When people come to Optimum Health Vitamins and they are just looking for a basic protocol to help them maintain wellness, there are five areas that I feel are highly important to address. Health is a very individual process and cannot be guaranteed by simply eating certain foods or taking certain vitamins. However, despite biochemical individuality and the changes we experience in it over time, there are a few common denominators that can apply to most individuals seeking good health. This month, I am going to talk about the importance of a Vitamin D3.

There has been a lot of talk about Vitamin D lately, especially given the hype of H1N1 and the immunization scare. As such, there is a lot of research out there, much of which can be conflicting. For example, Health Canada (as of June 15, 2007) has stated that the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of Vitamin D is 2000IU daily in healthy adults. However, this is based on the United States’ Institute of Medicine’s nutrient standards. As we all know, the United States is a vast country, with vastly different sunshine exposure from coast-to-coast. As Vitamin D is known as the Sunshine Vitamin (because your body produces it when your skin is exposed to sunlight), this would mean that the amount of Vitamin D being produced by someone in southern California or Florida is very different than someone living in Edmonton. In fact, most doctors across Canada have stopped testing for serum Vitamin D levels altogether because the majority of Canadians are conclusively and chronically deficient.

Location, location, location. For those of us living in more northern climates where sunlight exposure is minimal and winter lasts 6-8 months out of the year, meaning that we have little to no skin exposure, the amounts of Vitamin D that we should be supplementing are drastically different than the “catch-all” recommendations of the United States Medical Society.

Consider this: Every cell in your body has a receptor site for Vitamin D. This means that it is one of the most prolific substances that your body requires for proper functioning of immune and endocrine systems, and in the utilization of large-molecule minerals such as calcium. Another important concept to consider when looking at supplementing Vitamin D is how much your body produces in a given amount of sunlight exposure. This is entirely dependent on the levels of melanin in the skin (the organic substance that gives our skin colour). Essentially, the darker you are, the less Vitamin D you will produce as melanin works as the body’s natural sunblock mechanism. However, the average amount of Vitamin D produced by a fairer person in 30 minutes of sunlight exposure is at least 15,000IU. Some sources state as high as 30,000IU, others as low as 5,000IU. Sure makes that tiny 2000IU Upper Limit from Health Canada look silly, doesn’t it?

What type of Vitamin D you choose makes all the difference in the world too. Make sure that the product you are choosing is a Vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol. This form is usually sourced from lanolin (sheep), but the animals do not die in the process of “harvesting” the vitamin. It is less expensive and much more environmentally sustainable than fish sources. Vitamin D3 is converted twice in the body by the liver and then the kidneys. At this point, it proliferates every cell in the body and engages in the literally of hundreds of tasks it is essential for.

So, how much should you take? A conservative recommendation that I often make is for healthy adults to take anywhere from 2000IU - 5000IU per day through the winter. If you are the type of person who goes from home to work and back again, even in the summer, it may be beneficial to supplement all year round. Bear in mind that this dosage is recommended for healthy individuals. If you are in a state of auto-immunity or you are simply fighting a bug, your intake of Vitamin D supplements can be altered for a shorter period of time, depending on the type of disorder you have. Please consult a qualified health care practitioner before you do so.

Bear in mind that even in a perfect world, a Vitamin D3 is largely indispensable to achieve optimum health. This means that even if you eat a perfect, proportionate diet from 100% organic sources, odds are that you could be functioning below par. The word “optimum” here is important because so much of allopathic, Western medicine is focused on treating illness, rather than living the best life you possibly can. Keep posted for my article next month in which we discuss another nutrient essential for living optimally: Probiotics.

Nakita Valerio, B.A, CSN, BMSA Technician. has been working for Optimum Health Vitamins since 2007 until 2011. 

To book a Biomeridian Stress Assessment or Nutritional Consultation with a practitioner at Optimum Health Vitamins, please call (780) 432 5464.