Vit D2 over Vit D3. Way too many questions here….
Ever since I started taking vitamin D3 on a daily basis over 7 years ago, I haven't had any colds even though my wife has had them. She doesn't take vitamins at all.
To Jeff and Jim,
This particular study was designed to measure the existing levels of Vitamin D in blood of study participants and how it affected their cardiovascular health. ( they were not instructed to take vitamin d)
What researchers found out was that when Vitamin D were reached at certain levels in blood of study participants ( Above 21 nanograms per milliliters of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D) the protective cardiovascular effects of vitamin wears off.
However, everybody “processes” vitamins differently so it is hard to say what amount and what kind of vitamin D will bring people to 21 nanograms per mililiter..
This study only suggests that potential risks of over-supplementing with Vitamin D do exist ( as with most of other vitamins..) and people should be aware of that.
As it is mentioned in the article “safe ” levels of vitamin D are 50-70 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) and if you are not sure if you lack vitamin D, you can always request your health provider to check that for you.
Vitamin D is definitely an important vitamin to our health, we just need to make sure that it is necessary for us to start popping the vitamin pills..
I think it is a great article!
Everyone is striving to be healthy at ANY price today, however sometimes we tend to forget or close our eyes that even most innocent supplements or vitamins might have negative effects to our health.
The best sources of Vitamins and minerals are the right foods, not the right brands of vitamins we buy at the store!
It makes sense, the best source of vitamin D is the sunshine and if we take too many pills ( be it vitamin d2 or D 3 ) it MIGHT have a the opposite effect.
To Jack :
The recommended daily intake of Vitamin D as follows:
1 to 70 years old- 600 IU
over 71 years old- 800 IU
Nowhere in this article is the relationship between Vitamin D and magnesium mentioned. Vitamin D uses magnesium when it is activated in the body, and you can give yourself a magnesium deficiency by taking large amounts of Vitamin D without supplementing magnesium. This creates the issue that the hardening of the arteries may have been caused by magnesium deficiency, which is so typical of the mainstream medicine approach of trying to treat every nutrient in isolation like a drug, instead of the way we normally assimilate them, with other nutrients.
I expect there are thousands of people taking vitamin D2 who may not have had the opportunity to read extensive information on it. The fact that it is available without any written warning on the product is a deplorable situation.
Actually, I think I did not express my criticism of this article strongly enough in my previous comment. It really could have been written by a rep for Big Pharma, in the interest of frightening people away from the use of vitamins that could cut into their profits.
And I think this article may be part of the trend that is concerning: When I first started reading the articles and materials from Blue Heron, I was impressed with what I thought was candor and value. Lately, fewer and fewer of the articles have seemed to me like they further the cause of real health. I am beginning to wonder if the ride is over and it may be time to unsubscribe.
John Hopkins says the statement "sugar feeds cancer" is a myth. Shows you who's paying them.