Secosteroid Hormone D (Vitamin D)
This article does NOT constitute medical advice. Consult with your physician before making any changes to your medical plan.
After decades of disinterest many doctors are now testing vitamin D levels and recommending supplemental treatment to those people they believe are showing deficiencies. But are these people really deficient? When, if ever, is it prudent to supplement? And, how do we separate correlation from causation in epidemiological studies about vitamin D? These are all questions I have been asking for many years. The model below helps it all to make sense.
Let's begin with a brief discussion about the basic vitamin D pathways. We can make vitamin D3 in our skin from sunlight, or we can ingest it in our food or from a supplement. The transportation pathways are different. The formation of vitamin D in the skin from sunlight begins with a photosensitive molecule called 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC). 7-DHC exists in the body in a sulfated form and an non-sulfated form. The sulfated form is water soluble and has different properties than the non-sulfated fat soluble form. 7-DHC is the same molecule that makes the more well-known cholesterol molecule. If your shadow is shorter than your height then your bare skin is receiving UV-B rays from the sun which hit 7-DHC, break a chemical bond, and then 7-DHC gets converted to vitamin D3. That's the simple explanation. Since you are using up 7-DHC to make vitamin D3 there will be less 7-DHC left over to make cholesterol, so your cholesterol blood tests may be lower than otherwise. When you make vitamin D3 from the sun it gets transported to the liver by a molecule called vitamin D-binding protein. When you ingest vitamin D3 from food or supplements it takes a different path. In this case, vitamin D3 attaches to a low density lipoprotein cholesterol-carrying molecule (LDL-c) in the gut and gets transported to the liver. In this case, you need lots of LDL-c molecules to facilitate the transport, so your cholesterol blood tests may show higher levels of LDL-c as the liver makes a lot more of these molecules. Keep in mind that vitamin D3, whether made from sunlight or ingested, has both a sulfated and non-sulfated form just like 7-DHC. You'll see why this is important later.
The liver then converts the vitamin D3 into a storage form of vitamin D which is called 25-hydroxyvitamin D. For the purposes of this article we will call this storage form "25D" to keep it simple. Again, keep in mind that 25D has both a sulfated and non-sulfated form. When needed, the liver releases 25D into the blood where it will travel to the kidneys to be converted to the active form called 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, which we will call "125D" in this article. Again, keep in mind that 125D has both a sulfated and non-sulfated form. Your doctor, and nearly all epidemiological studies, are measuring the 25D storage form in your blood as it travels from the liver to the kidney. But 25D does not do anything. NOTHING. It's biologically inert. It's just a storage form. It does NO biological work. Your doctor, and the epidemiological studies, are not measuring the active 125D form unless you specifically request it. 125D is the form that does the biological work. 125D signals the genome, and makes the macrophages, killer T-cells, and immunoprotective molecules, not 25D. Remember, 25D is simply an inert storage molecule. The liver is in control of how much 25D your doctor sees in your lab result. 125D does the work. 125D works with the vitamin D receptors (VDR) and retinoid X receptors (RXR) on the nuclear membrane to make your biological chemicals and immune response chemicals. RXR is a vitamin A receptor that is necessary to activate vitamin D. The VDR together with the RXR is called a heterodimer.
25D is NOT indicative of the biological benefits of vitamin D. It's just a storage molecule that is measurable in the blood, and it is a very poor indicator of how much is actually stored in the liver, bones, and fat cells. It is 125D that indicates the appropriate amount of vitamin D that your body has available for biological benefits like immune function. Your doctor is measuring the WRONG number. The body is not going to release 25D into the blood if it is not needed, so it's not necessarily a bad thing if it's on the low side. Yet 25D is the only number that doctors and epidemiological research studies are looking at. You may have loads and loads of 25D stored in the liver, fat cells, bone, and muscle cells, but it may not show up on a blood test because the body simply does not need it in the blood at that time. 125D is the number that matters because it is the molecule that does the work.
The liver then converts the vitamin D3 into a storage form of vitamin D which is called 25-hydroxyvitamin D. For the purposes of this article we will call this storage form "25D" to keep it simple. Again, keep in mind that 25D has both a sulfated and non-sulfated form. When needed, the liver releases 25D into the blood where it will travel to the kidneys to be converted to the active form called 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, which we will call "125D" in this article. Again, keep in mind that 125D has both a sulfated and non-sulfated form. Your doctor, and nearly all epidemiological studies, are measuring the 25D storage form in your blood as it travels from the liver to the kidney. But 25D does not do anything. NOTHING. It's biologically inert. It's just a storage form. It does NO biological work. Your doctor, and the epidemiological studies, are not measuring the active 125D form unless you specifically request it. 125D is the form that does the biological work. 125D signals the genome, and makes the macrophages, killer T-cells, and immunoprotective molecules, not 25D. Remember, 25D is simply an inert storage molecule. The liver is in control of how much 25D your doctor sees in your lab result. 125D does the work. 125D works with the vitamin D receptors (VDR) and retinoid X receptors (RXR) on the nuclear membrane to make your biological chemicals and immune response chemicals. RXR is a vitamin A receptor that is necessary to activate vitamin D. The VDR together with the RXR is called a heterodimer.
25D is NOT indicative of the biological benefits of vitamin D. It's just a storage molecule that is measurable in the blood, and it is a very poor indicator of how much is actually stored in the liver, bones, and fat cells. It is 125D that indicates the appropriate amount of vitamin D that your body has available for biological benefits like immune function. Your doctor is measuring the WRONG number. The body is not going to release 25D into the blood if it is not needed, so it's not necessarily a bad thing if it's on the low side. Yet 25D is the only number that doctors and epidemiological research studies are looking at. You may have loads and loads of 25D stored in the liver, fat cells, bone, and muscle cells, but it may not show up on a blood test because the body simply does not need it in the blood at that time. 125D is the number that matters because it is the molecule that does the work.
Let's summarize to illustrate a VERY IMPORTANT point. D3 has a sulfated and non-sulfated form. 25D has a sulfated and non-sulfated form. 125 has a sulfated and non-sulfated form. Here's the important point: when you doctors measures your 25D they are ONLY measuring the non-sulfated form. They completely ignore the sulfated form. You could have very high amounts of the sulfated form but the doctor prescribes you a supplemental D3 because your non-sulfated 25D is lower than they like. Not only is this useless but it could be dangerous. Both the sulfated and non-sulfated are carried by the same vitamin D binding protein. Half-life is determined by vitamin D binding protein, so that means that the sulfated and non-sulfated forms have the same half-life. And keep in mind that we always have more of the sulfated form than the non-sulfated form, but your doctor is not measuring the sulfated form. It makes no sense! Also, the sulfated form of 25D does NOT change during winter. It stays the same year round just like 125D. Only the non-sulfated form of 25D goes down in winter, but it doesn't matter because you still have plenty of the sulfated form. It's a scam to sell vitamin D supplements.
You do not want too much 25D in your blood because if all the VDR's are occupied, and you still have 25D circulating in the blood, then the 25D can start to dock with other receptors like thyroid receptors. 25D is a promiscuous molecule, and if it runs out of parking spaces it will park in the 'reserved' parking spots of other receptors and cause problems. Additionally, when excess D3, 25D, or 125D are in the blood they can pull calcium out of the bones leading to osteoporosis.. Often doctors measure non- sulfated 25D in the blood, find that the number is below 30ng/mL, and immediately recommend a vitamin D supplement. This can be problematic. It is a well-known fact that vitamin D is necessary for proper calcium management. Too much 25D in the blood will spike the need to pull calcium into the blood. If you are eating enough calcium then the body can pull calcium into the blood from the food. But if you are not eating enough calcium then the body will pull calcium from the bone causing osteoporosis. The doctor may tell you to eat or supplement with more calcium, but calcium deficiency is not the problem in this case. The problem in this case is too much 25D in the blood from consuming too much vitamin D supplement. By measuring the active 125D form you can see if the body truly has optimal vitamin D usage. Make sure your lab freezes the 125D blood sample because it has a very short half-life. At the time of this writing, Quest Labs freezes 125D blood samples, but Lab Corp does not, so be careful.
If you pump your body full of unnecessary exogenous vitamin D you could be creating problems instead of solutions. As another example, think about kidney stones. Too much vitamin D in the blood results in too much calcium in the blood. Couple that with high levels of oxalates from plants and now you have kidney stones. So what do you do? First, get your 125D measured and check to see if it is in the guideline range that your lab provides. Then compare it to previous measurements of 125D that you have had in the past (if you have a previous measurement). Next, look to see how 125D relates to 25D. Generally, 125D should generally be 1-3 times higher than 25D. If 125D is much higher or lower than 1-3 times 25D then it could be a sign of disease, but that doesn't mean vitamin D supplementation is necessary or safe. Low 25D is a marker of disease, but that does NOT mean that the disease is caused by low vitamin D. It's the opposite. The low vitamin D is caused by the disease. intake either Supplementing with 25D will NOT fix the disease even if 25D increases with supplementation. It is a correlation, not a causation. There are 15 different forms of 25D and your doctor only measures one of those. Furthermore, in addition to those 15 different form of 25D, the body make nearly 85 other metabolites of vitamin D (which is really a steroid). Measuring 25D alone is just silly. There are dozens of other forms of vitamin D that are NOT 25D.
If you pump your body full of unnecessary exogenous vitamin D you could be creating problems instead of solutions. As another example, think about kidney stones. Too much vitamin D in the blood results in too much calcium in the blood. Couple that with high levels of oxalates from plants and now you have kidney stones. So what do you do? First, get your 125D measured and check to see if it is in the guideline range that your lab provides. Then compare it to previous measurements of 125D that you have had in the past (if you have a previous measurement). Next, look to see how 125D relates to 25D. Generally, 125D should generally be 1-3 times higher than 25D. If 125D is much higher or lower than 1-3 times 25D then it could be a sign of disease, but that doesn't mean vitamin D supplementation is necessary or safe. Low 25D is a marker of disease, but that does NOT mean that the disease is caused by low vitamin D. It's the opposite. The low vitamin D is caused by the disease. intake either Supplementing with 25D will NOT fix the disease even if 25D increases with supplementation. It is a correlation, not a causation. There are 15 different forms of 25D and your doctor only measures one of those. Furthermore, in addition to those 15 different form of 25D, the body make nearly 85 other metabolites of vitamin D (which is really a steroid). Measuring 25D alone is just silly. There are dozens of other forms of vitamin D that are NOT 25D.
125D will generally stay around the same level year round. Unless you have kidney disease or parathyroid disease you will not be low in 125D. You will notice that 25D may be lower in the winter time, but 25D is NOT doing any biochemical work. 25D is inert. 125D is doing the biochemical work. Lower 25D in the winter is not a bad thing. It is the natural cycle. If you get enough UV-B light during the summer then you will have more than enough stored 25D to last for several years. The body may put less 25D into the blood in winter, and as a result you may see lower 25D numbers on a blood test in winter, but when the body needs more 25D in the blood it will put it in the blood from the vast storages. It may not show up on a blood test because it may quickly be converted to 125D. If you want to check a blood test number then check 125D. For most people our relationship with light and dark is the best regulator of vitamin D. This is described in detail in my article called Light, Electrons, and Water As Nutrition For Quantum Health. Read it carefully. Study the research included in the links. Put it into practice daily. Live your life by it. It is the way we evolved to manufacture, consume, and utilize vitamin D. A quick fix approach, like a supplement or drug, is rarely the answer to biological impairments. It is usually misguided human adaptations that cause problems with our ancestrally evolved biology.
As you carefully read epidemiological studies on vitamin D you will notice that nearly all of those studies compare disease rates to 25D, not 125D. Those studies show a strong correlation between those diseases and levels of 25D. But this is correlation that is incorrectly interpreted, not causation. A low 25D level is the RESULT of the disease, NOT the CAUSE of the disease. Increasing the 25D does not fix the underlying disease, and it could make things a lot worse. For example, if a person consumes exogenous vitamin D3 supplements they could really mess up their calcium. The messed up calcium will then mess up magnesium, which will mess up copper, which will mess up iron which then accumulates in the liver, which then messes up the thyroid. Fix the disease first! How do you do that? Start with my article called Healing Chronic Disease. To my knowledge, there is not a single study of people who are low in both 25D and 125D in which supplementing with oral D3 improved their disease outcome. Let me give you a personal example of how supplemental vitamin D3 messed my up. I was supplementing with around 2000 IU of vitamin D3 daily for about 3 years. I got some routine bloodwork done and it showed that my serum calcium was very high. The doctor recommended that I look into having my parathyroid removed because that is usually why calcium is high. I declined. Then a few months later I started having heart palpitations. Why? Well, it was the calcium. Calcium is an excitation mineral. Magnesium is a relaxation mineral. I stopped taking vitamin D3 and everything got better. They wanted to remove my parathyroid and put me on heart medication, but all I had to do was stop taking D3.
Why do some people say they feel better when they take vitamin D3 supplements? It's because vitamin D is a steroid. It temporarily dampens your autoimmune symptoms while causing additional long-term problems like if you took prednisone long-term. In the short-term it gives you relief, but in the long-term it destroys your health.
A couple other things. First, your skin needs the proper environment to optimize vitamin D production. That environment comes from the skin microbiome. So do NOT use soap on your skin. It kills the microbes that create the optimized environment. Second, I am currently exploring a hypothesis that vitamin D can possibly be made from cold exposure. It has long been known, from Gurwitsch's onion experiment in 1923, that cells make and emit ultraviolet light. Since then it has been discovered that this UV light is being produced by the mitochondria of cells. In fact, mitochondria produce a fairly broad spectrum of light that ranges from 200nm to 800nm. It is known that vitamin D is made from UV-B light in the range of 290nm-315nm. So, it would stand to reason that it may be possible for mitochondria to make the necessary UV light to produce vitamin D in the skin when the body is consistently exposed to cold.
This article does NOT constitute medical advice.
Consult with your physician before making any changes to your medical plan.
Consult with your physician before making any changes to your medical plan.
Here is a great summary from Lori Kushner:
Your low vitamin D is a survival move.
The body is suppressing active D on purpose to protect the cardiac electrical system, the calcium gradients across every cell membrane, and the mineral terrain it is barely holding together.
The medical system overrides that protection with 50,000 IU per week and calls it treatment.
Here is what almost no one explains.
Vitamin D is not a vitamin.
It is a hormone.
And it exists in three different forms in the body. They are not interchangeable.
The first is cholecalciferol.
The inactive form you take in a supplement or make from sun.
The second is 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
The storage form, made in the liver. This is what your standard lab measures when a doctor orders “vitamin D.”
The third is 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.
The active hormone, made in the kidney.
This is the one that signals at the receptor.
It is almost never checked.
Each conversion requires magnesium.
No magnesium, no activation.
A body running low on magnesium can carry plenty of stored D and still produce almost no active D at the cell.
The standard lab shows low 25-hydroxy.
The doctor writes a prescription.
No one checks the active hormone.
No one checks whether the receptor is even listening.
Functional medicine sometimes orders the active form.
The result comes back.
The practitioner shrugs.
They have no model for why a body would suppress its own active D on purpose.
The body knows exactly why.
Active D pulls calcium into the bloodstream from gut, kidney, and bone.
Calcium drives cellular excitation.
Magnesium drives cellular stability.
They sit in opposition across every cell membrane.
The ratio between them determines whether a cell fires or rests.
Cardiac cells are the most sensitive to that ratio.
Sinoatrial node.
Conduction system.
Contractile cells.
All of them run on tight calcium and magnesium gradients across the cardiac membrane.
When active D pulls calcium up without enough magnesium to counter it, those gradients lose stability.
The heart starts to misfire.
Palpitations.
Skipped beats.
Sustained arrhythmia.
The body knows this.
So it does something elegant.
It downregulates active D on purpose.
Two mechanisms run that protection.
24-hydroxylase converts active D into inactive metabolites the body clears.
Under chronic immune signaling, the body presses that brake harder. Active D in circulation drops.
The vitamin D receptor itself is the second mechanism.
Chronic infection, sustained redox pressure, and certain pathogens downregulate the receptor directly.
Even when active D is present, the cell stops listening.
Both patterns drive low active D and erratic signaling at the cell.
Sometimes the storage form drops too. Sometimes only the active form does.
Either way, the body is protecting itself.
The doctor sees a low storage number and reaches for the prescription pad.
That number is not automatically failure.
The body is often suppressing D signaling because the mineral terrain is too unstable to handle the calcium dynamics that active D drives.
50,000 IU per week pushes harder against that brake.
Some of the new D activates despite the suppression.
Calcium pulls into circulation in a body that cannot counter it.
Magnesium drops further.
Soft tissue calcification risk climbs.
Without K2, the calcium meant for bone can redistribute into arteries, kidneys, and fascia.
Then the consequences widen across loops.
Magnesium drains from the Mineral Loop. Calcium handling shifts away from bone and into soft tissue.
ATP output weakens.
Every ATP-dependent enzyme requires magnesium.
ATP must complex with magnesium before any enzyme can use it. Ion pumps fail.
Voltage cannot be held across cell membranes.
Water distribution shifts.
Calcium and magnesium gradients help drive fluid placement at the cellular level.
Edema, lower leg swelling, and fluid pooling start showing up.
Vagal signaling becomes erratic because membrane potential depends on magnesium.
The immune signal distorts because the vitamin D receptor is part of immune cell signaling. Forcing D into a body that downregulated VDR for protective reasons can worsen the instability.
A single prescription, given for what looks like a small lab abnormality, can destabilize an entire bioelectrical body over time.
The body does everything for survival.
When it lowers a number, it is solving a problem.
That answer almost always traces back to magnesium depletion, redox pressure, chronic immune activation, hidden infection, or all four.
Your low vitamin D is a survival move.
The body is suppressing active D on purpose to protect the cardiac electrical system, the calcium gradients across every cell membrane, and the mineral terrain it is barely holding together.
The medical system overrides that protection with 50,000 IU per week and calls it treatment.
Here is what almost no one explains.
Vitamin D is not a vitamin.
It is a hormone.
And it exists in three different forms in the body. They are not interchangeable.
The first is cholecalciferol.
The inactive form you take in a supplement or make from sun.
The second is 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
The storage form, made in the liver. This is what your standard lab measures when a doctor orders “vitamin D.”
The third is 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.
The active hormone, made in the kidney.
This is the one that signals at the receptor.
It is almost never checked.
Each conversion requires magnesium.
No magnesium, no activation.
A body running low on magnesium can carry plenty of stored D and still produce almost no active D at the cell.
The standard lab shows low 25-hydroxy.
The doctor writes a prescription.
No one checks the active hormone.
No one checks whether the receptor is even listening.
Functional medicine sometimes orders the active form.
The result comes back.
The practitioner shrugs.
They have no model for why a body would suppress its own active D on purpose.
The body knows exactly why.
Active D pulls calcium into the bloodstream from gut, kidney, and bone.
Calcium drives cellular excitation.
Magnesium drives cellular stability.
They sit in opposition across every cell membrane.
The ratio between them determines whether a cell fires or rests.
Cardiac cells are the most sensitive to that ratio.
Sinoatrial node.
Conduction system.
Contractile cells.
All of them run on tight calcium and magnesium gradients across the cardiac membrane.
When active D pulls calcium up without enough magnesium to counter it, those gradients lose stability.
The heart starts to misfire.
Palpitations.
Skipped beats.
Sustained arrhythmia.
The body knows this.
So it does something elegant.
It downregulates active D on purpose.
Two mechanisms run that protection.
24-hydroxylase converts active D into inactive metabolites the body clears.
Under chronic immune signaling, the body presses that brake harder. Active D in circulation drops.
The vitamin D receptor itself is the second mechanism.
Chronic infection, sustained redox pressure, and certain pathogens downregulate the receptor directly.
Even when active D is present, the cell stops listening.
Both patterns drive low active D and erratic signaling at the cell.
Sometimes the storage form drops too. Sometimes only the active form does.
Either way, the body is protecting itself.
The doctor sees a low storage number and reaches for the prescription pad.
That number is not automatically failure.
The body is often suppressing D signaling because the mineral terrain is too unstable to handle the calcium dynamics that active D drives.
50,000 IU per week pushes harder against that brake.
Some of the new D activates despite the suppression.
Calcium pulls into circulation in a body that cannot counter it.
Magnesium drops further.
Soft tissue calcification risk climbs.
Without K2, the calcium meant for bone can redistribute into arteries, kidneys, and fascia.
Then the consequences widen across loops.
Magnesium drains from the Mineral Loop. Calcium handling shifts away from bone and into soft tissue.
ATP output weakens.
Every ATP-dependent enzyme requires magnesium.
ATP must complex with magnesium before any enzyme can use it. Ion pumps fail.
Voltage cannot be held across cell membranes.
Water distribution shifts.
Calcium and magnesium gradients help drive fluid placement at the cellular level.
Edema, lower leg swelling, and fluid pooling start showing up.
Vagal signaling becomes erratic because membrane potential depends on magnesium.
The immune signal distorts because the vitamin D receptor is part of immune cell signaling. Forcing D into a body that downregulated VDR for protective reasons can worsen the instability.
A single prescription, given for what looks like a small lab abnormality, can destabilize an entire bioelectrical body over time.
The body does everything for survival.
When it lowers a number, it is solving a problem.
That answer almost always traces back to magnesium depletion, redox pressure, chronic immune activation, hidden infection, or all four.
More Resources:
Vitamin D is Really a Hormone: http://my-magnesium.com/hormone-d.html
Hypercalcemia and Metastatic Calcification: https://academic.oup.com/cardiovascres/article/36/3/293/298591
Renal Potassium Wasting Induced by Vitamin D: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC291035/pdf/jcinvest00315-0040.pdf
50 nmol/L (20 ng/ml) is Where the Scientists See the Lowest Mortality Rate:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/rel.../2012/05/120529102346.htm
Vitamin D Supplements Aren’t Living Up to their Hype: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/vitamin-d-supplements-lose-luster
Largest Ever Clinical Study Shows We Were Wrong About Benefits of D Supplements: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-largest-ever-clinical-study-on-vitamin-d-shows-we-re-wrong-about-its-benefits
VITAL Researchers Announce Landmark Trial Findings: http://www.vitalstudy.org/findings.html
Vitamin D is More Likely to be a Correlate Marker of Overall Health and NOT Causally Involved in Disease:
https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2035
Low vitamin D is a Marker NOT the Cause: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(13)70165-7/fulltext
Magnesium = D Vitamin:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/amp/324022
Lack of Magnesium and Vitamin D Deficiency: https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1741-7015-11-229
Magnesium Optimizes Vitamin D Levels: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-12-magnesium-optimizes-vitamin-d-status.amp
Magnesium Status and Supplementation Influence Vitamin D Status and Metabolism: Results from a Randomized Trial: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/108/6/1249/5239886
Magnesium, Vitamin D Status and Mortality: results from US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001 to 2006 and NHANES III:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3765911/ https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-11-187
Over 12 Different Forms of Vitamin D in the Body (but doctors only measure 1):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26445902
Why I Changed My Mind About Vitamin D: http://theconversation.com/the-sun-goes-down-on-vitamin-d-why-i-changed-my-mind-about-this-celebrated-supplement-52725
Recommendation From 1983 NOT to Supplement or Fortify with D:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6350405
The Great Vitamin D Deficiency: http://www.drdalepeterson.com/The-Great-Vitamin-D-Deficiency-.html
The Darker Side of Supplementing Vitamin D: https://mindbodynetwork.com/article/the-darker-side-of-supplementing-vitamin-d
Abstract: Monthly High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation and Cancer Risk: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2687971
Abstract: Current Understanding of the Molecular Actions of Vitamin D: https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.1998.78.4.1193
Abstract: 25-Hydroxylation of Vitamin D3: Relation to Circulating Vitamin D3 Under Various Input Conditions: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/18541563/
Summary of Roundtable Discussion on Vitamin D. Research Needs: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/18689407/
A Reverse J-Shaped Association Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: The CopD Study:
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/100/6/2339/2829632
Relationship Between 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23601272/
The Pendulum Swings on Vitamin D: https://drcarolyndean.com/2018/05/the-pendulum-swings-on-vitamin-d/
Induction of Vascular Calcification by Hypervitaminosis D:
https://academic.oup.com/ndt/article/27/5/1704/1844110
Vitamin D Supplements Are Immunosuppressive: http://microbeminded.com/vitamin-d-supplements-are-immunosuppressive/
What Vitamin D Supplements Do to Your Mineral Levels (Hint: It’s Not Good): https://butternutrition.com/vitamin-d-supplement-warning/
Vitamin D: A Narrative Review Examining the Evidence for Ten Beliefs: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26951286
Why I Don’t Take Vitamin D Supplements (Authored by a Scientist): https://gettingstronger.org/2012/11/why-i-dont-take-vitamin-d-supplements/
Vitamin D3 Supplements & My Mega Dosing Experiment: https://www.selfhacked.com/blog/experiment-megadosing-vitamin-d3/
Studies Find Vitamin D Supplements Are Not Effective and Could be Dangerous: https://www.sciencealert.com/vitamin-d-tablets-may-be-worse-for-you-then-nothing-at-all
Johns Hopkins Medicine – Vitamin D: More May Not Be Better: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/vitamin_d_more_may_not_be_better
Harvard Health - Update on Recommended Level of 25,(OH)D: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/vitamin-d-whats-right-level-2016121910893
Can you Supplement Sunlight??
https://jackkruse.com/time-10-can-you-supplement-sunlight/
Abstract: Inflammation and Vitamin D: The Infection Connection: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4160567/
The Truth About Vitamin D: Fourteen Reasons Why Misunderstanding Endures (PDF): http://www.medicinabiomolecular.com.br/biblioteca/pdfs/Biomolecular/mb-0439.pdf
Shortcomings of Vitamin D-Based Model Simulations of Seasonal Influenza: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3108988/
Vitamin D, the Sunshine Supplement, Has Shadowy Money Behind It: The Reason for the D Craze: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/18/business/vitamin-d-michael-holick.html
D3 Cholecalciferol is Rat Poison:
https://vet.purdue.edu/addl/news/rodenticide-revolution.php
D-CON® RODENTICIDE Ingredient Changes to Vitamin D3: https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/veterinarian-tips/breaking-news-d-con-rodenticide-ingredient-changes-to-vitamin-d3/
Merck Veterinary Manual: D3 Poisoning: https://www.merckvetmanual.com/toxicology/rodenticide-poisoning/cholecalciferol
Permanent Kidney Damage from Vitamin D Supplementation: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/vitamin-d-overconsumption-leaves-man-with-permanent-kidney-damage-1.4370261
Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D (2010) Reference Ranges Are Much Too High (PDF): http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2010/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-for-Calcium-and-Vitamin-D/Vitamin%20D%20and%20Calcium%202010%20Report%20Brief.pdf
Vitamin D is Really a Hormone: http://my-magnesium.com/hormone-d.html
Hypercalcemia and Metastatic Calcification: https://academic.oup.com/cardiovascres/article/36/3/293/298591
Renal Potassium Wasting Induced by Vitamin D: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC291035/pdf/jcinvest00315-0040.pdf
50 nmol/L (20 ng/ml) is Where the Scientists See the Lowest Mortality Rate:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/rel.../2012/05/120529102346.htm
Vitamin D Supplements Aren’t Living Up to their Hype: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/vitamin-d-supplements-lose-luster
Largest Ever Clinical Study Shows We Were Wrong About Benefits of D Supplements: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-largest-ever-clinical-study-on-vitamin-d-shows-we-re-wrong-about-its-benefits
VITAL Researchers Announce Landmark Trial Findings: http://www.vitalstudy.org/findings.html
Vitamin D is More Likely to be a Correlate Marker of Overall Health and NOT Causally Involved in Disease:
https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2035
Low vitamin D is a Marker NOT the Cause: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(13)70165-7/fulltext
Magnesium = D Vitamin:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/amp/324022
Lack of Magnesium and Vitamin D Deficiency: https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1741-7015-11-229
Magnesium Optimizes Vitamin D Levels: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-12-magnesium-optimizes-vitamin-d-status.amp
Magnesium Status and Supplementation Influence Vitamin D Status and Metabolism: Results from a Randomized Trial: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/108/6/1249/5239886
Magnesium, Vitamin D Status and Mortality: results from US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001 to 2006 and NHANES III:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3765911/ https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-11-187
Over 12 Different Forms of Vitamin D in the Body (but doctors only measure 1):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26445902
Why I Changed My Mind About Vitamin D: http://theconversation.com/the-sun-goes-down-on-vitamin-d-why-i-changed-my-mind-about-this-celebrated-supplement-52725
Recommendation From 1983 NOT to Supplement or Fortify with D:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6350405
The Great Vitamin D Deficiency: http://www.drdalepeterson.com/The-Great-Vitamin-D-Deficiency-.html
The Darker Side of Supplementing Vitamin D: https://mindbodynetwork.com/article/the-darker-side-of-supplementing-vitamin-d
Abstract: Monthly High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation and Cancer Risk: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2687971
Abstract: Current Understanding of the Molecular Actions of Vitamin D: https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.1998.78.4.1193
Abstract: 25-Hydroxylation of Vitamin D3: Relation to Circulating Vitamin D3 Under Various Input Conditions: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/18541563/
Summary of Roundtable Discussion on Vitamin D. Research Needs: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/18689407/
A Reverse J-Shaped Association Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: The CopD Study:
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/100/6/2339/2829632
Relationship Between 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23601272/
The Pendulum Swings on Vitamin D: https://drcarolyndean.com/2018/05/the-pendulum-swings-on-vitamin-d/
Induction of Vascular Calcification by Hypervitaminosis D:
https://academic.oup.com/ndt/article/27/5/1704/1844110
Vitamin D Supplements Are Immunosuppressive: http://microbeminded.com/vitamin-d-supplements-are-immunosuppressive/
What Vitamin D Supplements Do to Your Mineral Levels (Hint: It’s Not Good): https://butternutrition.com/vitamin-d-supplement-warning/
Vitamin D: A Narrative Review Examining the Evidence for Ten Beliefs: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26951286
Why I Don’t Take Vitamin D Supplements (Authored by a Scientist): https://gettingstronger.org/2012/11/why-i-dont-take-vitamin-d-supplements/
Vitamin D3 Supplements & My Mega Dosing Experiment: https://www.selfhacked.com/blog/experiment-megadosing-vitamin-d3/
Studies Find Vitamin D Supplements Are Not Effective and Could be Dangerous: https://www.sciencealert.com/vitamin-d-tablets-may-be-worse-for-you-then-nothing-at-all
Johns Hopkins Medicine – Vitamin D: More May Not Be Better: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/vitamin_d_more_may_not_be_better
Harvard Health - Update on Recommended Level of 25,(OH)D: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/vitamin-d-whats-right-level-2016121910893
Can you Supplement Sunlight??
https://jackkruse.com/time-10-can-you-supplement-sunlight/
Abstract: Inflammation and Vitamin D: The Infection Connection: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4160567/
The Truth About Vitamin D: Fourteen Reasons Why Misunderstanding Endures (PDF): http://www.medicinabiomolecular.com.br/biblioteca/pdfs/Biomolecular/mb-0439.pdf
Shortcomings of Vitamin D-Based Model Simulations of Seasonal Influenza: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3108988/
Vitamin D, the Sunshine Supplement, Has Shadowy Money Behind It: The Reason for the D Craze: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/18/business/vitamin-d-michael-holick.html
D3 Cholecalciferol is Rat Poison:
https://vet.purdue.edu/addl/news/rodenticide-revolution.php
D-CON® RODENTICIDE Ingredient Changes to Vitamin D3: https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/veterinarian-tips/breaking-news-d-con-rodenticide-ingredient-changes-to-vitamin-d3/
Merck Veterinary Manual: D3 Poisoning: https://www.merckvetmanual.com/toxicology/rodenticide-poisoning/cholecalciferol
Permanent Kidney Damage from Vitamin D Supplementation: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/vitamin-d-overconsumption-leaves-man-with-permanent-kidney-damage-1.4370261
Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D (2010) Reference Ranges Are Much Too High (PDF): http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2010/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-for-Calcium-and-Vitamin-D/Vitamin%20D%20and%20Calcium%202010%20Report%20Brief.pdf
