I can't recommend this guy's stuff enough. He's a great, sensible, and thought-provoking writer, and you'll seldom go wrong with what he suggests.
"Accumulating data have provided evidence that vitamin D is involved in
brain function. Vitamin D can inhibit the synthesis of inducible nitric
oxide synthase and increase glutathione levels, suggesting a role for the
hormone in brain detoxification.
The study shows that vitamin D helps remove mercury from your body
safely by radically increasing the amount of intracellular glutathione.
Neuroprotective and immunomodulatory effects of this hormone have also
been described in several experimental models, indicating the potential
value of vitamin D in helping neurodegenerative and neuroimmune diseases. In
addition, vitamin D induces glioma cell death, making the hormone of
potential interest in the management of brain tumors.
These results reveal previously unsuspected roles for vitamin D in
brain function and suggest possible areas of future research.
Sources:
a.. Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism April 2002,Volume 13,
Issue 3, 1, Pages 100-105
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
The mounting scientific discoveries about the tremendous health impact
of vitamin D are nothing short of a revolution within the field of medicine.
It's turning out to be so vital for so many of your biological functions
that a future revision of the official guidelines on sun exposure is
virtually guaranteed. It's only a matter of time.
But there's no reason for you to sit around and wait. The evidence is
already overwhelming; you absolutely need a certain amount of unprotected,
full-body sun exposure if you want to be optimally healthy.
Every week, more research is being published about the health benefits
of vitamin D. For example, it's already been found that vitamin D can
prevent or treat:
a.. Infections and inflammation
b.. 16 types of cancer
c.. Depression and neurological disorders
d.. Cold and flu
e.. Diabetes
f.. Osteoporosis
g.. Tuberculosis
And that's the short-short list.
This latest paper published in Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism
describes how scientists are now beginning to realize vitamin D is involved
in maintaining the health of your brain as well, as they've recently
discovered vitamin D receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and central
nervous system.
There's even evidence indicating vitamin D improves your brain's
detoxification process.
Vitamin D helps remove mercury from your body safely by radically
increasing the amount of intracellular glutathione.
For those of you who are beginning to wonder whether the multitude of
vitamin D discoveries amount to nothing but hype, or perhaps even some sort
of scientific error, let me explain how it can be that vitamin D is involved
in so many different health aspects. Because if you understand the basic
science of vitamin D, then you can understand its true potential.
How Can Vitamin D Be So Influential?
As Dr. Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council, explains so well in
my upcoming Inner Circle interview with him; if you understand that vitamin
D is not a vitamin, but rather the only known substrate for a powerful
repair and maintenance steroid hormone that is involved in numerous
functions of your body and organs, then you can begin to see the bigger
picture.
Additionally, if you understand that, like all steroid hormones, it
regulates your body by turning your genes on or off, and that you have about
2,000 genes that are directly influenced by vitamin D, then you will be able
to wrap your mind around the fact that vitamin D may in fact have as many as
2,000 or more mechanisms of action within your body!
This is the fundamental principle that explains why the same
substance, vitamin D, can be involved in, and have a major impact on all the
diseases of civilization. It all depends on which gene is being up- or
down-regulated by the presence, or absence, of vitamin D.
Why the Current Guidelines on Sun Exposure are Catastrophic to Your
Health
It has been clearly established that the only way for your body to
synthesize vitamin D is in your skin once it's exposed to ultraviolet rays
from the sun. Hence, the current guidelines to avoid sun exposure, and the
fervent pushing of sunscreen, are perhaps some of the most misguided and
dangerous health recommendations out there.
You simply cannot obtain sufficient amounts of vitamin D from your
diet, as you were never designed to swallow vitamin D but get it from the
sun. This would, of course exclude taking a vitamin D supplement, for which
the government recommended daily allowance (RDA) is still FAR too low to
offer any significant health benefits or contribute to disease reduction.
Consider this; In the summertime, when you put on your bathing suit
and sunbathe for 30 minutes, your body produces about 20,000 IUs of vitamin
D; as much as exists in 200 glasses of milk, or the equivalent of about 50
multivitamins!
Meanwhile, the current RDA for vitamin D, developed by the Food and
Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of The National Academies, is
miserably insufficient as it is only:
a.. 200 IU for people aged 14-50
b.. 400 IU for people aged 51-70
c.. 600 IU for people over 71
Folks, there's simply no way to reap any benefit whatsoever from these
abysmally low amounts.
Lately, I've reported extensively on the subject of vitamin D and its
health ramifications. If you've missed any of my previous articles
outlining:
a.. safe tanning practices
b.. how much sun exposure you really need
c.. the truth about sunshine exposure and melanoma
d.. why you should NOT use commercial sunscreens
e.. why sun exposure is far preferable to oral vitamin D supplements
f.. which type of vitamin D to chose if you decide to take a
supplement
g.. how much vitamin D you should really take to reap the benefits,
and
h.. vital information you need to know about getting your vitamin D
levels tested
then please take a moment to review them now.
You can also check out my Vitamin D Resource Page, which offers links
to the most important pages, and sources for even more information on this
life saver."
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