After studying global data from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, researchers have discovered a strong correlation between severe vitamin D deficiency and mortality rates.
According to the Northwestern Research study, patients with severe Vitamin D deficiency are twice as likely to experience severe complications, including death.
As I have stated in my previous Blog, the primary defense against COVID-19 is a person’s own immune system, which explains why people with compromised immune systems are most at risk. Unfortunately, there are certain risk factors that make certain people predisposed to the coronavirus that are difficult or impossible to eliminate: old age, obesity, and diabetes. However, no matter who you are or what risk factor you are dealing with, it is recommended that a person incorporate vitamin D3 on a daily basis. Therefore, we have put together a Vitamin D Bundle and we recommend reading these important diet habits to implement for a healthy immune system, click here.
In order to maximize the effectiveness of vitamin D, please note the following:
1) Avoid vitamin D in gelcaps or liquid vitamin D. In spite of a general belief, vitamin D is not a fat soluble vitamin, it is a prohormone. Oil impairs the absorption of vitamin D to a significant degree. Look for vitamin D3 in powder form encased in a capsule. Dosage should be between 10,000-20,000 IU of D3 per day.
2) When taking vitamin D, you also need to take vitamin K2 in the MK-7 form. This prevents vitamin D from putting calcium into blood vessels, and vitamin K2 takes calcium out of blood vessels and puts it into bone.Take a minimum of 180 mcg of K2.
3) Sufficient levels of magnesium are required for vitamin D to work. And since magnesium has so many benefits for the body, it would be wise to supplement it.
4) It is important to understand that we can no longer enhance vitamin D levels with sunlight. However, in the old days, 10-20 minutes of sunshine actually provided 10-20,000 IU of vitamin D.
5) Summer is almost here, so please note that 10,000 IU of D3 will prevent your getting a sunburn, and will prevent skin cancer at the same time.
Additional benefits of D3:
A therapeutic strength of vitamin D3 will not only prevent every flu, but most colds as well. At the same time, vitamin D3 has been shown to prevent about 26 different cancers, with breast cancer at the top of the list. In high doses it prevents Type II diabetes, prevents dementia, helps with depression, and prevents and helps to eliminate osteoporosis. It is important to appreciate the fact that every cell in the body has a vitamin D receptor site.
Normal vitamin D levels are stated to be between 30 and 100. My feeling is they don't really know what a normal level of vitamin D should be. As I previously mentioned, it appears that most of us have lost the ability to convert sunlight into vitamin D. Studies done in Hawaii and Costa Rica have shown that residents there all have low vitamin D levels. In my own practice in Southern California I have never had a patient with a normal vitamin D level who was not taking vitamin D.
Over the years, I have routinely recommended 10 to 15,000 units per day in thousands of my patients and have never had anyone develop any side effects. They all had blood levels greater than 100. Since our medical boards do not allow preventive medicine in this country, not surprisingly, the Institute of Medicine recommends doses no greater than 400 to 600 units per day. This dosage prevents every benefit offered by vitamin D3 except for bone health.
Recommended dose: 10-20,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day, and 180-360 mcg of vitamin K2 (MK-7).
Taking two Vitamin D3 5,000 IU plus one Ultra K will give you 15,000 IU per day of D3 and is a two month supply.
If you get a cold while on vitamin D3, take 10 capsules of D3 or one capsule of Vitamin D3 Max (50,000 IU) and it will knock the cold out in one hour.
If you have any questions, please email me directly at questions@plattwellness.com.
Be safe and healthy!
Dr. Michael E. Platt
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Dr. Michael E. Platt has been board-certified in internal medicine. He has an office in Palm Desert, CA, devoted to wellness, hormones and supplement online store plattwellness.com. Dr. Platt provides answers to questions directly at questions@plattwellness.com. He is known nationally and internationally as a specialist in bio-identical hormones. He is also the author of “The Miracle of Bio-identical Hormones” and “The Platt Protocol for Hormone Balancing” – a wellness manual for healthcare practitioners.