It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

[mooncliff]

If you look at the longest life expectancy in Japan, it is the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.

If you look at the longest life expectancy in the US it is in the southernmost state of Hawaii.

I know only indirectly of one person who has prostate cancer in Hawaii.

The risk of prostate cancer of a black man living in San Francisco is 137 times the risk of a Chinese peasant farmer, if I recall correctly.

Vitamin D deficiency is, I think, a serious risk factor for many diseases.

I have been taking 2000 iu of vitamin D for years. I costs less than 10 cents per day. Eating oily fish helps too. I often pull out weeds around my apartment to get a few minutes of sun. It would be normal to be out in the fields for hours every day, but modern life has stopped that. Everyone, especially children need to be outside for at least an hour a day. Doing yard work is not a waste of time.

Vitamin D deficiency is correlated with higher risk of MS. MS is almost zero at the equator and is highest at northern and southern latitudes.

[dlew22]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

more recent news about Vit D3

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/hea...22VitamanD.asp

[LazyBoy]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

Regarding diet and Cancer, some recent reading surfing caused me to note this for eventual reading:
"The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health"


'Referred to as the "Grand Prix of epidemiology" by The New York Times, this study examines more than 350 variables of health and nutrition with surveys from 6,500 adults in more than 2,500 counties across China and Taiwan, and conclusively demonstrates the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.'

[mikedev10]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

i generally take 2-5000 iu daily as well, if not getting any mid-day sun.

[aaron]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

Read the 1 star reviews before u buy that book. It looks like a big 'ism

Vegan propaganda

[lektrode]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

If you look at the longest life expectancy in Japan, it is the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.

If you look at the longest life expectancy in the US it is in the southernmost state of Hawaii.

..

ok - this is waaaaay beyond my realm of expertise, other than having been able to observe, by living here the past 20years, that there's lots of japanese/asians living in hawai`i ?

but there's a bunch of data here:

http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/u...der-death-rate (asian/pac islander)
vs
http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/u...ite-death-rate (caucasian/white)

top level page for hawai`i: http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/u...ife-expectancy

Everyone, especially children need to be outside for at least an hour a day. Doing yard work is not a waste of time.

uh oh... some of us on the tulip could be at risk (of not getting any sunshine) and if i could just resist-the-urge-to-reply ??? i might even get my lawn mowed today! ;)

[jpetr48]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

Thank you for posting. I found out that I was deficient and never knew what you posted until one year ago

May I suggest colostrum in powder or capsule form as well.

Six years ago a vet recommended colostrum for one of our dogs named Hannah. She died of an immune disorder which was diagnosed as a skin rash above her eye. I foolishly did not buy any

Now we are taking colostrum in powder form and have been giving it to her younger brother Jake. Jake is now 16 going on 17 and in good health beyond expectations of our Vet. Colostrum builds a strong immune system. No colds coughs past two years- we are juicing vegetables too for breakfast. Of course, no one knows their last day regardless of diet so we enjoy and give thanks for all we have each day.

[touchring]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

How about consumption of dairy milk, will that increase vit D?

[mooncliff]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

So far, every one of my aunts and uncles that have been tested for vitamin D is deficient. Unfortunately, like so many things, the ability of the body to produce vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light decreases as we age, so I think supplement pill is the only practical way to get a lot of vitamin D.

I think the vitamin D added to milk is good, but it is not anywhere near the 2,000 to 5,000 iu per day that with current information seems to be optimal.

I have read The China Study. I think you can just look on the Net for a good summary. Basically, many Chinese living in the country have low rates of cancer and heart disease, and their blood pressure and cholesterol do not increase as they age, unlike in other countries. The authors think the basic reason is the diet, and that you cannot eat beef/pork/lamb more than the size of a deck of playing cards per day. As you increase red meat consumption up to the amounts many in the US eat, the cancer risk, etc., doubles. Another difference is that they are working outdoors and so are getting sun most of the time.

[touchring]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

Could you share how do you test for Vit D deficiency? I checked my health check, it doesn't state Vit D levels.

Chinese farmers eat very little red meat if at all. They eat eggs, chickens they hand rear and vegetables they plant themselves. Pork is very expensive to most Chinese farmers. A pork chop may cost the equivalent of half a day's wage or more.

So far, every one of my aunts and uncles that have been tested for vitamin D is deficient. Unfortunately, like so many things, the ability of the body to produce vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light decreases as we age, so I think supplement pill is the only practical way to get a lot of vitamin D.

I think the vitamin D added to milk is good, but it is not anywhere near the 2,000 to 5,000 iu per day that with current information seems to be optimal.

I have read The China Study. I think you can just look on the Net for a good summary. Basically, many Chinese living in the country have low rates of cancer and heart disease, and their blood pressure and cholesterol do not increase as they age, unlike in other countries. The authors think the basic reason is the diet, and that you cannot eat beef/pork/lamb more than the size of a deck of playing cards per day. As you increase red meat consumption up to the amounts many in the US eat, the cancer risk, etc., doubles. Another difference is that they are working outdoors and so are getting sun most of the time.

[swgprop]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

Could you share how do you test for Vit D deficiency? I checked my health check, it doesn't state Vit D levels.

You can order a Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy test through directlabs.com

[raja]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

Regarding diet and Cancer, some recent reading surfing caused me to note this for eventual reading:
"The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health"

I enthusiastically interviewed Campbell in the 90s for my health magazine. Later, after I became more knowledgable, my opinion of his work became far less positive. Here's a quote from a more recent source to give you some ideas of the study's flaws:

What is most shocking about the China Study is not what it found, but the contrast between Campbell’s representation of its findings in The China Study, and the data contained within the original monograph. Campbell summarizes the 8,000 statistically significant correlations found in the China Study in the following statement: "people who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease."²⁶ He also claims that, although it is "somewhat difficult" to "show that animal-based food intake relates to overall cancer rates," that nevertheless, "animal protein intake was convincingly associated in the China Study with the prevalence of cancer in families."²⁷

But the actual data from the original publication paints a different picture. Figure 1 shows selected correlations between macronutrients and cancer mortality. Most of them are not statistically significant . . . . It is interesting to see, however, the general picture that emerges. Sugar, soluble carbohydrates, and fiber all have correlations with cancer mortality about seven times the magnitude of that of animal protein, and total fat and fat as a percentage of calories were both negatively correlated with cancer mortality.

http://www.westonaprice.org/thumbs-d...ws/china-study

I started my magazine with the goal of self-education in the field of health. I sold the magazine in 1998 after 11 years because I felt that had learned enough.

What I concluded was really very simple -- that health results from living in accordance with our evolutionary heritage. For example, science is now learning that lots of vitamin D is necessary. The reason is that humans got daily sunlight exposure as a result of their "natural" lifestyle . . . and I don't need a scientist to tell me that.

Humans also didn't eat refined sugars and grains produced through modern technology. They did eat meat. From the quote above: "Sugar, soluble carbohydrates, and fiber all have correlations with cancer mortality about seven times the magnitude of that of animal protein, and total fat and fat as a percentage of calories were both negatively correlated with cancer mortality."

The degree to which you deviate from the human evolutionary heritage, to that degree you risk ill health.
"Hear me now und believe me later..." Hans und Franz

[swgprop]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

I enthusiastically interviewed Campbell in the 90s for my health magazine. Later, after I became more knowledgable, my opinion of his work became far less positive. Here's a quote from a more recent source to give you some ideas of the study's flaws:

Another well presented critique of the China Study is here.

[mooncliff]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

I think it is a kinda standard blood test in the US these days. Maybe you have to ask for it.

[mooncliff]

Re: It is getting cold, and you may be vitamin D deficient

It is also good to eat oily fish. Fortunately, I love sardines, though I know they are not to everyone's taste. I also love kippers! Mega?
I know I have such peasant tastes. That's what my grandma used to tell me. A big salad with some beans, olives, sardines, a small cube of tofu, is what I often have for lunch.

I try to spend 10 minutes in the sun every day, sometimes even pulling weeds on the sidewalk and in the park just to have something to do.
I think the key is to try to get a consistent 10 minutes of direct sun per day if you can.

There are doctors in the UK who tell patients if they want to go to a tanning booth once a week for 20 minutes, to go ahead. They say you will double your risk of skin cancer, but reduce your risk of dying from all causes by about 80% because you will then not be D deficient. The vitamin D pills are much cheaper, so that is an option, although I dont know if they are entirely equivalent.
So as usual, one must be very careful what the question is. Hiding from the sun completely will reduce your risk of skin cancer, but your D will drop so much that there will be other serious problems.

It is sunny in Japan in the winter, and during the day it is reasonably warm, so if I can I eat lunch outside. There are nice benches near my office.