Vitamin D Deficiency

‍The seriousness of Vitamin D deficiency has recently gained greater recognition.

Over 3000 articles have been published on Vitamin D were published in 2010 , making it the most prolific area in medicine that year.

Sunlight is integral to vitamin D production, yet sun exposure is associated with increased skin cancer rates.  We need to use sunblock, but it will lower our vitamin D level.

Lower rates of vitamin D have been associated with:

• A doubling of the rate of heart attacks and strokes
• Cancer (breast, ovary, lung, bowel, lymphoma, uterus)
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Alzheimers and Parkinsons Disease
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Infections
• Auto-immune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Depression
• Pregnancy complications (pre-eclampsia , gestational diabetes, pre-term delivery)

Fortunately we can avoid the sun, yet maintain our vitamin D stores with safe and inexpensive supplementation.

In the mid 1990's, our clinic alerted our patients to the benefits of vitamin D3, importing D3 , at a time when only the inferior vitamin D2 was commercially available. Since the mid 2000's, Vitamin D3 is now readily available in Australia

• A simple blood test demonstrates vitamin D level.
• Current recommended blood levels are 75-250 nmol/L.
• The lower levels have consistently been revised upwards.
• Aim to have a blood level over 100, don't settle for a level of 50.
• Vitamin D is fat soluble and it is rare for the levels to become toxic.
• Following supplementation, stores balance at around three to four months. Retest after that time.

If you have children, remember to think of them.  Children's vitamin D dosage is more intricate and they are less comfortable with blood tests.

Most of us need an oral vitamin D supplement.

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