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Vitamin D is Dangerous - Yes? No? Actually it's yes and no.
It's dangerous when it gets to toxic levels
You take a synthetic form of vitamin D
You take vitamin D2
You're deficient in a very important mineral - Magnesium

Explaining the above further:
Toxic levels can elevate calcium levels in the blood (hypercalcemia), causing stomach upset, vomiting, weakness, arrhythmia of your heart, bone pain and kidney stones.

Is it something to worry about? Leading researchers in the field of vitamin D haven't seen it in their patients so concern can safely be cited as highly unusual.

The next concerns are definitely more common.
Synthetic forms of vitamin D (D2) are not very effective, so ultimately a waste of money. Look for Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol (means the same) on the label.

Terms such as "irradiated ergosteral" or "calciferol" means they're using the synthetic vitamin D2 form.

The "danger" really comes from not getting adequate, absorbable vitamin D3. 70% of Americans have inadequate levels of vitamin D3 and that percentage worsens with age.

Why is vitamin D3 so important? First it's good to know that it's actually a hormone, even though we call it a vitamin. It regulates the expression of over 900 genes in your body, turning them on and off as required.

Vitamin D is critical for the health of your immune system, bones, protects against MS, certain cancers and premature brain aging.

It definitely is worth the effort to get your vitamin D3 to healthy levels - over 50 ng/mL (that's how we measure it in the US). It's also important to take your D3 alongside vitamin K2 to ensure that calcium is depositied where you want it - into your bones, rather than your kidneys or blood vessels.

A daily dose is 2,000 to 4,000 IU but you should discuss it with your doctor while testing the levels in your blood fairly often.

But what if you ARE taking a supplement, getting some sunshine and your levels are still low? This could be due to deficient magnesium. Considering half the population is deficient, you're in very good company.

What does magnesium do? Many things but most pertinent you need it to convert vitamin D to its active form. If vitamin D isn't active it won't do any of the wonderful protective measures its designed for.

Magnesium is needed for DNA repair contributing to overall health, reduces risk of premature death from elevated blood pressure, protects against colorectal cancer and prevents calcium from building up in the blood and causing clots.

Magnesium is best found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes and fish. A good supplement source is magnesium glycinate about 120 mg (this is not a recommendation, but rather a comment on an often utilized dose). The daily need of magnesium is about 350 mg/day.
Stress depletes magnesium.

Vitamin D3 is best found in fatty fish, egg yolks and liver.
Exercise improves the metabolism of vitamin D3.

If you'd like help we're here for you. The best next step is to contact us for a consultation and then we can determine if what we do is a good fit for you. Call 727-335-0400.

#vitamind #magnesium #rootcausemedicine