As long as I’m a doctor, I’m going to keep telling you about natural treatments and therapies that can save your life and protect your health. Like vitamin D3.
Two recent studies found that people with higher levels of vitamin D have substantially less risk of contracting viruses.1,2 And if infected, your vitamin D levels determine how sick you get.
One published in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research observed:3
- European populations known for low levels of vitamin D suffered the highest mortality rates.
- Deaths have been much lower where people have higher levels of vitamin D from more sun exposure and consumption of cod liver oil.
- Older adults who often have lower levels of vitamin Ds have been most affected.
Both studies noted vitamin D deficiency contributes to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The researchers of the second study evaluated viral infection case severity based on vitamin D blood concentrations.
Another study, by researchers at Queen Mary University of London, analyzed data from 11,000 participants. They found that supplementing with vitamin D greatly reduced the risk of contracting an acute respiratory tract infection such as influenza. And that those with the lowest starting vitamin D levels benefited the most from supplementation.4
Of course, boosting immunity isn’t the only thing vitamin D helps. Look what happens when levels are too low:
✓ People with low vitamin D have significantly more cases of colon cancer.5
✓ More than half of people with osteoporosis-related fractures had low vitamin D.6
✓ Sixty-three percent of people with Crohn’s disease still had low vitamin D even
though 40% of them were taking a supplement!7
✓ An incredible 96% of people who had heart attacks were vitamin D deficient.8
A recent study by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, reveals that the typical adult needs between 1,100 and 4,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D3 per day to reduce cancer risk.9
When you consider how effective and safe vitamin D is, almost everyone should be taking this life-saving nutrient.
Increase Vitamin D Naturally
You know basking in the sun is the ultimate way to boost levels. But as fall approaches, it may not be enough. In that case…
- Try cod liver oil. Next to sunlight, this is the best source of vitamin D, providing 1,360 IU in just a single teaspoon per day. Since cod liver oil is easily digested, you can take it any time of day. I prefer a spoonful in the morning since it helps increase energy all day.
- Supplement with this form. I recommend taking a supplement of vitamin D3 called cholecalciferol. It’s the same vitamin D3 your body produces. Just be sure to avoid the synthetic form of vitamin D2 in most multivitamins because it is less potent and less absorbable. I recommend 2,000 IU via supplement daily, preferably in the morning but never at night. That’s because vitamin D is inversely related to melatonin, your sleep hormone, and may keep you awake.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1. Meltzer DO and Best TJ. “Association of vitamin D status and other clinical characteristics.” JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(9):e2019722.
2. Biesalski HK. “Vitamin D deficiency and co-morbidities in patients – A fatal relationship?” Nfs Journal. 2020;20:10-21.
3. Petre CL, et al. “The role of vitamin D in the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 infection and mortality.” Aging Clin Exp Res. 2020:1-4.
4. Martineaue AR, et al. “Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: Systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data.” BMJ. 2017;356:i6583.
5. Jenab M, et. al. “Association between pre-diagnostic circulating vitamin D concentration and risk of colorectal cancer in European populations: A nested case-control study.” BMJ. 2010;340:b5500.
6. Bogoch E, et al. “Secondary causes of osteoporosis in fracture patients.” J Orthop Trauma. 2012;26(9):e145-152.
7. Nic Suibhne T, et al. “Vitamin D deficiency in Crohn’s disease: Prevalence, risk factors and supplement use in an outpatient setting.” J Crohns Colitis. 2012;6(2):182-188.
8. Lee JH, et al. “Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with acute myocardial infarction.” Am J Cardiol. 2011;107(11):1636-1638.
9. Garland CF, et al. “Vitamin D supplement doses and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the range associated with cancer prevention.” Anticancer Res. 2011;31(2):607-611.