Vitamin D message on MSM (GMA + primetime news)

[AlaskaDenise]

On today's GMA they pointed out that 75% of US is not getting enough Vitamin D. They recommended up to 2000 IU/day in supplements. Add that to normal dietary, & people might be getting 4000+/day. They didn't bring up stimulating the immune system for fighting infuenza, but if the exposure gets people to take more D, that meets our objective.
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5 Ways Vitamin D Could Save Your Life
'GMA' Medical Contributor Marie Savard Explains the Best Ways to Get Vitamin D


Aug. 3, 2009 ?


Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin, and it has a lot of sunny benefits, but most Americans aren't getting them because they aren't getting enough of it.

Between 50 percent and 75 percent of Americans get suboptimal levels of vitamin D, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Now a committee at the Institute of Medicine is meeting to determine whether the recommended daily intake of vitamin D should be increased. ABC medical contributor Dr. Marie Savard came on "Good Morning America" today to offer five ways vitamin D can aid your health and tell you how to get more of it.


Why People Are Vitamin D Deficient

Nature gave us only one good source of vitamin D, and that is the sun. We are meant to absorb vitamin D from the sun through our skin.

When we lived closer to the equator and worked outdoors, we were OK. But that is not the case today. And food is not a good source of vitamin D, not even fortified food.


Five Ways Vitamin D Can Save Your Life

Promotes Weight Loss

You need vitamin D to effectively lose weight. Your insulin works better, and vitamin D helps you lose belly fat. Diabetes is also related to low vitamin D levels.

Reduces Risk of Death

Your overall mortality is reduced.

Fewer Bone Fractures

Without vitamin D, calcium can't be absorbed. But if you get enough vitamin D, it can help you avoid osteoporosis, bone fractures and falling, which is a cause of morbidity among the elderly.

Reduces Risk of Heart Disease

Vitamin D improves blood flow by relaxing the blood vessels and lowering blood pressure.

Helps Fight Cancer

Vitamin D improves the functioning of your immune system, and that helps fight cancer.

Five Ways to Get Vitamin D

15 Minutes of Sun 3 Times Per Week

You can get 10-15 minutes of high-noon sun exposure in warmer climates a few times a week. In the South you can do this all year long; but in the North it will work only in the summer months. But this is unrealistic for those who already wear sunscreen all day, or have been warned to stay out of the sun by their doctors.

Fatty Fish and Cod Liver Oil

If you are one of those people who have been warned to stay out of the sun, another good natural source of vitamin D is fatty fish.

In food, vitamin D is naturally found in fatty fish like salmon and in cod liver oil.

Fortified Dairy Products

You also can get vitamin D in fortified dairy products. But you need to be careful. There are only 100 units of vitamin D per cup, so kids and most adults would need at least four cups of dairy products per day.

You could drink four glasses of milk a day, but most people choose not to.

Multivitamin Supplements

Most multivitamins have a substantial amount of vitamin D.

Vitamin D Supplements

I recommend 1000 to 2000 international units of vitamin D supplements every day. It's cheap, there are no side effects or down sides. Although D3 is considered more potent and longer lasting, both D2 and D3 are acceptable.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/Story?id=8234947&page=2

video here: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=8234947&page=1

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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Vitamin D message on MSM (GMA + primetime news)

It's great that a message about vitamin D deficiency was on major networks today. They may not have made a big point about it's impact on the immune system, or mention of influenza, but anything that gets more people to take more vitamin D is good.

PBS has the best source, I think. A Dr. Melamed mentioned that vitamin D is actually a hormone and impacts many parts of our health, including the immune system.

CNN online news made an ending statement I really didn't like:

The current tolerable upper limit of vitamin D intake is 50 mcg (2,000 IU) per day. Taking too much vitamin D can cause nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, constipation, weakness, and can raise blood levels of calcium, which can lead to irregular heart rhythms.

I don't like the implications that amounts above 2000 IU/day can cause the list of symptoms. Could be a reporter misinterpretation (again ).

I'm sure I'm not the only one who takes well above 2000 IU daily without suffering those symptoms. Those lifeguards who get 10,000 IU/day with no bad symptoms would also contrdict the implications.

 

[jeanne]

Re: Vitamin D message on MSM (GMA + primetime news)

another article again not mentioning flu at all. it comes out of the same national academy of sciences review of rda guidelines. maybe it's coincidental, maybe they just now got around to examining d, and they'll look at vitamin e now.

Millions of Children In U.S. Found to Be Lacking Vitamin D
Links to Diabetes, Heart Disease Examined
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 3, 2009

Millions of U.S. children have disturbingly low Vitamin D levels, possibly increasing their risk for bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, according to two new studies that provide the first national assessment of the crucial nutrient in young Americans.

About 9 percent of those ages 1 through 21 -- about 7.6 million children, adolescents and young adults -- have Vitamin D levels so low they could be considered deficient, while an additional 61 percent -- 50.8 million -- have higher levels, but still low enough to be insufficient, according to the analysis of federal data being released Monday.

"It's astounding,"

{snip}

worrisome."

{snip}

frightening."

{snip}

i include the hyperbolic quotes because my impression of this article is that the tone is somewhat alarmist without mentioning flu at all, and i thought that odd.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Vitamin D message on MSM (GMA + primetime news)

Apparently the message was on all major US networks today. I'm just happy that more Vitamin D will be entering the population, especially the high-flu-risk age group - kids.

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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Vitamin D message on MSM (GMA + primetime news)

another article again not mentioning flu at all. it comes out of the same national academy of sciences review of rda guidelines. maybe it's coincidental, maybe they just now got around to examining d, ..........
i include the hyperbolic quotes because my impression of this article is that the tone is somewhat alarmist without mentioning flu at all, and i thought that odd.

Maybe this coincidence may have been helped by FT posters.

Apparently rickets is increasing in US children, so that is a bona fide reason for alarm.

Not mentioning flu may be intentional, if the science is not as sound as some sources would like. However, by promoting Vitamin D thru raising other legitimate issues, you accomplish the same objective. I know it's "intellectual prostitution", but at this point I say - whatever works!

Also, we don't want people to think that if they take vitamin D they are bullet-proof.

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