haidut

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Over the last 6-9 months I noticed that often people who communicate with Peat over email get a recommendation to supplement with vitamin D. When asked why, Peat said that he knows quite a few people who recovered from "very serious symptoms" by using vitamin D.
Well, this new study shows that Peat may have a very good reason to recommend vitamin D. The study used the widely available vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), which makes it even more relevant as most other studies use calcitriol (which is not available OTC).
Vitamin D3 supplementation not only extended lifespan but reduced and even reversed the accumulation of various toxic metabolic byproducts in various tissues. Its main effects were on improving protein homeostasis, which is one of the first systems to decline or go rogue as a result of aging or disease. Given its effects on toxic protein accumulation in the brain, vitamin D3 may be a candidate for treating neurodegernative conditions like Alzheimer and Parkinson.
Perhaps even more importantly, the attitude towards vitamin D is changing and it is beginning to be recognized not as a disease-specific marker but as an overall marker of health and predictor of longevity. The final sentence is the giveaway of the importance of vitamin D IMO. If most cells in the human body have a vitamin D receptor then it must be something quite important for the organism.

http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/abstract/S2211-1247(16)31362-6
Vitamin D Enhances Lifespan and Protein Homeostasis, New Study Shows | Biology, Medicine | Sci-News.com

"...Vitamin D engaged with known longevity genes – it extended median lifespan by 33% and slowed the aging-related misfolding of hundreds of proteins in the worm,” Prof. Lithgow explained. “Our findings provide a real connection between aging and disease and give clinicians and other researchers an opportunity to look at vitamin D in a much larger context.” This work sheds light on protein homeostasis, the ability of proteins to maintain their shape and function over time. It’s a balancing act that goes haywire with normal aging — often resulting in the accumulation of toxic insoluble protein aggregates implicated in a number of conditions, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, as well as type 2 diabetes and some forms of heart disease. “Vitamin D3, which is converted into the active form of vitamin D, suppressed protein insolubility in C. elegans and prevented the toxicity caused by human beta-amyloid which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease,” Prof. Lithgow said. “Given that aging processes are thought to be similar between the worm and mammals, including humans, it makes sense that the action of vitamin D would be conserved across species as well.” The pathways and the molecular network targeted in the study (IRE-1/XBP-1/SKN-1) are involved in stress response and cellular detoxification. “Vitamin D3 reduced the age-dependent formation of insoluble proteins across a wide range of predicted functions and cellular compartments, supporting our hypothesis that decreasing protein insolubility can prolong lifespan,” said lead author Dr. Karla Mark, also from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging."

"...“We’ve been looking for a disease to associate with vitamin D other than rickets for many years and we haven’t come up with any strong evidence,” said Dr. Clifford Rosen, Director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research and a senior scientist at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute, who was not involved in the study. “But if it’s a more global marker of health or longevity as this paper suggests, that’s a paradigm shift. Now we’re talking about something very different and exciting.”

"...Vitamin D influences hundreds of genes – most cells have vitamin D receptors, so it must be very important.”
 

jaa

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That's very exciting information. Thanks for posting haidut!
 

superhuman

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Great. They did not talk about anything in terms of D3 doses or optimal levels of D3 to aim for in regards to tests
 
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haidut

haidut

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Great. They did not talk about anything in terms of D3 doses or optimal levels of D3 to aim for in regards to tests

They did talk about doses and concentrations for the worms. They tested vitamin D3 concentrations in the range of 50uM - 250uM and found that even the highest concentrations did not have any toxic effects. The lifespan extension was dose-dependent so at least in the case of worms more vitamin D3 means more beneficial effects.
 

Marilynn

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When is the best time to take D3? Is it better in the morning, night, with food, without? And is there a dose that is best? I've read conflicting advice on dosage, so I'm wondering if the 5000 IU I've just started taking is enough.
 

Queequeg

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When is the best time to take D3? Is it better in the morning, night, with food, without? And is there a dose that is best? I've read conflicting advice on dosage, so I'm wondering if the 5000 IU I've just started taking is enough.
I have always heard that you should take vitamin D during peak daylight hours so as to keep it somewhat natural but I think taking it with breakfast is close enough. As far as dosage, everyone is different but you want to take enough to get your blood levels up at least over 40-50. 5000 is a good start I would think.
 
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Tarmander

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Just an interesting tid bit. Years ago I talked to some life guard guys who were into health. They said spending a whole summer out on the beach as a life guard would raise levels of D3 to the mid 40s on a blood test.
 

TubZy

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Vitamin D3 can inhibit the process of melatonin and can make it harder to sleep, best to take with breakfast.
 

RutgerD

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thanks for the study. I take vitamin d3 regulary (Thorne k2/d3) after I read how important it is (controls the expression of over 1000 "genes").
I drop it into OJ in the morning, does the acidity affect the d3?
 

scarlettsmum

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What about Matt Stone and Garret Smith warning against vitamin D supplementation leading to calcification and early death? Would the solution to this be to take k2 alongside it to make sure it goes where it should? Apparently having low vitamin D level reveals the need for Magnesium...?
 

raypeatclips

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What about Matt Stone and Garret Smith warning against vitamin D supplementation leading to calcification and early death? Would the solution to this be to take k2 alongside it to make sure it goes where it should? Apparently having low vitamin D level reveals the need for Magnesium...?

I was interested myself and had a quick search, the first two studies show D3 being beneficial against calcification.

Active Serum Vitamin D Levels Are Inversely Correlated With Coronary Calcification | Circulation
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17218831

So I would like to see why Stone and Smith think the opposite. I have heard of people on forums running into problems with D3 without things such as magnesium, K2, other fat solubles, but the research always seems to be D3 alone and never seem to have many issues.
 

SaltGirl

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One of the points Matt Stone and Garret pointed out(if I recall correctly) is that it can lower potassium levels.

In other words, a large amount of vitamin D might expose existing health issues, but isn't itself the problem. I will concede, however, that there are probably other people who know more about this than me.
 
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haidut

haidut

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Cholecalciferol has a half-life of 19-25 hours.
http://www.aspcapro.org/sites/pro/files/n-toxbrief_1201.pdf

If it does not cause you sleeping issues, I would take in the afternoon so that by the middle of next day when the sun is brightest you are just starting to "run out" of the supplemental dose and the sun can take over.
http://www.aspcapro.org/sites/pro/files/n-toxbrief_1201.pdf

Also, taking vitamin D3 with vitamin K eliminates the soft tissue calcification risk but does not eliminate the risk of hypercalcemia. So, I would keep the oral dose of no more than 5,000 IU daily and test periodically for ALL of these together to check calcium status: serum calcium, PTH, phosphorus, vitamin D3, calcitriol, and osteocalcin if possible.
 

mirc12354

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5.000 IU D3 daily? So you woukld have to eat at least 20.000 IU of Vitamin A daily to keep a good ratio (according to C. Masterjoh ideal ratio si somewhere beteen 1:4 to 1:8)?
 

RMH

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I'm having a hard time finding studies to back up this claim but several months back when researching optimal vitamin D levels I read that people who supplement oral D-3 at 5-10,000 IU per day often struggle to bring their serum levels of calcidiol (25-hydrox-vitamin D) levels into optimal range (50-75uM). After an extended period of supplementing at 5-10K IU, when calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D) serum levels are tested they are well into the toxic range. Does this make any sense?
 

Queequeg

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I did some poking around the forum and found this post particularly interesting.
Vitamin D Is As Bad In Excess As It Is In Deficiency
The study said that vitamin D levels above 100nmol/L were associated with higher risk from CVD and stroke. I don't have access to the study so I don't know what the mortality was from in the low ranges. Presumably, the higher than optimal vitamin D levels probably caused arterial calcification, and the lower ones increased PTH. The study abstract says both calcium and PTH were factors influencing all-cause mortality. Since low calcium was also associated with mortality, I suspect this is due to kidney disease as it is the main cause of low serum calcium.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 105222.htm
A reverse J-shaped association of all-cause mortality with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in general practice: the CopD study. - PubMed - NCBI
A Reverse J-Shaped Association Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: The CopD Study. - PubMed - NCBI

"...RESULTS: During follow-up (median, 3.07 yr), 15,198 (6.1%) subjects died. A reverse J-shaped association between serum level of 25(OH)D and mortality was observed. A serum 25(OH)D level of 50-60 nmol/liter was associated with the lowest mortality risk. Compared to 50 nmol/liter, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of all-cause mortality at very low (10 nmol/liter) and high (140 nmol/liter) serum levels of 25(OH)D were 2.13 (2.02-2.24) and 1.42 (1.31-1.53), respectively. Similarly, both high and low levels of albumin-adjusted serum calcium and serum PTH were associated with an increased mortality, and secondary hyperparathyroidism was associated with higher mortality (P < 0.0001)."

What about Matt Stone and Garret Smith warning against vitamin D supplementation leading to calcification and early death? Would the solution to this be to take k2 alongside it to make sure it goes where it should? Apparently having low vitamin D level reveals the need for Magnesium...?
I just listened to their Vitamin D podcast. They seem to base their conclusions on hair analysis and clinical observations; both of which have somewhat significant reliability issues. Given the "reverse J-shaped association between serum level of 25(OH)D and mortality" from the above study, I can see how they could see a problem with vitamin D supplementation while the real problem is over-supplementation.

I think the key take away is that "A serum 25(OH)D level of 50-60 nmol/liter was associated with the lowest mortality risk."
 
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Queequeg

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and of course RP is spot on as usual.

Peatarian.com Email Exchanges - Ray Peat Forum Wiki
Vitamin D

"I use Carlson's, and I think most of the informed people are recommending about 2,000 units per day. John Cannell's site, 'the vitamin D council,' has a newsletter, and is a good way to keep up with the vitamin D research.

I think getting enough vitamin D increases the ability to tan.

During the winter for a couple of months 10,000 units of D should be safe, but it's better to increase calcium and vitamin K, keeping the vitamin D a little lower unless you have the blood level checked occasionally.

Usually 2000 i.u. during the winter will make up for no sunlight. Some people need 5000 iu according to their blood tests, to keep it in the middle of the range.

[Blood test] I think 50 ng/ml is a good goal. The point at which it lowers parathyroid hormone would be the right amount."
 

jyb

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Vitamin D3 can inhibit the process of melatonin and can make it harder to sleep, best to take with breakfast.

Do you find it harder to sleep in summer, when the UV can be high until mid afternoon?
 

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