Your Vitamin D Level May Be Killing You in St. Charles IL

I have a really good chance of being correct when I say you have a vitamin D deficiency in St. Charles IL. It's estimated that over 75% of Americans have low vitamin D.

So who cares? Well, you should. The research over the last 10 years shows that vitamin D deficiency causes you to develop, and die from, many types of cancer. Its deficiency also leads to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, back pain, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune disorders and many other serious health conditions.

Let the confusion begin. In the United States the acceptable blood level of vitamin D is around 32 (nmol/L). That's the first chart below. In Europe it is around 45. That is explained in the paragraph below the chart. So if 75% of Americans are vitamin D deficient with an acceptable level of 32, and 45 is normal in Europe, that makes most of us look pretty bad.

For more confusion the RDA (recommended dietary allowance) for vitamin D used to be 400 IUs. It was recently raised to 800 IUs. I have an opinion about the RDA for any vitamin. The RDA is how much you need so you don't die of a vitamin deficiency. So I ask you," is not dead the same thing as being healthy"? To put another way, do I need more vitamin D than the minimum defined by the RDA to be health? My answer is, "yes".

Why you Need Vitamin D in St. Charles IL

I'll make it simple. Everyone needs more vitamin D. You should get it from the sun. You don't so you need a supplement. If you are below the American normal, your doctor will recommend a once a week supplement of up to 50,000 IUs per week. The vitamin company that does the most research has a once daily pill that contains 5,000 IUs to be taken daily. I'm going with the people that I trust, the vitamin company. They are much smarter than I am. I recommend 5,000 IUs per day for my family and patients.

Take care of yourself. Vitamin D is not toxic until you get to very high levels. Most of us are deficient. Apparently the people in Europe are getting more than us, and our level is too low. Vitamin D3 is available in most stores that sell vitamins. Buy some and take my vitamin company's recommended level of 5,000 IUs per day.

I hope you live a longer and healthier life by following that simple recommendation.

AMERICAN VITAMIN D LEVELS

Table 1: Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] Concentrations and Health* [1]
nmol/L**
ng/mL*
Health status
<30
<12 Associated with vitamin D deficiency, leading to rickets in infants and children and osteomalacia in adults 30-50 12-20 Generally considered inadequate for bone and overall health in healthy individuals ≥50 ≥20 Generally considered adequate for bone and overall health in healthy individuals >125
>50
Emerging evidence links potential adverse effects to such high levels, particularly >150 nmol/L (>60 ng/mL)

EUROPEAN VITAMIN D LEVELS

A simple blood test2 can identify a person's vitamin D status, and reveal whether they are getting enough vitamin D, both from sunlight and dietary sources. Medical professionals currently measure vitamin D status in the blood in either nmol/L or ng/ml3. 'Desirable' levels of vitamin D are classified as blood concentrations of above 75nmol/L; 'inadequate' levels are classified between 50 and 75; 'insufficient' between 25 and 50, and 'deficiency' below 25nmol/L. 50% of adult Europeans are below 50nmol /L, 30% are at risk of osteomalacia4 and 70% are below the desired target level of 75nmol/L.

Visit Fox Valley Chiropractic Physicians today.