Past Newsletters discussed how vitamin D can affect brain function. Vitamin D deficiency has also been implicated in the following conditions:
- Alcohol withdrawal support
- Amenorrhea (loss of menstrual period)
- Breast cancer (reduces risk)
- Burns (severe)
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Celiac disease (for deficiency only)
- Colon cancer (reduces risk)
- Crohn's disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Depression
- Hypertension (for deficiency only)
- Migraine headaches
- Multiple sclerosis
- Osteoporosis
- Parkinson's disease
- Prostate cancer
- Rickets/osteomalacia
- Seasonal affective disorder
- Type 1 diabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
How to Test for Vitamin D Deficiency
There is more than one way to test for vitamin D status. Research clearly indicates that the best blood marker for vitamin D status is 25-hydroxycalciferol (also referred to as 25-hydroxyvitamin D or 25(OH)D). The lab we recommend is LabCorp.
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Deficient
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Optimal
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Excess
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<50 ng/mL
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50-65 ng/mL
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>100 ng/mL
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How to Fix a Vitamin D Deficiency
The best way to fix a vitamin D deficiency is to get direct sunlight on your skin where vitamin D is produced by the UV-B wavelength. Unfortunately, there is inadequate sunshine on about half of the United States for about half of the year, so for some, supplementation may be necessary. As we have discussed in other articles with other types of nutrients, not all vitamin D is created equally. In fact, the summary of the medical literature is that vitamin D3 is by far the best type of vitamin D supplement. Depending on the degree of the deficiency we usually recommend 5000 IU per day on average. Vitamin D3 manufactured by Pure Encapsulations contains 5000 IU per capsule which is recommended to take one per day with food.
This is a relatively inexpensive marker, a deficiency can have widespread affects on the body, if deficient it is easy to fix, so there is no excuse not to know what your vitamin D status is. You can now have your vitamin D status evaluated through Pure Prescriptions with the most reliable lab in the country, LabCorp.
Click Here To Get Tested For Only $86.
Get FREE Shipping Today
For a Limited Time you can let us pick up the tab on the shipping costs for your lab testing. All testing includes a full review and telephone consultation by Dr. Larson. Order online or give us a call toll-free at 1-800-860-9583.
Key References:
Chapuy MC, Preziosi P, Maamer M, et al. Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in an adult normal population. Osteoporos Int 1997;7:439–43. Thomas MK, Lloyd-Jones DM, Thadhani RI, et al. Hypovitaminosis D in medical inpatients. N Engl J Med 1998;338:777–83. Harris SS, Dawson-Hughes B, Perrone GA. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D responses of younger and older men to three weeks of supplementation with 1800 IU/day of vitamin D. J Am Coll Nutr 1999;18:470–4. Holick MF. Calcium and Vitamin D. Diagnostics and Therapeutics. Clin Lab Med. 2000 Sep;20(3):569-90
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. |
