Vitamin D: Are You Deficient?

It has been almost 20 years since Dr. Michael Donaldson, a PhD graduate of Cornell University, joined our team here at Hallelujah Acres. His task was to constantly evaluate the sufficiency and accuracy of the Hallelujah Diet so that we could be assured that what we were teaching was the most accurate and up-to-date information possible. In a recent Health Tip we took a look at vitamin B12, a nutrient researched by Dr. Donaldson that he found to be lacking in the Hallelujah Diet and in most diets today…whether the diet was meat-based or plant-based. In this Health Tip, we are going to take a look at another very important vitamin that is lacking in God’s Original Diet a well as in the Hallelujah Diet – vitamin D3. The reason vitamin D3 was lacking in God’s Original Diet was because God didn’t intend man to get his vitamin D3 from what he ate, but rather from something else God created – the SUN.

Vitamin D3 – Are You Deficient?

We live in a day when man too often thinks he knows it all, sometimes even more than God! Yet in some areas, even we, who know the truth regarding God’s Creation and God’s plan for the nourishment of mankind, are just beginning to understand what a unique creation man is and the incredible intricacies of our bodies:

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works: and that my soul knoweth right well.” ~ Psalm 139:14

I’m so glad I know my origin...

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." ~ Genesis 1:1

And I’m glad to know God created me in His image:

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." ~ Genesis 1:28

And to know what God created me from:

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." ~ Genesis 2:7

For over 6,000 years mankind has appreciated the SUN which God created to provide light and warmth on the earth:

“God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also."

One of the days of the week was even named after the SUN – “SUNday.” And there was a time when man worshiped the SUN:

“…with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; they worshipped the SUN…” ~ Ezekiel 8:16

Throughout history, from the time of Adam and Eve until most of our grandparents (or at least most of our great grandparents), exposure to the sun was an almost daily experience as men and women labored in the sunlight for their food as mankind grew his own food and as gardeners, were naturally exposed to the sun’s rays almost on a daily basis. Then came World War II, when many of these farm folks, especially the women folk, left the farms for the factories, as their men went off to war. As a result, most of these farm people lost contact with the sun because they were living and working mostly indoors where exposure to the sun was nearly impossible. This lack of exposure to the sun’s rays became even more pronounced when doctors told men and women, as well as their children, that they should avoid sun exposure for fear of developing melanoma cancers. Then the manufacturers of sunscreens told us we must use their products to protect ourselves from the sun’s harmful rays. All these events have taken us further and further away from natural sun exposure, and as a result we have seen a serious deterioration in the health of the people. But now, we are just beginning to realize that exposing our skin to the sun is an absolute essential if we are to protect ourselves from germs, viruses, bacteria and cancers, so that we could experience the ultimate health God designed for mankind.

Science Is Finally Catching Up With God

Vitamin D, produced by the sun as it strikes the skin, may be the single most powerful protector of the body’s health. The way this works is that the raw material the body needs to produce essential Vitamin D3 are provided by the UVB rays of the sun shining on the exposed skin of the body. God knew what He was doing when He created that first man (Adam), placed him in a garden, where daily exposure to the sun took place. Then after the “fall” God told Adam he would henceforth have to earn his bread by the “sweat of thy face” as he labored in the sun to remove the weeds “thorns and thistles” from the garden. (See Genesis 3:18-19) This time spent in the garden to produce his food required long periods of sun exposure and this exposure to the sun provided the body with vitamin D3, which in turn empowered the immune system to protect the body from germs, viruses, bacteria, and cancers. Yes, God had it right from the very beginning. Too bad man has been such a slow learner!

What We Have Recently Learned about Vitamin D3

When the UVB rays of the sun strike the skin, they trigger biochemical reactions in the deeper cells that generate huge amounts of vitamin D. Careful sun exposure causes the skin to tan which provides a natural sunscreen and reduces the amount of vitamin D being produced, thus preventing an overdose. However, excessive sun exposure before tanning takes place can cause the burning of the skin which is dangerous, and must be guarded against. Before vitamin D from the sun can do its intended task within the body, it must first be converted into its biologically active form. The kidneys are the primary organ that accomplishes this. After this conversion, the body is able to recognize and use this vitamin. Once vitamin D is active in the cells, its primary role is to help regulate body functions on the level of gene transcription, the process by which genetic information is copied from DNA to RNA. Vitamin D has a tremendous effect on the genes and telling them what to do. For instance, adequate vitamin D is essential for healthy skin and hair growth. If vitamin D is lacking, it can result in an autoimmune reaction that makes a person’s hair fall out or the disruption of skin pigmentation. Many are experiencing excessive hair loss today because of inadequate levels of vitamin D, as well as a lack of healthy oils being in the diet. Because so many cells throughout the body are dependent on Vitamin D in order to carry out their intended tasks, adequate vitamin D is a necessity for long term survival. This activated vitamin D in the skin turns on antioxidants and these antioxidants, in turn, deactivate free radicals. This is the body’s natural defense mechanism, and it works very well for over 90% of people if the process is not interfered with by man’s use of sunblock or aversion to sun exposure. The body depends on Vitamin D to help launch an immune system response to foreign invaders. For instance, immune cells use Vitamin D to produce germ-killing compounds called cathelicidin, which in turn kills bacteria. Without Vitamin D the immune system is incapable of performing its God-given task. This sunshine vitamin suppresses excessive and inappropriate behavior of immune cells, thus helping to reduce inflammation. A solid case has been made that adequate vitamin D is crucial in preventing excessive inflammation, which is a part of all aging diseases. Vitamin D has also been shown to not only help prevent such problems as arthritis, autoimmune diseases, type I diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease, but also to improve these conditions. There is not a drug on the market that can perform these tasks.

Lack of Vitamin D Allows Cancers to Grow

When cancer strikes, it implies that cell division is out of control, and just as we learned vitamin D is needed by immune cells so that they don’t become hyperactive, so also is vitamin D necessary to help regulate cell growth. Recent research reveals that vitamin D partners with the antioxidant defense system to help clear the body of free radicals, thereby protecting them from DNA damage that can lead to inappropriate mutation. Vitamin D is smart, smart enough to know enough not to protect cancer cells. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center had this to say about Vitamin D:

“Our findings reflect what we see in those studies and demonstrate that vitamin D not only can be used as a therapy for prostate cancer, it can actually prevent prostate cancer from happening.”

Recent colon cancer research reveals that vitamin D turns on death signals in colon cancer cells and works synergistically with calcium to help prevent colon cancer cells from spreading. A German study reported on in the American Journal of Epidemiology has proven that low levels of vitamin D in premenopausal women are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Vitamin D is quite possibly the most powerful weapon that exists to protect the body from cancer development by preventing maverick cells from mutating into cancer cells. In light of these findings, some doctors are beginning to give cancer patients massive doses of vitamin D in an effort to assist the body in its battle to naturally overcome the cancer.

Vitamin D Deficiency Involved in Diabetes

It is common knowledge that vitamin D helps in the release of insulin from the pancreas. Thus a lack of vitamin D increases the risk for type 1 diabetes and is likely involved with the insulin and leptin resistance that eventually leads to type 2 diabetes. Those who live in Finland, where the rays of the sun are very weak, find that the risk of type 1 diabetes increases 400%. A birth-cohort study in Oulu and Lapland, Finland reveals that children who consistently took 2000 IU of vitamin D3 daily had a 78% reduction risk of type 1 diabetes. Correcting vitamin D deficiency in people who are overweight has been shown to help prevent type 2 diabetes, too. If a person is struggling with their weight or the health of their pancreas this may be an indication that there is a deficiency of vitamin D.

Vitamin D Adequacy Necessary for Heart Health

Researchers at the University of Michigan have nicknamed vitamin D “the heart tranquilizer” because it helps keep the heart from working too hard and swelling in size. Their findings indicate that the sunshine vitamin can even help prevent heart failure. Blood flow to the extremities has also been shown to improve when vitamin D levels are adequate, helping to improve what researchers call peripheral artery disease (PAD). When scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York evaluated 4,839 adults, they found those with the best vitamin D levels had the least amount of PAD.

Vitamin D Affects Brain Health

In older adults, low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with depression. An interesting study chaired by Marian L. Evatt, MD, of the Emory University School of Medicine and the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center compared vitamin D levels in older Americans with Parkinson’s’ disease. The study revealed 55% of them had low levels of vitamin D. “Vitamin D3 also enhances brain health by controlling inflammation and interacting with brain cells themselves” says Dr. Russell Blaylock in the September 2014 issue of the “The Blaylock Report.”

Conclusion

Government recommendations for vitamin D intake are much too low, especially during the winter months when even if the body is exposed to sunlight, in most latitudes there is simply not enough sunshine to provide adequate levels of vitamin D. Therefore it is imperative that a supplemental form of vitamin D be taken on a daily basis in order to keep the immune system functioning optimally. Rhonda and this editor take 5000 IU of vitamin D3 daily year-round. Sometimes in the summertime, if our bodies are receiving a lot of sun from our beach walks and outdoor activities, we will stop taking vitamin D3 supplements for a time. Children need 1,000 to 2,000 IU daily, while dark-skinned people need a greater amount of sun exposure or supplemental vitamin D3. If you choose to supplement, make sure it is with vitamin D3 and not with vitamin D2 which does not offer the same protection. (D2 is not the active form though it is often prescribed by physicians.) Next week, the good Lord willing and if the creeks don’t rise too high we will return with another exciting issue of the Hallelujah Health Tip. Trust you will join us and that you will share these Health Tips with friends and loved ones.