By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

We recently lost an icon in the field of vitamin D. Carole Baggerly, the Founder and Director of GrassrootsHealth, passed away on October 26^th at the age of 82. She played the key role in helping organize the vitamin D scientists and researchers, and determining a universal consistent vitamin D message for the public. The lives she touched and the lives she saved through her disease prevention work were enormous. Her inspiration and positive approach to life will be greatly missed.

Please read more on Carole’s extraordinary vitamin D discovery journey here and her passing.

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

Key Points:

• No supplement will replace all the benefits of sunlight when considering the full spectrum of light
• UVB exposure on your skin from sunlight makes Vitamin D naturally without ever going to toxic levels
• Most people know about the benefits of vitamin D for bone health. Vitamin D also has benefits for the immune system, cardiovascular health, autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, and multiple sclerosis, skin, and has been linked to lower incidence of many forms of cancer
• UVA exposure releases nitric oxide stores in your skin, helping reduce your blood pressure and improving cardiovascular health
• Visible light is beneficial for skin, sleep, happiness and relaxation
• Infrared light is a powerful antioxidant beneficial for intercellular melatonin used by the mitochondria to repair cell damage
• When sunlight is unavailable or not strong enough, turn to surrogates such as sunbeds, phototherapy units or light boxes
• Overexposure to sunlight has risks too. The key is to know your skin and take care not to burn. Moderation!

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

How did we get to this point in our relationship with the sun? If you follow the current health recommendations from some dermatologists you would live in perpetual darkness, in a bunker, and never let the sunshine hit your unprotected skin. Sunscreen use is advised to be applied to your skin everyday of the year regardless of the whether you are indoors or not. Regardless of your skin type. This action has unforeseen consequences that I hope to shine a light on for you.

For November, Vitamin D Awareness Month, we are focusing on educating people to the many benefits of sun and UV exposure. This is why we have named it UV→D NOW. Because getting UV exposure is important for vitamin D, nitric oxide and so many other photoproducts for your health. The lack of sun exposure is the main root cause of vitamin D deficiency, and studies have found that people with low vitamin D are at a higher risk of many serious diseases such as cardiovascular disease, major cancers such as breast and colorectal, autoimmune diseases such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis and even infections, flus, colds and much more.

By Dr. Karl Pfleger, PhD AI & Computer Science, Stanford University

To all governments, public health officials, doctors, and healthcare workers,

Scientific evidence indicates vitamin D reduces infections & deaths.

Research shows low vitamin D levels almost certainly promote COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Given its safety, we call for immediate widespread increased vitamin D intakes.

Vitamin D modulates thousands of genes and many aspects of immune function, both innate and adaptive. The scientific evidence¹ shows that:

• Higher vitamin D blood levels are associated with lower rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• Higher D levels are associated with lower risk of a severe case (hospitalization, ICU, or death).
• Intervention studies (including RCTs) indicate that vitamin D can be a very effective treatment.
• Many papers reveal several biological mechanisms by which vitamin D influences COVID-19.
• Causal inference modeling, Hill’s criteria, the intervention studies & the biological mechanisms indicate that vitamin D’s influence on COVID-19 is very likely causal, not just correlation.

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

COVID-19 has spawned an entirely new angle of ultraviolet and vitamin D research in 2020 – bringing the role of UV and vitamin D into the health of your immune system into the forefront once again.

Research studies over the past 6 months have been consistent: People with higher vitamin D levels, naturally produced when your skin is exposed to UVB light from the sun, have a reduced risk of catching COVID-19 and a less severe outcome if they do contract the virus ^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}.

COVID-19 cases dropped substantially during our Canadian summer when people were out in the sunlight making vitamin D in their skin.

This is why we are focusing Vitamin D Awareness Month in 2020 on the main source of vitamin D: sunshine.

by Dr. Gerry Schwalfenberg MD, CCFP, FCFP

Why do some people die from COVID-19, and others do not? As we re-open our economies, how can we manage risks and protect ourselves.  We know age and some diseases place us at increased risk but these may not be modifiable. What can we modify?

I have been researching the effects of vitamin D on the human body for about 15 years, and I’m struck by how low levels of vitamin D seem to be correlated to higher risk from COVID-19.

You can get vitamin D from various sources, but the most common source is sunlight. Exposing your skin to sunlight, without burning, increases your vitamin D levels. Inevitably, certain populations and certain countries spend more time outside. You can see the impacts on vitamin D levels, and we may also be seeing those impacts on COVID-19 levels.

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

Who looks after you? For most people it is up to you to look after yourself. And that’s where things tend to fall apart. We are great at looking after other people in our lives and telling them to make healthy choices but most of us fail to act in the best interest of our own personal health.

November is Vitamin D Awareness month and I want you to pledge to take action to make sure that your personal vitamin D health needs are met. One of the best ways to achieve ideal health and to prevent future disease is through optimal vitamin D levels.

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

Summer is the best time to take advantage of our bright sun to start building up your depleted vitamin D levels.

But how? What is the best way to sensibly use the power of the sun for vitamin D and health benefits?

Simply go outside when the UV index is above 3 and your shadow is shorter than your height and expose your skin making sure you don’t burn!

Cancer Research UK and six other organizations including two dermatology groups in the UK developed a Consensus Vitamin D Position Statement which recommends:  “Enjoy the sun safely while taking care not to burn, can help provide the benefits of vitamin D without unduly raising the risk of skin cancer.”

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

There has been a lot written this past month about the new study results from a large vitamin D randomized placebo-controlled trial, the VITAL study, by Manson et al. which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Media coverage has been particularly confusing for the public with some articles proclaiming the benefits of vitamin D while others reporting vitamin D does not reduce CVD or cancer and still others taking a more middle ground. For example:

 CBC News

Vitamin D lowers risk of cancer death, fish oil reduces odds of heart attack, study shows

 ABC News

STUDY: Fish Oil And Vitamin D Pills No Guard Against Cancer Or Serious Heart Trouble

 Washington Post

Big studies give mixed news on fish oil, vitamin D

Confusing! Which one is correct? All perhaps, to some degree. The Vitamin D Society will try to bring clarity to this issue.

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a terrible genetic disease that attacks the respiratory system. CF patients typically have a reduced life expectancy. They cannot properly absorb fat soluble vitamins through digestion which can lead to low/deficient vitamin D levels. This can bring about poor skeletal health and exasperate their existing respiratory issues.

I recently received a letter from a tanning studio outlining how a cystic fibrosis patient began using a sunbed and in just 10 months had fully optimized her vitamin D level to 120 nmol/L. An expert panel of 48 top vitamin D scientists, researchers and doctors in their Call to D*action have determined the optimal blood level or 25(OH)D level for people is between 100-150 nmol/L.

This remarkable case highlights how effective some sunbeds can be for generating vitamin D through your skin. Part of this is due to the fact that sunbeds are very efficient and can expose up to 100% of your skin area to UVB rays during a typical session.

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

This year’s long winter throughout much of Canada will have depleted many Canadians’ vitamin D levels to dangerously low levels.

Statistics Canada reports, 38% of Canadians are now below the recommended vitamin D level from Health Canada of 50 nmol/L, 75% of Canadians are below the level recommended by Osteoporosis Canada to prevent bone disease of 75 nmol/L, and 93% of Canadians are below the optimal vitamin D levels recommended by 48 vitamin D scientists of 100 nmol/L for best overall health.

Sun exposure, specifically UVB exposure, is the primary source of vitamin D and is needed to restore our vitamin D levels. When you expose bare skin to summer sunlight at midday, a cholesterol in your skin is converted into previtamin D and enters your bloodstream.

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

Canada has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world. What can we do to reduce the incidence of multiple sclerosis? Its simple, get out in the sun especially in the summer.

A new study¹, led by University of British Columbia neurology professor Dr. Helen Tremlett, examined data from the Nurses Health Study, a large cohort of 120,000 nurses established in 1976 and found that sun exposure reduces the incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS).

The study reported:

- Living in high (vs low) UV-B areas before MS onset was associated with a 45% lower MS risk across all age groups combined

- For those 5 to 15 years of age, high summer outdoor exposure in areas of high ambient UV-B was associated with a statistically significant 55% lower risk of MS

You may have seen some disturbing headings from news articles on a recently published research study on vitamin D and pregnancy:

Jury Still Out on Vitamin D Supplements in Pregnancy     

https://www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/pregnancy/69559
    
Insufficient evidence to guide recommendations on vitamin D in pregnancy 

https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-11/b-iet112717.php

The study was published in the British Medical Journal November 29, 2017 by Roth et al: 

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

Canadians’ vitamin D levels drop substantially in winter due to the lack of UVB in the sun at our northern latitude at this time of year. For November Vitamin D Awareness month, the Vitamin D Society has released a new short video to help people develop a vitamin D winter action plan.

First, let’s understand why a great number of Canadians are vitamin D deficient. Until about 100 years ago, people spent a large amount of their time outdoors. Now most of us work indoors and increasingly spend our leisure time inside, drawn to the Internet, TV, video games and other passive forms of recreation. When we are outdoors, many of us follow health warnings to protect ourselves from UV exposure with sunscreen, clothing and shade.

The result is that Canadians’ vitamin D levels have fallen by 13% in just six years. Approximately 14 million Canadians — 38% of the population — do not meet Health Canada guidelines for vitamin D levels of 50 nmol/L. This puts them at a higher risk for serious diseases such as osteoporosis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

But it gets worse. The vitamin D level recommended by Health Canada is only half the level recommended by a large number of vitamin D experts. Forty eight scientists, doctors and researchers have recommended that everyone reach a 25(OH)D blood level of between 100-150 nmol/L. And nearly all of us, 93% of us in fact, are below these optimal vitamin D levels.

by Carole Baggerly, Director at GrassrootsHealth

Today I have decided to get all the exercise I will need this month. So, I am going to get up, head to the gym and do 15 different sessions of cardio interspersed with 15 different sessions of my weight machines. Then, I will take a yoga class to round out the day. 

Ridiculous - right? 

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

A new study¹ recently reported trends in vitamin D supplementation in the USA from 1999 to 2014. It found that that vitamin D supplement use of ≥1000 IU or more per day increased from 0.3% in 1999 to 18.2% in 2014. Also vitamin D supplement use of ≥4000 IU per day increased from 0.2% in 2007 to 3.2% in 2014.

The researchers made this key point in their discussion:

“Overall, 3% of the population exceeded the tolerable upper limit of 4000 IU daily, and may be at risk of adverse effects as a consequence”

But how many people were really supplementing over 4000 IU/d? If they were just taking 4000 IU/d there would be no risk as this is the safe upper limit and does not require doctor supervision.

We interviewed Dr. Michael Holick on why sunshine is good for you and the best source for vitamin D. Here is what he said:

In your opinion what is the root cause of vitamin D deficiency?

The 2 major reasons for the global D deficiency epidemic are the lack of understanding that very few foods naturally contain vitamin D and that sunlight has been and continues to be a major source for vitamin D worldwide.  The recommendation by many health organizations that neither children or adults should be exposed to direct sunlight has been a major factor in causing this pandemic.

Do you think the risks of moderate, regular sun exposure, such as skin cancer, has been over emphasized to the public?

There is no question that the abstinence message from national and international health organizations regarding sun exposure has been a major contributor to the vitamin D deficiency pandemic.  A recent study has suggested that moderate regular sun exposure does improve a person's vitamin D status and that mechanisms are at play in the skin to reduce the damaging effects from moderate regular sun exposure.

 

By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society

Based on recent media reports you may be questioning or doubting if vitamin D really works. Does it really prevent cancer?

You may have seen these headlines:

High Doses of Vitamin D Fail to Cut Cancer Risk

Vitamin D pills may not protect against cancer after all

These were based on a new study published in JAMA by Lappe et al. It was a randomized controlled trial of 2,303 women which studied the effects of 2,000 IU/d of vitamin D3 and 1500 mg/d of calcium supplement vs placebo on cancer outcomes.

But it did reduce cancer. A new diagnosis of cancer was confirmed in 109 participants, 45 (3.89%) in the Vitamin D and calcium group and 64 (5.58%) in the placebo group. Tell me which group you would want to be in? I think that this is a great result and proves that vitamin D could help prevent cancer.

by Cedric F. Garland, Dr PH FACE, UC San Diego School of Medicine

by William B. Grant, PhD

A new paper in the open-access journal reported the relation between vitamin D level and mortality rates based on a study of 26,916 individuals from a European consortium [Gaksch, 2017]. The countries involved were Denmark, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Norway. The average age of the participants at the time of enrollment ranged between 43 years in one German study to 76 years in the Iceland study. Average body mass index ranged from 23 in Denmark to 27 in one of the German studies. Women were slightly more represented than men. By the end of the studies, 6802 participants had died. The average follow-up time varied from 7.5 to 17.8 years. While vitamin D levels can change with time, the authors reported that follow-up time did not affect the findings.

So, what were the findings? All-cause mortality rate was minimal at 85 nmol/L (34 ng/mL). However, the findings were not considered significant for vitamin D levels above 50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL). This result is because there is not a one-in-twenty chance that the results for vitamin D levels above 50 nmol/L would be different from unity. At a vitamin D level of 10 nmol/L, the risk of death was 2.5 times that at 85 nmol/L.