Meet the main man behind vitamin D
The D Master
New research from the UK shows that vitamin D deficiency may sharply increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (along with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease).
We can thank Dr. Michael Holick for this study. He wasn’t one of the researchers, but without Dr. Holick’s considerable influence we probably wouldn’t have seen even half of the explosion of vitamin D research that’s occurred over the past few years.
One billion at risk
In the e-Alert “Junk in the Trunk” (8/7/07) I told you about some of the impressive vitamin D breakthroughs that Dr. Holick has been responsible for since the late 90s. A New England Journal of Medicine article highlighted just a few of these important advancements that actually seem pretty familiar now:
- Without adequate vitamin D intake, dietary calcium and phosphorus are very poorly absorbed, undermining bone and muscle health
- As many as one billion people may be vitamin D deficient. Europeans are especially vulnerable to deficiency – especially those in the north who are exposed to lower levels of UVB radiation (the component of sunlight that prompts the manufacture of vitamin D in the skin)
- For most people who live far north or south of the equator, adequate levels of vitamin D3 (the type of vitamin D produced by UVB radiation exposure) can only be obtained with frequent intake of oily fish and/or supplements
Dr. Holick was recently awarded the Linus Pauling Institute Prize for Health Research. According to a press release from Boston University Medical Center (where Dr. Holick is a professor of medicine, physiology, and biophysics), Dr. Holick revolutionized the understanding of vitamin D when he became the first scientist to isolate the active forms of the vitamin.
Mass brainwashing
Over the past two decades Dr. Holick sounded an alarm by redefining vitamin D deficiency and recognizing the serious health risks involved. But he managed to alienate much of the mainstream medical community with his warning that avoidance of sun exposure and overuse of sunblock were key contributors to a widespread and dangerous deficit of the vitamin.
Imagine, even today, trying to convince those sun-fearing hardliners that they should actually take a single step out of the house without three applications of SPF150 and a sombrero-sized hat.
In a 2006 interview with Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D. (doctoryourself.com), Dr. Holick admitted that after sensible sun exposure he puts on a hat and applies sunblock, but he adds: “The population of the world has been brainwashed by the American Academy of Dermatology and the sunscreen industry, for 30 years, with the unrelenting message that you should never be exposed to direct sunlight because it is going to cause serious skin cancer and death.
“People are really quite surprised by the new message that sensible sun exposure, in moderation, is very important for good health.”
Dr. Holick was a member of the panel that set the 1997 guidelines for daily vitamin D intake at 200 to 600 IU daily, depending on age, but he now recommends a much higher dose and personally supplements with more than 1,000 IU daily. Talk to your doctor before increasing sun exposure or adding vitamin D to your daily supplement regimen. You and your doctor can read more about Dr. Holick and his vast body of vitamin D research on the website uvadvantage.org.
Sources:
“Low Vitamin D May Boost Metabolic Syndrome Risk” Stephen Daniells, NutraIngredients-USA, 5/18/09, nutraingredients-usa.com
“Vitamin D Expert Receives Linus Pauling Prize for Health Research” Boston University Medical Center press release, 5/18/09, eurekalert.org
“Vitamin D Deficiency” New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 357, No. 3, 7/19/07, content.nejm.org
“Andrew W. Saul Interviews Vitamin D Expert Michael F. Holick, M.D., Ph.D., Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D., DoctorYourself.com, 2006, doctoryourself.com
