CHEMOTHERAPY CAN'T HOLD A CANDLE TO VITAMIN D3

from Chris Beat Cancer.

BIG TAKEAWAYS

Sunshine is the best source of vitamin D, but most people don’t get enough sun, especially in the winter. That’s where supplementation comes in.

The ideal vitamin D blood level for viral infection prevention is above 50 ng/ml.

The target vitamin D blood level for cancer prevention and healing is over 40 ng/ml, but higher, between 60-100 ng/ml might be better.

Magnesium, K2, exercise, zinc, resveratrol, curcumin and omega-3’s all help vitamin D3 work better.

I take 5,000 to 10,000 IU of D3 per day depending on the season.

Children can safely take 1,000 IU of D3 per 25lbs of body weight per day.

Vitamin D3 is healthy for humans and rats at appropriate doses.

AN OPTIMAL BLOOD LEVEL OF VITAMIN D IS ESSENTIAL FOR A STRONG IMMUNE SYSTEM 

We have an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. It’s estimated that nearly half of Americans have “insufficient” vitamin D levels (under 29 ng/ml) and 14 percent are deficient (under 19.6 ng/ml).

Vitamin D blood levels of 50 ng/ml or higher have been found to protect against respiratory infections like influenza or corona-type viruses. D3

Vitamin D increases the production of cathelicidins, anti-microbial peptides that destroy viruses, bacteria, parasites, and pathogens.

Adequate sunshine and/or supplementing with Vitamin D3 appears to be one of the cheapest and best ways to support your innate immune system against flu and corona-type viruses.

A review of 25 trials published in the British Medical Journal in 2017 concluded that vitamin D supplementation clearly protects against acute respiratory tract infections, especially for those deficient in D3.

Researchers found that daily or weekly dosing was more effective than a large one-time dose.

The review indicated that for every four people given vitamin D one case of respiratory infection was prevented. Vaccination typically must be given to 44 people to prevent one case of respiratory infection. Based on this, it appears that Vitamin D supplementation might be 10 times more effective at preventing the flu than a flu shot.

A randomized trial that gave vitamin D3 to Japanese schoolchildren found that those who were given 1200 IU of vitamin D per day from December through March had nearly half as many cases (10% vs 18%) of influenza A than those in the placebo group. The children taking D3 also had fewer asthma attacks (2 vs 12).

Supplementing with 5,000–10,000 IU per day of D3 may be necessary to reach protective blood levels, depending on multiple factors, which I discuss below.

VITAMIN D for CANCER PREVENTION AND HEALING 

In 2016, a landmark study published in PLOS ONE found that women over 55 with blood concentrations of vitamin D higher than 40ng/ml, had a 67% lower risk of cancer compared to women with levels lower than 20ng/ml.

“We have quantitated the ability of adequate amounts of vitamin D to prevent all types of invasive cancer combined, which had been terra incognita until the publication of this paper,” said Cedric Garland, researcher, and adjunct professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine and Public Health. (Note: they excluded skin cancer)

The RESEARCHERS THAT OPTIMAL LEVELS FOR CANCER PREVENTION ARE BETWEEN 40 and 60ng/ml, (100-150 nmol/L) AND THAT MOST CANCERS OCCUR IN PEOPLE WITH VITAMIN D BLOOD LEVELS BETWEEN 10 and 40ng/ml.

The study did not reveal whether supplementation or sun exposure was the best way to obtain vitamin D. However, the researchers concluded that vitamin D only starts protecting against cancer once you get your blood level up to 40 ng/ml. They noted that more health benefits were observed at even higher levels.

Another study from 2015 showed a 55% lower risk of colorectal cancer in women with vitamin D concentrations of 30ng/ml or higher compared to those lower than 18ng/ml.

A 2018 pooled analysis of 17 studies found that D levels between 40-50 ng/ml (75-100 nmol/L) are related to a statistically significant, substantially lower colorectal cancer risk in women.

HIGHER THAN 60ng/ml COULD BE EVEN BETTER . . .  A 2005 study found that women with blood concentrations of vitamin D higher than 60ng/ml had an 83% reduction in breast cancer compared with those lower than 20ng/ml.

I’ve observed many doctors and experts recommend that cancer patients shoot for the 60-80 ng/ml range. And even though most of these studies involved women, I think we can safely assume that men will also drive the same anti-cancer benefits from vitamin D.

D3 SUPPLEMENTATION INCREASES SURVIVAL IN P53-POSITIVE DIGESTIVE CANCERS 

A 2023 study of 2000 IU D3 supplementation per day for patients with digestive tract cancers (esophageal, gastric, small bowel, and colorectal), found that 5-year relapse-free survival was almost three times higher in the vitamin D group (80.9%) than the placebo group (30.6%) specifically for patients that were “p53-immunoreactive,” which means they had anti-p53 antibodies in serum and p53 protein in more than 99% of cancer cells tested.

THE SUNSHINE VITAMIN (If you can get it)
The best source of vitamin D is sunshine, and sunshine produces a cascade of health benefits beyond vitamin D production. For this reason, aim for 10-20 minutes of sunshine per day on as much of your body as possible.

But unfortunately, it’s not that simple, the amount of D3 you can get from the sun is determined by multiple factors: your age, your BMI, your skin tone, your distance from the equator, the season of the year, and the weather.

If you live above 37 degrees north of the equator – in the U.S., that’s north of Washington, D.C., and north of the Utah/Arizona border – you probably aren’t getting enough UVB exposure to naturally produce adequate amounts of vitamin D year-round.

For example, a fair-skinned person living in New York gets about 1,000 IU of D3 in about 4 minutes on a sunny day in July. That’s really good! But in January however, it would take them ten times longer, about 40 minutes of sunshine. If it’s cloudy or smoggy, that can block as much as 60% of D3-producing UV rays from the sun.

A person with dark skin needs about four times more sunshine to produce the same amount of D3 as a fair-skinned person. Obese people have been found to have 50% less D3 in their blood than non-obese people. And a 70-year-old makes about 75% less D3 than a 20-year-old.

Basically, you need an advanced degree in calculus to figure out how much vitamin D3 you can actually get from sunshine. I try to get a few minutes of sunshine every day, and I take a D3 supplement year-round.

DOES SUNSCREEN BLOCK D3 PRODUCTION?

Some sources claim that sunscreen with SPF 8 blocks vitamin D3 production by 95% and that SPF 15 or more blocks vitamin D3 by 99%. There is debate about this. I suggest, if you’re going to be in the sun all day, like at the beach, give your skin a few minutes of sunshine before applying sunblock. This is what I do.

Pro Tip: There is a smartphone app called D Minder Pro, which tells you how much vitamin D you will absorb on any given day based on your time in the sun, your location, the weather, your age, skin type, etc.

SOME PEOPLE CAN'T GET D FROM SUNSHINE 
Intracellular bacteria can block Vitamin D Receptors preventing absorption of vitamin D. Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases accompanied by low 25 (OH)D and high 1,25 (OH)2D is indicative of this phenomenon. EBV, HIV, TB, aspergillus fumigatus, and Mycobacterium leprae are known to lower or block Vitamin D Receptor activity. Vitamin D possesses antimicrobial properties against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species and was even used to treat tuberculosis before antibiotics came along. Vitamin D supplementation could help increase the activity of Vitamin D Receptors by killing intracellular bacteria.

ACTION STEPS
Check your vitamin D3 level. You can order a test kit from home at Grassroots Health. 

Your doctor can also order a vitamin D panel with your next set of blood work, or you can get it done at a walk-in testing clinic in your area. Order through www.yourlabwork.com. 

Depending on your current D3 level and your target level, you could take 1,000-10,000 IU per day, then retest in 30-90 days and adjust accordingly. It may take a few months to get your blood levels up.

VITAMIN D CO-FACTORS 
You need magnesium to absorb vitamin D. Magnesium deficiency shuts down the vitamin D synthesis and metabolism pathway. Plant foods with high levels of magnesium are dark leafy greens, beans, nuts, avocados, and whole grains. Megafood also makes a great whole-food magnesium supplement.

Exercise, resveratrol, zinc, omega-3s, quercetin, and curcumin also help increase vitamin D absorption.

WHAT ABOUT K2?
K2 is not necessary for D3 absorption, but vitamin D increases calcium absorption and K2 helps your body incorporate calcium into your teeth and bones and prevents it from building up in the wrong places, like your arteries.

K2 is present in animal foods and fermented plant foods like natto and sauerkraut. Vegetables are rich in K1 which is converted to K2 by bacteria in your gut. If you are taking high doses of D3 you may need to supplement with K2.

Generally speaking, it is recommended that for every 5,000-10,000 IU of D3 you take, also take 100 mcg of K2 mk7. Some research indicates that it may be better to take D3 and K2 separately instead of together. The jury is still out on that…

WHAT FORM TO TAKE?
I recommend vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol. That is the form that has been widely tested on humans for decades. One brand I don’t recommend is Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw D3, which does not contain cholecalciferol. I took that supplement for over a year and it did not raise my D3 levels.

I take vitamin D3 5000 IU gelcaps from Better Way Health.  I like their products, and as an affiliate partner, I negotiated a discount for my readers. You can use the coupon code “chris” to get 10% off your order. If you sign up for auto-ship, you’ll save another 15%, for a total of 25% off your order every month. I also take their Curcumin Extra Strength (C3 Complex with Bioperine) for its anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits and their Beta Glucans for additional immune support.

There are several other brands of D3 I like in my Amazon store (www.chrisbeatcancer.com/amazon) like Pure Therapro Vegan 3 and Thorne liquid D3 with K2. Liquid D3 drops are easier to give to kids.

D3 MEGADOSING STRATEGY 
If your D3 level is in the danger zone (under 19.6 ng/ml) and you want to get it up quickly, you may benefit from megadosing with 50,000-100,000 IU per day for 7 days then continuing with 50,000 IU once per week or 5,000-10,000 IU per day. Biotech Pharmacal D-50 is a 50,000 IU D3 capsule designed for megadosing and/or once-per-week supplementation.

IS D3 RAT POISON?
Yes, cholecalciferol is used as rat poison. But don’t panic. As you know, with all things, the dose determines the poison. For example, drinking three gallons of water in an hour is likely to kill you. The D3 dose given to poison rats is the equivalent of over 4 million IU for a human. That would be like taking 2000 capsules of 2000 IU D3. The reason D3 is used to kill rats is because, unlike many other poisonous compounds, it’s essentially tasteless. It can be mixed into rat bait and they will actually eat it. But guess what happens when rats are given appropriate doses of D3 for their body weight.  Their health improves! Like increases in bone mass and strength, improved insulin resistance, and even preventing fatty liver and high blood pressure caused by eating a Western diet.

Sources
NIH
Science Daily
Eureka Alert
New Hope
Riordan Clinic
How Stuff Works