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Oz-
01-26-2010, 04:23 PM
New Charles Poliquin article


Vitamin D3: Best...Supplement...Ever!

The facts about one of the greatest discoveries in functional medicine
by Charles Poliquin

An osteopathic physician recently asked me, “What’s with all this hype over vitamin D3?” It was a good question. There have been countless supplements, especially in the field of bodybuilding, that have failed to live up to their promises. I remember when the next big things were AKG, vanadyl sulfate and boron (which, incidentally, is the primary ingredient in 20 Mule Team Borax!). But vitamin D3 is the real deal. Write this down:

“Vitamin D3 may be the single most important supplement we can take for our health.”

I’m serious! Fish oil also has amazing properties, but it takes a backseat to vitamin D3. Listen, I get a lot of feedback from the field. I hear from experts from all over the world. There is consensus among the best practitioners: They have verified over and over that just about everyone is deficient in vitamin D3 and that supplementation is essential.

The evidence is indisputable. The scientific literature is overwhelmed with data that confirm what all these experts have seen. I see the truth of it every day and have been teaching about the importance of vitamin D3 supplementation for some time now. The bottom line is that virtually every disease and adverse health condition is associated with low vitamin D3 levels. Consequently, many of these problems may be fixed with adequate vitamin D3 supplementation, or can be avoided by keeping vitamin D3 levels in the high normal range.

For a long time vitamin D3 was simply regarded as the anti-rickets and bone health vitamin – an underwhelming bit of knowledge. Because it was originally labeled as a vitamin, it was assumed that it wasn’t that important. Now it is more properly recognized as a prohormone that is essential to life. Even if it were only good for bone health, vitamin D3 still would be an important supplement, but the benefits go way beyond just bone health.

Let’s look at this in another way. What if a big pharmaceutical company made a revolutionary breakthrough and announced they had come across a compound so important that it could improve the lives of virtually everyone in the world? What if they told us that for less than 20 cents a day (or about 0.15 Euro) we could significantly reduce our risk for some of the most widespread diseases? What if they also announced that the side effects were actually good and that we would receive all these benefits without any real risk of adverse conditions? And that we wouldn’t even need governmental intervention to make it affordable? The answer is that this would be the biggest blockbuster drug ever to hit the market. Everyone would want a prescription and wouldn’t even mind paying for it themselves.

I’d like you to consider some of the research and benefits and make your own decision. Don’t just skim this; read through it and understand what’s being said in the research. The two best sources I’ve found have compiled a tremendous amount of research and information: www.vitamindcouncil.org (click on “research” on the left and you will be amazed) and www.vitamindhealth.org (Dr. Michael Holick’s website). But to get you started, here are some excellent, peer-reviewed articles.

1. Rickets, bone density, osteoporosis, osteopenia, osteomalacia: Low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteopenia and fractures. JAMA. 2002;287:3127-3129.

2. Fetal brain development and maternal health: Med Hypotheses. 2010 Jan;74(1):71-5. Epub 2009 Aug 18.

3. Psoriasis: “Hyperproliferative skin disorders such as psoriasis might be responsive to treatment with vitamin D....” “[Treatment with vitamin D] …showed great improvement in reducing the severity and area of psoriatic lesions.” Holick, MF. High prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy and implications for health. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2006 Mar;81(3):353-73.

4. Cancer: “Both prospective and retrospective epidemiologic studies indicate that levels of 25-OH D below 20 ng [nanograms] per milliliter are associated with a 30 to 50% increased risk of incident colon, prostate, and breast cancer, along with higher mortality from these cancers....” “Vitamin D either directly or indirectly controls more than 200 genes, including genes responsible for the regulation of cellular proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis.” Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(3):266-81.

5. Blood sugar regulation and insulin resistance: “Vitamin D deficiency increased insulin resistance, decreased insulin production, and was associated with the metabolic syndrome.” Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(3):266-81.

6. Depression and other neurological concerns: “Several studies suggest an association between hypovitaminosis D and basic and executive cognitive functions, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.” Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2009 Feb;11(1):12-9.

7. Multiple Sclerosis: “High circulating levels of vitamin D are associated with a lower risk of multiple sclerosis.” JAMA. 2006;296:2832.

8. Immune function: “When serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D fall below 20 ng per milliliter, the monocyte or macrophage is prevented from initiating this innate immune response” Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(3):266-81.

9. Cold, flu, and respiratory tract infection: shortened duration of symptoms in study of African women.

10. Symptoms associated with autoimmune conditions: Vitamin D deficiency affects the immune system’s capacity to self-regulate and can therefore lead to tissue damage via overproduction of potentially pathogenic cytokines.

11. Hypertension and congestive heart failure: “In a study of patients with hypertension who were exposed to ultraviolet B radiation three times a week for 3 months, 25-OH D levels increased by approximately 180% and blood pressure became normal.” “Vitamin D deficiency is associated with congestive heart failure.” Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(3):266-81.

12. Muscle mass and strength: “Vitamin D deficiency causes muscle weakness.” “Performance speed and proximal muscle strength were markedly improved when 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels increase from 4 to 16 ng per milliliter (10 to 40 nmol [nanomole] per liter) and continued to improve as the levels increase to more than 40ng per milliliter (100 nmol per liter). Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(3):266-81.

13. Weight Loss: “For every increase of 1 ng/mL in level of 25-OH D3, subjects ended up losing almost 0.2 kg more on their calorie-restricted diet.” Shalamar Sibley, prepublication report for the Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Meeting.

14. And even longevity, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, thyroid conditions…

...and this just scratches the surface of the research!

Now the question becomes “How do I get my vitamin D3 to optimal levels?” This is the best part, since it’s very easy to fix vitamin D3 deficiency. There are a couple of different approaches that have been shown to work very well. One way is to just supplement with 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day and it’s likely your levels will be at least in the normal range within about three months, but remember, high normal is better than mid normal. Expect it to take another couple of months to reach high normal.

Another approach, which I prefer, is to supplement twice per week with about 30,000 to 100,000 IU of D3. Based on the research and clinical evidence, this method seems to accelerate the increase in blood levels of 25(OH) D3 (the marker that should be tested for). Although the kidneys still need to convert 25(OH) D3 into 1.25(OH)2 D3, the relevant lab value is 25(OH) D3. You should be shooting to get your levels between 80 and 100 ng/mL.

Now let’s go back to our “what if” scenario and ask the question again: What if there were one natural supplement that had been shown in scientific research to improve bone health, improve the development of babies’ brains, reduce the incidence of skin problems like psoriasis, prevent or remedy multiple sclerosis, reduce the risk of cancer, improve blood sugar levels and reduce insulin resistance, improve neurological conditions including depression and bipolar disorder, enhance immune defense against cold, flu and other infections, lower blood pressure and protect the heart, improve muscle function, increase the ability to lose bodyfat and even help people live longer? What if that compound existed and could be manufactured properly at a very affordable price? I’m happy to give you an answer that is not hypothetical and that you can believe: Vitamin D3 is, literally, the best supplement ever!

LadyLuck
01-26-2010, 04:32 PM
Great Read!
its incredible how uninformed people are about Vitamins these days and how important they are to us on a daily basis.

max_boost
01-26-2010, 05:42 PM
So if my USANA vitamins say that I'm getting 900IU (225% of daily value) then I'm good.

:D

redsrt4
01-26-2010, 06:33 PM
im taking this vitamine d3 2000iu everydady.. + fish oil and vitamine c-1000mg.. love it,, never get sick

wintonyk
01-31-2010, 01:26 AM
nutra sea has a omega 3 +d that awesome.

There is a great book called the Vit D revolution.

DC and ADA have not reevaluated their Vit RDA recently. So they still say 400 iu. This will prevent rickets but not show these other benefits.

The best part to is Vit D is dirt cheap. 1000 iu is about the equivalent of a grain of salt. So you can buy 180 doses at shoppers in drop form for about 9 bucks.

Oz-
02-01-2010, 12:19 PM
I get mine in liquid form from Costco. It was a 1 litre bottle for less then 10 bucks. Forget the exact price. So it is quite easy to super load to the dosages that Poliquin is talking about on a twice a week basis.

Cos
02-01-2010, 12:42 PM
Can you overdose on it? I don't know of it is water soluble.


Edit: Nevermind.

Can You OD on D?

Yes. But it's unlikely.

Dr. Vieth suggests that critical toxicity may occur at doses of 20,000 IU daily (for many months), and that the Upper Limit (UL) of safety be set at 10,000 IU, rather than the current 2,000 IU.

So while toxicity issues exist, you probably won't have to worry about it when staying at 5000 IU per day or less according to most forward-thinking researchers and nutrition experts.

Gorilla
02-01-2010, 04:25 PM
https://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_nutrition/d_is_for_doping


headline in the Post Chronicle:

"Vitamin D May Allow American Olympians To Dominate In 2012


I take 2000IU daily.

wintonyk
02-02-2010, 12:00 PM
I liked that Tnation article. Alot of good stuff on that site.

colt22
02-03-2010, 04:16 PM
10,000 IU is the magic number here.

LadyLuck
02-03-2010, 04:26 PM
Vitamin D3: 4,000 IU
Vitamin A: 10,000 IU
Omega 3: 3 capsules
Vitamin C: 3,000 IU

every day!

Cos
02-03-2010, 04:29 PM
so you guys who take 10,000 a day. do you take it all at once?

LadyLuck
02-03-2010, 04:40 PM
Originally posted by Cos
so you guys who take 10,000 a day. do you take it all at once?

The Vitamin A comes in a pill form and the pill is 10,000 IU already, tiny little thing.

The D3 comes in 1,000 IU per pill and i take 4-5 of them daily at once.

I take all of them right before bedtime.

colt22
02-03-2010, 04:52 PM
AOR Vitamin D3 is 5,000IU

so 2 a day, but to start i was taking 4 a day.

JAYMEZ
02-03-2010, 04:54 PM
Hrmmmm ive been taking Vit D since i was little ... This article makes it seem likes its the newest greatest thing ever.. Everyone in Calgary should take it during the winter months

Oz-
02-03-2010, 05:17 PM
Originally posted by JAYMEZ
Hrmmmm ive been taking Vit D since i was little ... This article makes it seem likes its the newest greatest thing ever.. Everyone in Calgary should take it during the winter months Of course he is making the newest greatest thing ever...he is marketing himself. Poliquin tends to do that, he is a very polarizing figure.

I have also been taking Vitamin D since I was small, but in what dosages? Not the amount that is now recommended by many of the "experts" and even the studies. The abstracts noted in his article are pretty recent as well (within the last few years).

Colt22 - Check costco for some large volume purchases of it in liquid form.

max_boost
02-03-2010, 07:16 PM
Originally posted by colt22
My mom works with a guy who's dad was is doctor.. The doctor gave him 10,000 IU a day for a few years in an attempt to cure his sons multiple scolorsis.
Long story short the son has MS no longer, totally cured. It is pretty amazing, the guys dad published a few articles and has done tons of research on D3. He says its a miracle vitamin.

My personal experience is that it actually works for bodybuilding, like mentioned in the articles above.
Ive been taking 10,000IU daily and my muscular gains since starting on this supplement jan.1 have been astonishing!. I have always been pretty big and have been able to gain mass easily but since vitamin D supplementation my tone and strength have blown through the roof, I have never been stronger or more toned ever before, my weight has shot up and my fat as plummeted, sounds bizzare but It has got to be the vitamin D.
I take it in vcap form, derived from sheep skin oil, although liquid drops are the better choice.


So basically, yeah this article is 100% accurate, Its insane.. I wish I knew about this earlier!
I feel amazing on vitamin D.. its stupid how drastic the change is.

this should be stickied!!!


note: 10,000 IU is the magic number here.

note2: I get mine from AOR on nationalnutrition.com, if there are any better places ( cheaper) to get the vitamin D3 let me know, thanks!

ORLY! :eek:

So D3 is that hardcore?!!? I am at about 1800IU/day. I should up it to 10,000IU? Doesn't seem hard, if 1 little pill is 5000IU.

I lift 3-4X/week. If it's going to help me get bigger and stronger, why the hell not.

:nut: :dunno:

bmeier
02-04-2010, 02:54 AM
have any of you taking 5000 or more IUs per day had your 25-hydroxyvitamin D tests done? if so can you post your ng/mL numbers?

there are a lot of articles out there explaining the benefits of vitaminD and that supplementation is needed, but it also suggests to have your blood taken every 3 months to find the optimal levels.

I am not really keen on self medicating without results to back up whats being said.

Abeo
02-04-2010, 08:51 AM
I was under doctor's order to take 50,000 IU daily for a week, and then have a maintanance dose of 5,000 IU per day. I take the liquid form (its easier to absorb). I'm going to get before/after blood tests, should be interesting to see what sort of improvement happens with those doses.

I wonder if there is going to be any effect once I get back into lifting :dunno:

xxxazntigerxx
02-04-2010, 11:23 PM
gnc dont sell it or is sold out where can i get a pill that is high dose thanks...

xxxazntigerxx
02-04-2010, 11:48 PM
i got to take a whole bottle i got the 300 ones lol

xxxazntigerxx
02-04-2010, 11:51 PM
wtf lol i was watching youtube and foudn this on vitimin d3 wtf? please exsplain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxE8cRGp5_M&feature=related

xxxazntigerxx
02-05-2010, 12:18 AM
d3 = Cholecalciferol = rat poisin WTF?

Stevo89
02-05-2010, 12:37 AM
Originally posted by xxxazntigerxx
d3 = Cholecalciferol = rat poisin WTF?

No idea about Vit D3 being rat poison, sounds highly unlikely.
However, warfarin used to be used as rat poison a while back :D, just a FYI.

xxxazntigerxx
02-05-2010, 12:44 AM
click that youtube will show you

bmeier
02-05-2010, 12:50 AM
Originally posted by xxxazntigerxx
click that youtube will show you

that youtube vid is put on by 14 year olds and is unwatchable.

Yes, vitamin D3 has been used as rat poison. No you dont have to worry. Its been approved by the FDA for human consumption.

Pretty much any vitamin or mineral taken in large quantities can be toxic, if taken in moderation and with blood tests to back up results it is completely safe.

xxxazntigerxx
02-05-2010, 01:31 AM
so rat poisin is safe lol

xxxazntigerxx
02-05-2010, 01:33 AM
in low doses evry one is saying do 10 000 lol just makin sure you know.

bmeier
02-05-2010, 02:25 AM
personally i think its dumb to start taking 10000 IUs because you read on the internet its ok...

If you want to start taking vitamin d, get a baseline bloodtest then go on 5000 IU for 2 or 3 months then have another test. you can increase or decrease your dose at that point.

Darkane
02-08-2010, 11:56 AM
Originally posted by bmeier
personally i think its dumb to start taking 10000 IUs because you read on the internet its ok...

If you want to start taking vitamin d, get a baseline bloodtest then go on 5000 IU for 2 or 3 months then have another test. you can increase or decrease your dose at that point.

This is the best info yet.

To note Vit D3 is also a fat soluable vitamin. It is much better absorbed in the presence of fat and fewer carbs.

Perfect time to take it would be breakfast with a Lean meat/nuts meal.

Try eating 8-10oz or turkey breast with 1-2oz of raw almonds with 5,000IU of Vit D3 for a couple months and really see the difference.

Rotate the meats/nuts everyday or second day. Important it must be D3, not just "D".

Oz-
03-10-2010, 10:24 AM
http://www.physorg.com/news187187075.html

SilverGS
03-10-2010, 10:30 AM
The 1L Liquid D3 bottle is on sale at Costco at the moment

max_boost
03-10-2010, 12:13 PM
I don't have a Costco membership, where else can I pick some up? Any supplement store?

D3 is D3 right? Doesn't matter the brand? Serious but dumb question. LOL

Also, has anyone taken it since OP posted and your thoughts on it? Has it helped with your training?

mr2mike
03-10-2010, 12:19 PM
Originally posted by colt22
My mom works with a guy who's dad was is doctor.. The doctor gave him 10,000 IU a day for a few years in an attempt to cure his sons multiple scolorsis.
Long story short the son has MS no longer, totally cured. It is pretty amazing, the guys dad published a few articles and has done tons of research on D3. He says its a miracle vitamin.


Positive I've read one of these articles about 6 years ago while recovering from ankle surgery. It was pretty amazing how he basically stopped at nothing to find a cure for his son who was pretty active then started to show signs of MS almost overnight.
Doctors said nothing could be done but could use drugs to reduce the onset.

revelations
07-18-2010, 01:32 PM
Usually when I read about these "miracle" vitamins I tend to dismiss many claims as placebo effects - or the self-fulfilled prophecy variety.

I thought that I'd give it a try and started taking daily D3 (1000iu for now) doses.

Like my other "horse pills", I like to take them in the evening during/after dinner (only because I remember to at that time).

I had to change this to the morning because after I started taking Vitamin D3 I would wake up at 3am... almost buzzing.

I would fall back asleep at like 430am and then wake up at my usual time and notice no ill effects in the morning, and have more energy throughout the day.

I've never had such an immediate, noticeable effect from taking supplements.

Thats my sample group of 1

duaner
07-18-2010, 02:03 PM
I started supplementing with D3 last year at some point but only at about 2000-2400IU per day for winter. Both my wife and I did it and neither of us got sick--no flu, no cold. Sure, a few times we felt like something was "coming on" and the nose got a bit runny or the stomach didn't feel great, but usually the next day we would feel better. So, yeah, I am a believer in D3 supplementation.

I have never noticed an increase in energy. Right now I am taking about 1400IU/day--400 in my multivitamin in the morning and a 1000 pill before bed. I have lowered the dosage for summer since sunlight causes the body to produce its own D (although I think I've read that it is different from D3).

I am leery of taking 10,000IU/day though. It kind of sounds like taking 10 Tylenol because if 1 does the trick, 10 will do it that much better. Of course, acetaminophen and D3 are two very different things, but too much of a good thing can be bad.

I'll have to do more research since I sure could use some help with muscle gains and toning.

Very interesting testimonials though.

traviswithaG
07-18-2010, 02:30 PM
The one article says 15-20 minutes in the sun = 20,000 ui of vitamin D. Someone like me who works out doors is probably receiving the proper amount of vit D?

Tik-Tok
07-18-2010, 02:37 PM
Originally posted by traviswithaG
The one article says 15-20 minutes in the sun = 20,000 ui of vitamin D. so for someone like me who works out doors is receiving the proper amount of vit D?

Yep