Would Vitamin Water and vitamin pills make you do any better on running the school's mile?

Do vitamin D pills make up for never being in the sun?

• I have WHITE WHITE skin hence the fact that I get freckles and moles VERY easily....so I stay out of the sun during peak hours (11a.m.-6p.m.). I always wear long sleeves and pants no matter what the weather is. I bought these vitamin D pills from the store, do you think they will make up for the fact I'm never in the sun? Do I really need the sun? Cuzz the only sun I get is the sunlight that comes through the windows when I am indoors.

• Answer:

  I would attempt to get some sun *after* you optimize your vitD levels - There is theories that with optimized vitD, skin problems - like burning, freckles, moles, probably cancer, etc - don't occur - it's still at the hypothetical stage, but it does make sense to me. I would suggest you get sun on the back & head (hair) then try not to wash it for 48 hours - I fear that the sun provides much more than what is artificially created in a pill. Windows filter out the needed rays (but not the bad ones) Vitamin D3 is not a vitamin at all but a necessary hormone that effects the immune system, bones & nearly every aspect of health. Having low Vitamin D levels greatly increases risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, MS & being deficient can create or greatly exacerbate health problems. Many researchers claim that optimized vitamin D levels are more effective than a flu shot in preventing viral infections. Vitamin D3 deficiency has become an epidemic, probably because people are washing daily. If you wash skin exposed to the sun within 48 hours, you wash off the oils where the vitamin D production starts. In northern latitudes (above that of Atlanta, Georgia) the sun is at too low an angle for half the year to provide sufficient UV radiation. If even available, UVB rays are only accessible while the sun is directly overhead. Most people need to take vitamin D, especially seniors, as the ability to synthesize vitamin D in the skin declines with age. With exposure to sunlight in the summer, the body can generate up to 20,000iu of vitamin D per hour with no ill effects. In addition, no adverse effects have been seen with supplemental vitamin D intakes up to 10,000 IU daily. Always take your vitamin D with a fat-containing meal to ensure absorption. http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400676/More-Vitamin-D.html The prescription vitamin D supplements are the wrong type (ergocalciferol - vitamin D2). As warned by the National Institute of Health - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17023693 Luckily you can buy vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) over the counter and the upper limits are extremely high. U.S. RDA are much too low. Current recommendations from researchers are for 35iu per pound - a 150# person needs minimum of 5250iu per day & the rda is 400iu. This amount is for minimal needs and does not replenish depleted stores. Research published by Grassroots Health from the D*Action study shows that 97.5% of the adult population needs to take 9,600 IU's of vitamin D per day in order to elevate their levels above 40ng/ml, which they believe is the absolute minimum for disease prevention. I also highly recommend a low carb way of eating for optimal health. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/10/Vitamin-D-Experts-Reveal-the-Truth.aspx Your vitamin D level should never be below 32 ng/ml, and any levels below 20 ng/ml are considered serious deficiency states, increasing your risk of as many as 16 different cancers and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, just to name a few. They found that the body does not reliably begin storing cholecalciferol in fat and muscle tissue until 25(OH)D levels get above 50 ng/ml (125 nmol/L). That is, at levels below 50 ng/ml (125 nmol/L), the body uses up vitamin D as fast as you can make it, or take it, indicating chronic substrate starvation—not a good thing. 25(OH)D levels should be between 50–80 ng/ml (125–200 nmol/L), year-round. http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health/deficiency/am-i-vitamin-d-deficient.shtml Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the wide set of disorders associated with metabolic syndrome (syndrome X), as well as to PCOS. In a study published in 2004, the authors saw a 60% improvement in insulin sensitivity in healthy, vitamin D replete adults http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/vitamind.aspx Dr. Joe Prendergast, an endocrinologist /diabetologist has managed over 1500 diabetic patients and, in the last decade, not one of his patients has had a stroke or heart attack. Only one has even been hospitalized! His secret—50,000 units of Vitamin D3 daily. Dr. Joe further reports: * Reversal of advanced coronary disease * Reversal of advanced lung disease * Cure of multiple sclerosis * Cure of amotrophic lateral sclerosis * Regression of rheumatoid arthritis * Improvement in allergies * Control of many cancers * Reversal of osteoporosis * Prevention of influenza * Cure of depression & other mental disorders * Hashimoto’s hyperthyroidism In summary, the evidence for safety and remarkable efficacy of Vitamin D3 suggests that virtually ALL adults should probably take 50,000 units of D3 daily. This is certainly true for those with virtually any illness. http://enews.endocrinemetabolic.com/2008/05/vitamin-dthe-cure-for-many-diseases.html