March 6, 2017

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Where is my Vitamin D

I find a large number of people deficient in Vitamin D when I test them in my clinic. I do live in Colorado so being so far north is part of the problem. The other problem is most of us work indoors and have a horrible diet .  You might be wondering why are Vitamin D levels important?  With  Vitamin D deficiency you can have glucose control issues,  depression, altered immune system, hair loss, and more. Here is an interesting article on vitamin D deficiency and hair loss.   Vitamin D is actually a hormone and interacts with hundreds of enzymes in the body. It is essential for life. 

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is not commonly found in foods.  Active exposure to the sun increases our Vitamin D. You can also find this vitamin in fatty fishes( like salmon, sardines) and in foods that are fortified like milk(cereal, yogurt). If you live north of Texas or Arizona it is difficult to get enough sunlight to produce proper levels of Vitamin D.  There are estimates that about 85% of the U.S. population is deficient in Vitamin D.

Why is  Vitamin D important

Almost every cell in our body has a  receptor for Vitamin D. This vitamin is involved in growth and repair of cells, metabolism, neuro and cardiovascular function. Vitamin D is important in reducing the risk of diabetes which in turn lower your cardiovascular risks. Low Vitamin D can lead to hypertension, depression, and muscle/ bone weakness. Because Vitamin D affects how calcium is used it is important that it is supplemented along with Vitamin K to ensure the calcium goes into your bones and not your blood vessels. 

Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the digestive tract as well as maintains enough calcium and phosphate to enable normal bone density as well as to stay clear of low calcium muscle spasms. It is likewise required for bone development as well as bone remodeling by osteoblasts as well as osteoclasts. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can wind up being fragile which will result in fractures. Vitamin D adequacy shields children from rickets in addition to osteomalacia in adults. Calcium, with adequate vitamin D,  guards weakening of bones in older adults. As you can see, we need vitamin D.

 

Who gets Vitamin Deficiency

Not getting enough sun exposure is a common cause of Vitamin D deficiency, but not the only cause. Other reasons are having darker skin, obesity, people with malnutrition(alcoholics), being a vegetarian, and living too far north. In our modern society, most people need Vitamin D supplementation.

How to supplement Vitamin D

Vitamin D can easily be supplemented orally. I  used to get mine from Costco. I like their quality control !! Now I get it from Amazon because I like the brand I use because it has both Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 in one pill. Vitamin D3 is much more effective than Vitamin D2. You can get it HERE.  How do you know if you are deficient? It is easy to check vitamin d status. There is a simple blood test for serum vitamin D. Your primary care provider can order this for you. Optimal levels actually are between 50 ng/ml and 70 ng/ml. The government has a recommendation for above 30 ng/ml , but that is to prevent disease, not for optimal health.  I supplement with 2000 IU Vitamin D3 with 80-100 mcg of Vitamin K2 daily. In the winter I supplement with 5000 IU vitamin D3 with 100 mcg of K2 because my body is not making any vitamin d because the sun is just not strong enough in Colorado.

Because  Vitamin D is fat soluble your body can store this and you can get too much. This is very rare and I have never seen it. It still is a good reason to check your serum levels of Vitamin D. Too much Vitamin D symptoms include heart arrhythmia’s, anorexia, weight loss, and polyuria. If you take Vitamin D without Vitamin K you could be causing calcium to be accumulating in the blood vessels instead of going to the bones. Just check your levels and recheck after supplementing. 

Vitamin Infusions

The Loveland Medical Clinic does offer vitamin infusions(Myers Cocktails) but does not offer Vitamin D replacement. Vitamin D  replacement can be done very efficiently via oral medications so there is no need for IV’s. In our 22 Day Weight Loss Program we do check your serum 25 hydroxyvitamin d  level among other labs.  Then we give you a plan to correct that deficiency. We do offer Vitamin C infusions, Myers Cocktails, and Vitamin B12 replacement. If you are interested in those give us a call. 

Call us now for an appointment for

a Vitamin IV infusion (Myers’ cocktail )

 

1-970-541-0903

 

Additional reading:
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Vitamin D Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes, and Health Risks
Vitamin D fights disease
Michael Holick on vitamin D
Dr Oz on the benefits of Vitamin D
Editors’ Thoughts on Vitamin D
Vitamin D and the immune system