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Dr. Mercola
February 12 2008
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Why Vitamin D Supplements Are NOT the Same as Sunlight

sunlight, sun exposure, vitamin DThe assumption that vitamin D supplements will protect you against diseases associated with low vitamin D levels is incorrect, according to Australian researchers. The report found that vitamin D supplements are immunosuppressive and may actually make diseases worse.

Vitamin D Nuclear Receptor (VDR) influences the expression of over 1,000 genes, including those associated with diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. According to the new study, supplemental vitamin D actually blocks VDR activation, which is the opposite effect to that of sunshine.

Instead of positively impacting gene expression, vitamin D supplements appear to suppress your immune system.

Vitamin D deficiency, the researchers pointed out, is likely not a cause of disease but rather is a result of the disease process. And increasing vitamin D intake may make the diseases worse.

The body regulates production of all the vitamin D it needs, the researchers said, and dysregulation of vitamin D by supplementation has been associated with many chronic diseases.

Dr. MercolaDr. Mercola's Comments:
As with most nutrients and compounds, it is always best to get them from their natural sources, and vitamin D is no exception. In fact, according to these new results, it may be one of the most potent examples of what can go wrong if you veer too far from nature.

I have always found it peculiar that the only vitamin that is not in breast milk is vitamin D. To me that is a giant clue that we were NOT designed to swallow vitamin D. Newborn infants, just like you, were designed to get this from exposing their skin to natural sunlight.

Folks, without question, the best way to get the right amount of vitamin D is to spend some time in the sun.

You always want to avoid getting burned, but generally speaking you can safely spend anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours in the sun every day with beneficial effects. If you have dark-colored skin or live far from the equator, you will need to spend more time in the sun than someone who is light-skinned living close to the equator.

Of course, it’s the middle of February, and for people living in many areas this means it’s cold and dreary. In other words, sun exposure simply isn’t an option.

But you do have options to get the vitamin D your body needs: safe tanning beds that have harmful emissions shielded and high-quality vitamin D supplements.

All Vitamin D Supplements are Not the Same

I’m not certain what type of vitamin D was studied in the report above, however the abstract mentions the vitamin D that’s added to milk and cereals. Well, the vitamin D that’s added to milk is synthetic vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and is not something that you should be taking anyway.

Only vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), the type of vitamin D found naturally in foods like eggs, organ meats, animal fat, cod liver oil, and fish, is appropriate for supplementation. Do NOT use the highly inferior vitamin D2.

There have been no clinical trials to date demonstrating conclusively that D2 prevents fractures, yet every clinical trial of D3 has shown it does. Further, vitamin D2 has a shorter shelf life, and its metabolites bind with protein poorly, making it less effective.

Studies have even concluded that vitamin D2 should no longer be regarded as a nutrient appropriate for supplementation or fortification of foods (though it continues to be used).

So if you choose to use vitamin D supplements make sure it is in the form of vitamin D3. And remember that if you are relying on your “fortified” milk to supply you with vitamin D, it is NOT giving you the healthy type of vitamin D that has been associated with all the benefits that you read about on this site and in the media.

If you do choose to supplement with oral vitamin D you will need to carefully monitor your levels to avoid overdosing. The only time you don’t need to worry about whether or not you’re getting too much, or too little, vitamin D is when your body makes it naturally from the sun.

There is still massive confusion out there, even among health care professionals, about what’s healthy and what’s not when it comes to sunlight and vitamin D.

My new book, Dark Deception, is coming out in the spring and it will help to clear up the confusion once and for all.

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Community Comments ( 69 )
 Comment on this Article
  
  
foxtroter
 [ Joined on 09/06 ] [ Posted on January 28, 2008 ]
17 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
Article doesn't make a distinction between Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3 supplements.  Most of the supplementation over the years has been Vit D2 because it is cheeper.   The body must convert it to the usable form of Vit D3. 

Since Vit D is a hormone and not truly a vitamin, could the excessive amounts of Vit D2 be the cause of some of the negative effects?  Since much of the Vit D2 comes from drinking pasteurized milk, could there be a double whammy here?
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Russ Bianchi
 		[ Joined on 09/06 ]  [ Posted on January 28, 2008]
5 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Once again Doc Fox is 100% correct....

There is no substitute for FREE sunshine.
Mercola
  
Polarbear
 		[ Joined on 04/07 ]  [ Posted on February 12, 2008]
6 Points        
   
This user is BELOW novice level and all their comments need to be reviewed with great caution.
  Mercola

There's a very thorough book on getting vitamin D (and other benefits) from sunshine stimulation on skin. "The UV Advantage: The medical breakthrough that shows how to harness the power of the sun for your health"  by Dr. Michael F. Holick, PhD, M.D. and Mark Jenkins. 2003   Holick is a dermatologist and medical researcher who describes some amazing aspects of sunshine that I've never seen collected elsewhere.  There are some interesting receptors in the skin that react to sunshine...not just for starting the vitamin D synthesis reaction but for stimulating the release of "feel good" substances including serotonin, dopamine, and beta endorphins.  It also suppresses hormones like melatonin, which make people feel sluggish and "down".  No wonder we fell good after sunbathing.

Like many vitamins, D is only one marker for more general nutritional staus.  When obtained the natural route, an entire cluster of healthy benefits are obtained.

There's also a problem with trying to get enough D from fortified dairy products:  The Vitamin A dose would be toxic....
  
  
Bryan - oz4caster
 [ Joined on 06/06 ] [ Posted on January 29, 2008 ]
12 Points        
   
 
Apprentice User
This work suggests that supplementation of isolated vitamin D may not be helpful for some diseases.  However this observation does not tell us about natural dietary sources of vitamin D, which typically also include vitamin A and sometimes vitamin E and vitamin K2.  The synergistic effect of natural vitamins working together are likely to produce a different outcome from that of isolated and often artificially produced vitamins. 

Certainly sunshine is the preferred source of vitamin D, but just because a study of isolated vitamin D shows negative effects does not mean that we should abandon natural food sources of vitamin D when sunshine is not an option.
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Reesacat
 		[ Joined on 01/07 ]  [ Posted on January 29, 2008]
11 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola

I agree.  The amount of evidence of natural supplementation with food sources that have not been manipulated is very compelling.

When I have seen a problem with a vitamin/supplement it has been after it has been uber processed and isolated from the co-factors.

Dr. Weston A. Price has been right for decades.

Mercola
  
EQ
 		[ Joined on 03/07 ]  [ Posted on January 29, 2008]
6 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
You are both so right.  Thanks for these comments.  It makes so much more sense that these nutrients need the synergistic elements only found in natural un-isolated real food sources.
Mercola
  
Yoyo35
 		[ Joined on 05/08 ]  [ Posted on May 13, 2008]
3 Points        
   
Novice User
  Mercola

Fact,UVA & UVB rays cause Skin Cancer. One person dies every hour from Melanoma, a cancer that is directly related to over exposure of UVA & UVB rays.  Review research from MD Anderson Cancer Center, the world-renowned Cancer Research Center.  

All ethnic groups are at risk of developing skin cancer but more so in fair-skinned people!  The idea that dark-skinned people w/skin cancer on unexposed parts of the body suggests that sun exposure does not cause skin cancer.  Consider this, why would dark-skinned people develop skin cancer?    They have more Melanin/pigment in their skin to protect against the sun's UV rays, yet they still get skin cancer.  Proof that a dark skin or a tan does not protect you from skin cancer; it is the amount of exposure to UVA & UVB rays.    The location is not important but the fact that Melanoma affects African American people is.  Melanoma has been detected in the eye, scalp, mouth, and other places not exposed to the sun.  Our skin is the largest organ, and if subjected to harmful UV radiation Melanoma can develop at any location - it is a disease of the skin. While we would expect skin lesions in exposed places that is not always the case.  Cancer is a unique disease that affects people in different ways.  

My 20-yr old son died from Melanoma, ahorrible way to loose your life for the sake of a tan!  Ask any Dermatologist if there is a safe tan.  Google Melanoma and find out the facts.

If you are worried about Vitamin D deficiency then consider adding fish, eggs, and meat to your diet!   How do the people of Iceland & Greenland survive living in an extreme climate, with minimal sunlight.  They continue to thrive and perhaps a diet rich in fish and fish oils is a significant factor!  According to Polar Bear, there are euphoric feelings from sun exposure, chocolate and wine can do the same thing yet they are not necessarily good for you.

Try exercise it is a great way to get a feeling of well-beingJ
  
  
DrBobSager
 [ Joined on 01/08 ] [ Posted on January 29, 2008 ]
12 Points        
   
 
Novice User
From my studying on this, the issue is what your D2 and D3 levels are on a blood test. D3 can apparently provoke immune problems if your D2 level is significantly higher than your D3 level. If your D2 and D3 are both low, then taking additional D3 supplements should not be a problem.
In my practice I frequently test these levels and I am not finding people with this high D2, low D3 pattern. I have many patients who have improved their auto-immune diseases including rheumatoid and MS with D3 supplementation.
And there is also recent research showing how maintaining a D3 level of 58 ng/ml reduces cancer risk significantly.

 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Reesacat
 		[ Joined on 01/07 ]  [ Posted on January 29, 2008]
2 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Thank you, Dr. Sager.  That is very helpful information.
Mercola
  
Patty D
 		[ Joined on 06/07 ]  [ Posted on January 29, 2008]
2 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Thanks for the info Dr. Sager.  I think I'm a lot better off taking it than not and what you said makes sense even though I can't get levels tested.
Mercola
  
foxtroter
 		[ Joined on 09/06 ]  [ Posted on January 29, 2008]
       
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
I wish I lived in Liberal, Kansas.  Thank you for your informative posts.
Mercola
  
Jimbbb
 		[ Joined on 01/08 ]  [ Posted on January 29, 2008]
-1 Points        
   
Novice User
  Mercola
Dr Sager,  thanks for taking time to post.   My only question/comment would be if you have ever also had the 1,25D levels checked in patients with low 25,D levels (and chronic disease symptoms)?   You really can't make a good judgement without both values, although a low 25,D level would be a hint that the 1,25D would probably be elevated -- as was mentioned in Trevor Marshall's paper (it will try to down-regulate 25,D when 1,25D is high).  
Mercola
  
DrBobSager
 		[ Joined on 01/08 ]  [ Posted on January 31, 2008]
3 Points        
   
Novice User
  Mercola
Sorry I didn't explain my shorthand.  D2 is 1,25 Vitamin D and D3 is 25-OH Vitamin D. The lab I use now routinely reports the 1,25 and the 25-OH levels when I order the 25-OH or D3 level. I have yet to notice a patient with a 1,25 D2 level higher than the 25-OH D3 level but I'm watching for one. I have only found one patient with a D3 level above the suggested 60 ng/ml and she tanned every day year-round at the local tanning salon. In most adults I test, they are below 25 ng/ml D3 despite taking typical supplements with 400 units of D3.I have found a couple of people in their 20's with D3 levels in the teens - serious deficiency at a very young age.
  
  
moo
 [ Joined on 11/06 ] [ Posted on January 29, 2008 ]
10 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
i could have swore i posted on this article..what happened to it?
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Aaltrude
 		[ Joined on 04/07 ]  [ Posted on January 29, 2008]
6 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
I am sure you did too moo. I am certain I saw a response from you to my query indicating you were would also like an answer to the question I was asking. I was also wondering what had happened to your post.
  
  
Patty D
 [ Joined on 06/07 ] [ Posted on January 28, 2008 ]
8 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
For several months, I've been taking a pretty large dose of Vit D3...then I read another article about inflammation and Vit D.  I have an inflammatory polyarthritis, so I thought I'd stop the Vit D for a while.  BIG MISTAKE...within a short time, my pain was back with a double whammy.  I've been back on the Vit D a bit over a week now, not seeing results yet.  I know this is anecdotal, but it lends credence to what foxtroter says about D2 vs D3.
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Jimbbb
 		[ Joined on 01/08 ]  [ Posted on January 29, 2008]
-2 Points