vitamin D levels Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Vitamin D Deficiency Fuels Autoimmune Conditions, Dysregulating Immune Function

The AHA! Team — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 05:12:13 +0000

Lance D Johnson via Natural News – Autoimmune diseases have surged in lockstep with declining vitamin D levels, exposing a troubling paradox: as modern medicine advances, immune dysregulation grows more prevalent. Vitamin D transcends its common label as the “sunshine vitamin” by serving as a cornerstone of immune function and systemic health. Surprisingly, nearly one-third of Americans suffer from dangerously low levels, leaving them vulnerable to chronic illness. Recent scientific investigations highlight how this unseen deficiency exacerbates autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, while also amplifying systemic inflammation. Beyond individual health, this crisis reflects broader societal failures — corporate interests have vilified sun exposure, public health policies neglect nutritional education, and modern lifestyles deprive people of natural vitamin D synthesis. Far from accidental, this deficiency epidemic highlights a troubling disconnect between our biological needs and the systems shaping our daily lives. Key points: Vitamin D regulates immune function, distinguishing between healthy cells and pathogens while suppressing inflammatory markers linked to autoimmunity. Deficiency escalates autoimmune risks, with studies showing 55% of rheumatoid arthritis patients and 42% of lupus sufferers lack sufficient levels. Low vitamin D correlates with MS progression, as every 10 ng/ml drop increases neuronal damage by 15%. Women face heightened vulnerability, with hormonal imbalances and conditions like PCOS exacerbating deficiency. Daily supplementation (5,000 IU) is essential to counteract food scarcity and sun deprivation. Vitamin D as the immune system’s master regulator Vitamin D is not merely a passive nutrient; it actively trains the immune system to distinguish between healthy cells and foreign pathogens. It accomplishes this by modulating inflammatory responses and suppressing autoimmune reactions. For instance, vitamin D promotes the production of regulatory T-cells, which act as immune peacekeepers by preventing misguided attacks on the body’s own tissues. Without sufficient levels, these protective mechanisms falter, allowing inflammation to spiral unchecked. Studies demonstrate that low vitamin D correlates with elevated autoimmune risks — 55% of rheumatoid arthritis patients and 42% of lupus patients exhibit significant deficiencies. Similarly, multiple sclerosis progression accelerates with each 10 ng/ml drop in vitamin D levels, increasing neuronal damage by 15-32%. Given these findings, maintaining optimal vitamin D status is not optional — it is a critical defense against immune dysfunction. The autoimmune crisis and vitamin D’s protective role Autoimmune diseases have surged in lockstep with declining vitamin D levels, exposing a troubling paradox: as modern medicine advances, immune dysregulation grows more prevalent. Functional medicine experts, such as Dr. Jennifer Bourgeois, emphasize that vitamin D deficiency disrupts immune tolerance — an essential process that prevents the body from attacking itself. Research published in Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology confirms that rheumatoid arthritis patients disproportionately suffer from insufficient vitamin D, while lupus studies reveal similar trends. Multiple sclerosis patients with low vitamin D levels face faster disease progression and more severe brain lesions. This data underscores vitamin D’s role in quelling inflammatory cytokines — molecules that fuel autoimmune destruction. To reverse this crisis, proactive intervention is essential, starting with widespread supplementation and sunlight exposure. Corporate interests, sunlight phobia and systemic sabotage Decades of corporate messaging have falsely demonized sun exposure, branding it as inherently dangerous while ignoring its role in vitamin D synthesis. The beauty and pharmaceutical industries have profited from this fear, aggressively marketing sunscreens and indoor lifestyles that disrupt natural vitamin D production. Dr. Katie Golden highlights the consequences: Over 20 million Americans now struggle with autoimmune conditions, many linked to chronic deficiency. Compounding the issue, modern dietary trends fail to fill this gap — breast milk often lacks sufficient vitamin D, and children weaned onto nutrient-poor juices risk deficiency early in life. Even vaccinations lose efficacy in individuals with low vitamin D, illustrating its broader immunological impact. Corporate profits from cosmetics and sunscreen overshadow an inconvenient truth: many beauty products contain toxins linked to autoimmune disease, while vitamin D itself helps detoxify such harmful compounds. A roadmap to recovery: Rebuilding immunity through vitamin D Restoring vitamin D to optimal levels — ideally above 50 ng/ml — requires daily supplementation, ideally 5,000 IU or more. While nutrient-dense foods like grass-fed liver and fatty fish offer support, modern lifestyles make supplementation indispensable. For women, addressing deficiency is particularly urgent; sufficient vitamin D halves breast cancer risk and mitigates conditions like PCOS. Despite these benefits, conventional medicine often overlooks deficiency’s role in disorders ranging from autism to diabetes. Functional medicine experts stress that autoimmune disease is not inevitable — rather, it results from systemic neglect of foundational health strategies. By prioritizing vitamin D replenishment, individuals can reclaim immune resilience and break the cycle of chronic illness. The solution lies not in passive acceptance but in proactive self-advocacy, demanding better public health policies and rejecting corporate-driven misinformation about sunlight and supplementation. The vitamin D crisis is a preventable epidemic rooted in misinformation and profit-driven health policies. Autoimmune disorders, chronic inflammation, and rising disease burdens need not be inevitable — they reflect measurable nutritional gaps. Achieving widespread immune resilience requires rejecting fear-based narratives about sun exposure, embracing supplementation when necessary, and demanding transparency from industries that prioritize profits over health. Sources include: MindBodyGreen.com Pubmed.gov Pubmed.gov To read the original article, click here

The post Vitamin D Deficiency Fuels Autoimmune Conditions, Dysregulating Immune Function appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

Sunshine Lowers Cancer Risk?

AHA Publisher — Mon, 17 May 2021 07:00:33 +0000

Al Sears MD – [F]or years I’ve been reminding my patients that getting natural vitamin D from the sun is one of the best all-around cancer-fighters. A new study confirms… Spending Time Outdoors LOWERS Your Risk of Cancer According to this latest study, researchers report that spending 20 years or more working outside in the sun actually REDUCED a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.1 Researchers looked at 38,375 women under the age of 70 who were diagnosed with the disease. Then they compared each patient to five control patients who were all born the same year. Full employment history was reviewed. The researchers were stunned to find that not only was there no association with working outside in the sunlight to overall breast cancer risk… But that long-term occupational exposure was associated with a 17% reduced risk of breast cancer after age 50. These Danish scientists may have been surprised. But I’m not. In fact, studies show that the “sunshine” vitamin can:2,3,4,5,6 Target the genes responsible for cancer-cell proliferation Change cancer cells into normal cells Stop cancer cells from multiplying into tumors Help prevent certain cancers from spreading Regulate your immune response to cancer Prevent up to 17 different types of cancer, including prostate, bladder, uterine, and stomach Vitamin D can even prolong the lives of existing cancer patients. These findings from Denmark were published only a few weeks after another study looked at human migration over the last 500 years. This research, published by Oxford University, found that as people moved from areas of intense sunlight to regions where sunlight was low, the number of people with a vitamin D deficiency surged.7 In America, that number is almost 70%.8 In addition to cancer, a vitamin D deficiency increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, colds and viruses, depression, osteoporosis, and all-cause mortality. To overcome a vitamin D shortfall and improve almost every aspect of health, I advise my patients to get plenty of sunshine. To get the most vitamin D in the least amount of time, I recommend getting outside between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. That’s when the sun is highest and rays are strongest so you can get some good exposure over a short time. As little as 10 minutes in the midday sun can give you 10,000 IU of vitamin D. Boost Your Cancer-Fighting D Levels But sitting in the sun isn’t the only way to boost this vitamin… I also recommend that you: Eat sun-dried mushrooms. Next to sunlight, this is your best source of vitamin D. When shitake mushrooms are placed in the sun for six hours, their vitamin D levels skyrocket – from 110 IU per 100 grams to 46,000! The best source of D after the sun. Next to sunlight, cod liver oil is the best source of vitamin D, providing 1,360 IUs in just a single teaspoon per day. If cod liver oil isn’t your thing, increase the amount of wild-caught fatty fish you eat. Salmon, tuna, herring, and anchovies are good sources. Don’t skip the yolk. But do choose pasture-raised eggs. Compared to conventionally raised chickens, eggs from free range chickens have four times more vitamin D. D3 Power in a Pill. Choose a vitamin D3 supplement called cholecalciferol, which is identical to the vitamin D3 that your body produces. Be sure to avoid the synthetic, less potent and less absorbable vitamin D2 form you find in many multivitamins. Get between 5,000 and 10,000 IUs a day. [i] Pedersen J, et al. “Occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet B radiation and risk of subtypes of breast cancer in Danish women.” Occup Environ Med. 2021 Apr;78(4):286-292. [ii] Johnson CS, et al. “Vitamin D-related therapies in prostate cancer.” Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2002;21(2):147-58. [iii] Maruyama R, et al. “Comparative genome analysis identifies the vitamin D receptor gene as a direct target of p53-mediated transcriptional activation.” Cancer Res. 2006;66(9):4574-4583. [iv] Aranow C. “Vitamin D and the immune system.” J Investig Med. 2011;59(6):881–886. [v] Shokravi MT, et al. “Vitamin D inhibits angiogenesis in transgenic murine retinoblastoma.” Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1995;36(1):83-87. [vi] Lappe JM, et al. “Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;85(6):1586-1591 [vii] Andersen T, et al. “Historical migration and contemporary health.” (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model) [viii] Tovey A. “Are we currently amid a vitamin D pandemic?” Vitamin D Council. November 18, 2016. Accessed May 14, 2018. This article has been modified. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Al Sears, MD click here.

The post Sunshine Lowers Cancer Risk? appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

Some Medical Experts Say Vitamin D Deficiency Can Increase Dangers from COVID-19

AHA Publisher — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 08:00:11 +0000

Andrea Morris via CBN News – Vitamin D is known for its essential role in human health but now medical experts are studying the ways it can help slow the spread of COVID-19. Multiple studies have been conducted to examine the vitamin D level in COVID-19 patients and the impact it has on disease severity. Vitamin D level is markedly low in severe COVID-19 patients One study in the journal Nature states, “The fatality rate was high in vitamin D deficient (21% vs 3.1%). Vitamin D level is markedly low in severe COVID-19 patients. Inflammatory response is high in vitamin D deficient COVID-19 patients. This all translates into increased mortality in vitamin D deficient COVID-19 patients.” Researchers in Roma, Texas administered vitamin D tests to city employees and discovered that 95 percent of adults working there had extremely low levels of vitamin D, KRGV-News reports. “Because they are dangerously low, they place everyone around them at higher risk of catching COVID-19 from them,” said Roma family Dr. Raymond Mussett. “This is something we can correct for literally pennies a day with a supplement you can buy at the grocery store or on the internet.” “We recommend 30,000 units per day of vitamin D3 for 14 days” “Everyone 15-years-old and above and all children who are one hundred pounds or greater – we recommend 30,000 units per day of vitamin D3 for 14 days,” Dr. Mussett added. Be sure to consult your own physician before taking high dosages of any supplement. According to KRGV, the lowest vitamin D levels are typically found in Hispanics, African-Americans, and people with underlying medical conditions. Last September, a Boston University doctor said an ample amount of vitamin D can reduce the risk of contracting coronavirus by 54 percent. The Boston Herald reported that Dr. Michael Holick, professor of medicine, physiology, and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine, and his colleagues studied blood samples from more than 190,000 Americans in all 50 states. The findings revealed that those with low levels of vitamin D had a 54 percent higher risk of testing positive for COVID versus those with sufficient levels of vitamin D in their blood. “People have been looking for the magic drug or waiting for the vaccine and not looking for something this simple,” explained Dr. Holick. “The higher your vitamin D status, lower was your risk.” And Holick reiterated that vitamin D-deficiency can be corrected with sunshine and supplemental pills. Medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are closely linked to low vitamin D levels “It’s considered to be, by many, the nutrient of the decade,” Holick added. “Vitamin D definitely improves your overall immunity to fight infections.” Medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are closely linked to low vitamin D levels, said Dr. Hans Konrad Biesalski, a professor at the University of Hohenheim who has assessed vitamin D and COVID-19. “It looks like patients with a poor vitamin D status may have more severe COVID-19,” he told Healthline. Dr. Holick organized an additional study where he found that COVID-19 patients with suitable vitamin D levels had a 51.5 percent lower risk of dying from the disease, along with a substantially reduced risk for complications. “COVID-19 patients with suitable vitamin D levels had a 51.5 percent lower risk of dying from the disease” “Very low vitamin D status has lots of negative consequences and this could be the case for COVID-19, but that’s not the same as saying that routine vitamin D supplementation will prevent severe infection,” Holick told Healthline. To read the original article click here.

The post Some Medical Experts Say Vitamin D Deficiency Can Increase Dangers from COVID-19 appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.