OK, we've learned that the RDA for Vitamin D was set too low and that

[hedgehog]

the optimum serum level is higher than text books stated 10 years ago. There are even serious discussions of breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer and multiple sclerosis as being in part Vitamin D deficiency diseases. What are the possibilities of similar situations with other vitamins? For example, we know that a given level of B-12 is needed to prevent anemia. What if a higher level is needed to prevent, say, chronic fatigue syndrome. Has anybody seen any research in this direction?

[Warpy]

1. Research into tying specific illnesses to chronic, low level

vitamin D is preliminary, at best. The jury is still out, in other words.

The water soluble vitamins like Vitamin B-12 have pretty well established RDAs. Anything above those just gives you expensive urine as your body just eliminates the excess. Yes, they have measured this all very carefully. I was there for part of it.

We might be seeing changes in other oil based vitamins and maybe some minerals, but that's about it.

[Dora]

2. I have b12 deficiency.

B12 deficiency does not cause iron anemia.

"Normal" b12 serum levels are now considered too low, and it's becoming more widely understood that what is normal for one person qualifies as deficiency in another. B12 levels are undertested, and when deficiency is left untreated, can cause nerve damage and manifest as symptoms of cognitive impairment. It's most commonly found in the elderly, but, like I said, is woefully undertested. I found out I was deficient at 34 - I went to the doctor because of depression, weight loss, and fainting.

[hedgehog]

3. I wasn't sure what b-12 deficiency caused other than a vague notion that

it can cause fatigue. I'm interested in the notion that some people need a higher serum level or a higher intake to achieve a serum level.

[Dora]

7. Deficiency is caused by different things.

B12 is primarily derived from meats, eggs, and fortified cereals. Deficiency can be caused low dietary intake as well as the body's inability to absorb b12 from the diet. Vegans are often afflicted by B12 deficiency if they don't supplement. I'm an omnivore, so my deficiency was caused by malabsorption. Once the body is deficient, it never really catches up again, so it's essential to continue with supplementation. I supplement with regular b12 injections and a liquid/sublingual b12.

Fatigue is part of the symptoms, but so are irritability, clumsiness/falls, fainting, depression, cognitive impairment. It's easy to understand how B12 deficiency in the elderly is often misdiagnosed as dementia.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Yes, the old doctor who treated my great-grandmother gave her B12 shots every week

I don't know what effect the had, but she never suffered from dementia.

[applegrove]

4. If you have alot of belly fat you need 3000 UI dose of vitamin D.

[hedgehog]

6. Can you explain that further? I'm not arguing with you, just wondering what

the reasons might be. I know belly fat is tied to insulin resistance and Vitamin D apparently "activates" insulin.

[applegrove]

8. I don't know. My dad's family doctor said that. Don't know the underlying reason.

[Mamacrat]

9. It's fat soluble.

It's my layperson's understanding that the fat holds the vitamin and does not make it as readily available to the body.

[wuvuj]

10. Heart disease and conventional medicine....

http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/family-lessons.html

Lou was recovering from his 3rd bypass operation. This third go-round left him weaker, slower, less quick on the rebound. In fact, he was lucky to have survived.

At 71 years old, Lou went a good 15 years since his second bypass, another 10 years prior to his first bypass at age 46.

In the days immediately following Lou's bypass, I had a chance to talk to his son, who stayed at his Dad's bedside while Lou struggled through post-op recovery.

"Did your Dad tell you about why this has happened, what caused his heart disease?" I asked.

"Sort of. He just said I should get checked," Lou's son, Aaron, replied.

"Did he mention the lipoprotein(a) pattern he has?"

"No. He never mentioned anything like that. He just said to get checked."

That's how it gets played out more often than not: Mom or Dad has a heart attack, stents, or (3rd) bypass, the children are told to get checked. Getting "checked" assumes that the doctor knows what to check for.

In Lou's case, the reason why he was in the hospital getting his 3rd (and final) bypass was lipoprotein(a), along with genetically-determined small LDL particles, low HDL, a postprandial (after-eating) disorder, hypertension, and borderline diabetes, not to mention *vitamin D deficiency*, omega-3 fatty acid deficiency, and marginal thyroid function. (Lou, a retired city employee, had showed only marginal interest in correcting these patterns. While he accepted medications, he proved unwilling to engage in the diet and nutritional supplement strategies required to correct his patterns.)

So Lou's 3rd bypass operation provided a moment of reflection for Aaron to ask: "Could I share the fate of my Dad?" With Lou's combination of genetic patterns, there was at least a 75% likelihood that he did. Sadly, going to his doctor would likely yield little more than a cholesterol panel, a question about smoking, and a prescription for Lipitor.

Just getting "checked" would be, more than likely, a recipe for disaster for Aaron: heart disease in his 40s or 50s. That's why you need to take control over this sad state of affairs and ask--no, insist--that an effort be made to determine whether you might share your parents' fate.

[supernova]

11. This speaks to the current state

of the way we practice medicine in the west.

We go to the doctor when we're sick or don't feel well. We don't go to the doctor to learn how we can keep well, or bring ourselves back to optimum health if we are headed down a wrong path... which is what taking vitamins is a part of.

We need to have a change in the orientation of our medicine toward a focus on wellness.