Under rated dietary supplement, amazing Vitamin D

I liked this cartoon, Out of AMA News, I think many of us tend to look for the magic pill instead of common sense nutrition and fitness. Maybe that's why the supplement industry is so huge, as they tend to promise the easy fix. In that sense the supplement and homeopathic industry is NO BETTER than the pharmaceutical industry. The lies and deception of the supplement industry easily rival those of the drug companies, but that's another story. As a physician I try to sell the hard work common sense health fixes, but I meet a lot of resistance!!

So you can see why I have a bit of an inherent pessimism when it comes to claims made about vitamins and other supplements. Having said that, I have spent a great deal of time in the past year studying and researching nutrition, supplementation and herbal medicine. I have learned a lot and it has changed, to a certain extent, how I look at the practice of medicine.

I am a big believer in selecting foods to meet nutritional needs rather than supplementation when possible.

There are several notable exceptions, the first is Omega 3 essential fatty acids, such as found in fish oil. It is extremely difficult to get what one needs in the diet, as all livestock are now fed corn instead of the grass that makes them so much healthier. (venison anyone?) I don't like seafood so I take supplements. I use vegetable sources because I don 't like the fishy taste and this eliminates that "fishy repeat".

The next supplement is red wine extract that contains resveratrol. This is one of the components in red wine that has some truly amazing effects in the human body. I will discuss that molecule some other day.

But maybe the most underrated forgotten vitamin is vitamin D.

It appears to be very important in decreasing cancer rates, easing the effects of aging. In addition to its effect on bone.

These seem to be some pretty incredible statements, but research is convincing enough that the USDA is considering raising the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) from 400 IU to 800 IU and studies show that 1200 IU/day may be the target dose to decrease cancer. (take a look at this article on that topic http://www.forbes.com/health/feeds/hscout/2007/06/08/hscout605382.html

It has long been noted that cancer rates increase in direct proportion to latitude and decreasing sunlight geographically.

Other evidence shows those levels decrease muscle loss, falls and memory loss in the elderly.

Doctors have done a good job emphasizing calcium intake but the body cannot absorb calcium without appropriate vitamin D intake.

Its not recommended to take more that 2000 IU /day and vitamin D3 is the more active form.

10-15 minutes of sunshine on the face and arms a day along with a balanced diet is all that is needed to meet the bodies needs. I however do take a supplement with D3 and calcium in it and maybe I 'll mention that once a day that I have chosen another day.

Vitamin D may not be one of the glamour supplements but this workhorse vitamin should not be overlooked. Choose foods high in calcium and vitamin D, consider a daily supplement if you are not meeting your goals with diet.