The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

Ajax — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:43:25 GMT

I'm curious as to whether or not vitiligo affects a person's ability to form vitamin D from sun exposure. I know a person whose vitiligo is so widespread that her entire body is unable to tan except for in a few spots on her legs. I understand that vitiligo is a condition that causes the loss of the cells (melanocytes) that make pigment in the skin; would that affect her ability to form vitamin D from sun exposure?

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

msmytpen — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:46:20 GMT

Vitamin D isn't made as efficiently when you have more melanin in the skin. Combine that with office work and little exposure to natural sunlight, our climate in the midwest and it's not the ideal environment for generating VitD on your own. I had a test at my doc's and found out I was woefully low. I regularly have soy milk (lactose intolerant), yogurt, and cold water fish. She prescribed a prescription supplement that was about 5000IU I had to take for about 2 weeks or so and now I take a liquid supplement daily. Those with more melanin rich skin are really missing out on the benefits because very little is said regarding the great benefits of this nutrient. My great grandmother had osteoporisis in her later years and this could have been one of the important factors along with other nutritional events. Since taking it I have noticed fewer cases of the sniffles/colds. I only hope it's doing as much good work on the inside :-)

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

Hasan — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 09:22:01 GMT

In his Nutrition & Healing Newsletter (June 2002), Dr. Jonathan V. Wright, MD discussed the foods and supplements that everyone—especially those who get a lot of sun exposure—should consume in abundance. Dr. Wright explains that vitamins C and E are very important to relieving stress to the skin, but says a deficiency in folic acid “is a major contributor to skin cancer risk.” He explains that it is sunlight’s destructive effect on folic acid in the skin, not the actual sun exposure itself, that accounts for a significant number of skin cancers and says “Folic acid (along with vitamin B12 and zinc) is absolutely key to DNA reproduction and repair.” The best dietary sources of folic acid include fresh spinach, kale, broccoli, green beans and other dark green vegetables, brewers yeast, lima beans, cantaloupe, watermelon, and wheat germ. In addition, Dr. Wright suggests supplementing with 1,000 mcg of folic acid daily, and even more if you spend a lot of time in the sun or have a family history of skin cancer.Dr Mercola sunlight destroys folic acid in the skin.You should also advise people to consume food with rich sources of folic acid if you advise them to spend time in the sun.Deficiency of folic acid causes anaemia which often occurs in pregnant women and children. Serious skin disorders, loss of hair, impaired circulation, a greyish-brown skin pigmentation, fatigue, and mental depression can result from a deficiency of this vitamin. Reproductive disorders such as spontaneous abortions and difficult labour, and a high infant death rate can also be caused by folic acid deficiency. Vitamin B9 deficiency may also lead to loss of libido in males.Lets not rob Peter while trying to pay Paul by caring alone about the benefits of vitamin D and not that of folic acid.

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

Heather Marsh — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 05:07:36 GMT

wasn't the Framingham Heart Study the one that analysed properly, disproved the lipid hypothesis?

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

mlou9 — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:32:50 GMT

I live in NY and would like to have my family's vit. d tested. Of course ny state does not allow us to use the at home vit. d tests - blood spot, which would be very convenient. Does Dr. Mercola know a way around this law? Or something else that would be convenient?

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

curious7 — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:40:51 GMT

I have heard and I am researching the effects of Vitamin K1. I know of the benefits of sunshine, and Vitamin D3. At the same time I am also researching what part L-Carnitine in conjunction with CoQ10 also plays in heart health. I admit there is a great deal of information to digest, but our health seems somehow worth it.

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

VG — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:40:27 GMT

There are a couple of places you can order the tests for yourself online, but they are expensive and probably not covered by insurance:

For this one, you do a finger stick yourself: www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com/vitamindtest.html

For this one, you have to go to one of their labs (they are all over the country): www.labsafe.com/.../landing.aspx

I haven't tried either one though.

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

irrigatm — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:32:35 GMT

Why is it Dr. Mercola you don't offer the D3 supplement?

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

Rett — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:47:25 GMT

What I have learned over time is that for the most part when I share stuff like this I am only preaching to the choir. People who want to know get it and the rest just want to know when they can have another Twinkie or satisfy their thirst with a soda pop. I, too, am a complete failure when it comes to ice cream. But I can now get a full half gallon of Great Value from WalMart. lol.

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

moo_203 — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:53:34 GMT

i don't go to doctors anymore so does anyone know where to get a vitamin D test without a prescription?

i live in the northwest suburbs of chicago?

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

redhead67 — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:50:19 GMT

Does anyone know about the "HappyLite" by Verilux. It's suppose to do what the sun does for your mood, but it doesn't say anything about UV. Is it able to provide vit. D?

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

T_rex — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:28:27 GMT

I'd like to experiment with a UV LED flashlight (torch if you're brittish) like the ones available on-line, and place it very, very close to the skin to see if will generate sufficient amounts of vitamin D3, the idea being that even though the UV output of these LEDs is far lower than a tanning bed, the amount of "lumens per square inch" will increase exponentially as the distance is decreased. But what are the risks ? The spectral output of current UV LEDs is between 365 and 400 nanometers, which translates to the UVA range. As Dr Mercola states, the preferred type of UV is from the B side of the spectrum which is around 300 nm. Oh the conundrum ! So do we wait until 300 nm UV LEDs become available or do we experiment now ?

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

Heather Marsh — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:01:19 GMT

On strength of UV rays, a comparison between the north and south poles follows:

cat.inist.fr

Perhaps explaining why duration of exposure before burn is much shorter in Australia and New Zealand than in Canada and the US.

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

Heather Marsh — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:38:38 GMT

So many nutrients act in synergy that it soon becomes apparent that the ideal way to ensure adequate supplies of nutrients is from whole foods, and as many of those raw as is possible. And to live as much as is possible in the open air.

Unfortunately many crops are grown in exhausted soil, and our chickens, fish and meat and dairy animals are being fed less than optimal diets, and we ourselves live in less than ideal conditions. Further complicating the situation is the human migration into countries for which specific racial genetic adaptions may not be suitable, and then eating foods not within their hereditary diets and 'alien' to their intestines.

I am certain we are not meant to live this way, but I am equally certain that most of it is our (humanity's) OWN FAULT. We have travelled very far in very many ways since our beginnings - technologically we may have come further than ever before, but in terms of true health and happiness - much less so.

Many of our children have no real understanding of how food arrives at the table. Many parents take care to not permit their children to play in dirt or jump in puddles - and life in many situations makes the care and raising of pets in the family home too complicated or messy to contemplate.

We are so rich - and so poor.

I could go on, but will not at this time.

In order to compensate for the state of our food, air and water it becomes neccessary to do what we can to compensate for our less than ideal lifestyles - to at least bring our nutritional status closer to what it should be. And sometimes this is going to require supplementation, and activities to provide a substitution for the energies once expended in obtaining food and avoiding or escaping predators.

This is a sad thing.

On the positive side - at least we are becoming more aware, and many are becoming pro-active in their own health.

re: The One Vitamin That is Vital for Your Heart

LLL — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:36:41 GMT

Dr. Mercola wrote: "You might wonder how long you need to sunbathe, well the answer is that it depends and is highly variable. The time you need to generate maximum vitamin D is how long it takes for your skin to turn the lightest pink when you are outdoors. This is called the MED or minimal erythemal dose. For some people it could be a few minutes while for others it may actually be hours."

Interesting. I recently got one of Mercola's full length sun beds. My skin is fair and tends to burn fairly easily, especially the parts that have not had a lot of sun exposure (like my torso, front and back). I guess I will try to get myself "light pink". So far, my skin gets a bit itchy in the spots that aren't used to getting a lot of sun... and that is from only doing 2 to 3 minutes front and back, every second or third day. Those bulbs must pack some punch. I started with 2 minutes front and back every second day a month ago, as recommended. I just barely increased it to 3 minutes.

It will be interesting to see how my vitamin D levels do.