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The Power of D 'Could Stop Colds or Flu'

  • February 16, 2017

Never underestimate the curative properties of vitamin D. This was the conclusion of the BBC after they examined a recent British Medical Health Journal study. The study focused on the ability of vitamin D to fight colds and flu. 

It is great that a major news outlet is on board with the incontrovertible science that supports vitamin D. However, their views on how to obtain vitamin D are far from ideal. Rather than harnessing the natural powers of the sun or a high-quality supplement, the BBC recommends obtaining vitamin D through fortified foods. They also failed to address ideal vitamin D levels.

Low vitamin D levels during winter are a serious concern. Horror stories of excess sun and subsequent skin cancer have scared most Americans and Brits into the shadows. This seems counterintuitive when a growing body of evidence shows that vitamin D plays a crucial role in disease prevention and maintaining optimal health. 

There are about 30,000 genes in your body, and vitamin D affects nearly 3,000 of them. According to one large-scale study, optimal Vitamin D levels can slash your risk of cancer by as much as 60 percent. Keeping your levels optimized can help prevent at least 16 different types of cancer, including pancreatic, lung, ovarian, prostate and skin cancers.

At present, the optimal range for general health appears to be somewhere between 50 and 70 ng/ml. As for how to optimize your vitamin D levels, I firmly believe that appropriate sun exposure is the best way. In fact, I personally have not taken a vitamin D supplement for three or four years, yet my levels are in the 70 ng/ml range.