I am very conflicted on this Vitamin D issue. My doctor says I have low (very low) Vitamin D. But I have some health issues. I think Vitamin D deficiency is caused by something, some underlying disease process. That doesn’t mean supplementing it will improve one’s condition, IMO. I don’t know quite what to think any more.
I read this article from 2008 and it has me wondering. Vitamin D Deficiency Study Raises New Questions About Disease And Supplements Low blood levels of vitamin D have long been associated with disease, and the assumption has been that vitamin D supplements may protect against disease. However, this new research demonstrates that ingested vitamin D is immunosuppressive and that low blood levels of vitamin D may be actually a result of the disease process. Supplementation may make the disease worse…….
Molecular biology is now forcing us to re-think the idea that a low measured value of vitamin D means we simply must add more to our diet….
“Our disease model has shown us why low levels of vitamin D are observed in association with major and chronic illness,” Marshall added. “Vitamin D is a secosteroid hormone, and the body regulates the production of all it needs. In fact, the use of supplements can be harmful, because they suppress the immune system so that the body cannot fight disease and infection effectively.”
Marshall’s research has demonstrated how ingested vitamin D can actually block VDR activation, the opposite effect to that of Sunshine…..
Vitamin D deficiency, long interpreted as a cause of disease, is more likely the result of the disease process, and increasing intake of vitamin D often makes the disease worse.
