Vitamin D: An Opportunity Lost

By Dr. Paul S. Aijian, M.D.

Let there be light…And it was good. Source: Genesis 1:3-25:3

Have you ever heard of “Edison Disease”? Likely not, as it is a term I coined myself. You won’t find it in any textbook of medicine. When patients come for a visit, I routinely check their blood level of vitamin D3. Many have lower than desirable levels. When I review the lab results with them, I tell those with low levels that they have what I call “Edison Disease.” What I mean is that the invention of the light bulb had unintended consequences. Before indoor lighting, people were out in the sunshine much more. Now, we are mostly indoors, getting very little sunlight. Sunlight, with UV, strikes our skin, and turns a precursor chemical into a form of vitamin D.  Then, our liver converts it into another form of vitamin D, called D3. This vitamin used to be primarily known as helping build strong bones. We remember vitamin D enriched milk being a big part of the normal diet. These days, most adults do not drink milk, and are not consuming enough dietary vitamin D. They are not getting much UV exposure, either.

We know so much more now, as it turns out that vitamin D is critical for good immune function. The effect of vitamin D on the immune system is extremely relevant to the Covid pandemic, as well as other seasonal viral illnesses. The people who got the sickest, and died from Covid, often had the lowest levels of vitamin D. The lower the vitamin D level in the blood, the higher the disease severity, and death rate

.Get Some Sun

Certain people have risk factors for low vitamin D. Indoor living is one, age is another. The skin of the elderly is dry and has less of the vitamin D precursors. Their skin cannot make as much vitamin D in the sun, even if they do go outdoors. The combination of the two is a dangerous one.

Another group at risk for low vitamin D is in those in the obese category. In these people, who now make up a large proportion of American citizens, vitamin D is stored in their body fat. If it is stored in fat cells, it is less available in their bloodstream, and less available to be used for its important functions.   

Living far away from the equator is also a risk factor for inadequate Vitamin D levels. The people living near the equator get more direct sun, and those living nearer the polar extremes get less. This geographic effect is exaggerated by winter, with even fewer hours of sunlight. Those living in these areas often need more supplemental Vitamin D3 based on geography alone.

Higher amounts of melanin in the skin are yet another risk factor. This pigment blocks the absorption of the UV light, and Vitamin D is produced in lower quantities. Pale persons are able physiologically to absorb UV better, and can make more vitamin D. They have other disadvantages, however. Fair skinned persons commonly develop sun damage and skin cancer. They are advised to cover up and use sunscreen, which reduces their vitamin D production. Dark skinned people have an excellent built-in sunscreen. Because of this, I rarely see them coming in with skin cancer.

If you were elderly, obese, dark skinned, and living far north or south of the equator, you were likely to have a low vitamin D level and more likely to be very sick or die from Covid 19. This was particularly true early in the pandemic with the more virulent strains of the virus such as the Delta.

Having diabetes, an unhealthy microbiome (the community of bacteria in your intestines) or other chronic illnesses only made the risk worse. More about the microbiome in another essay.

Know Your Vitamin D Level

Another interesting thing about vitamin D is that it is actually consumed by the processes inside the immune cells. These are the cells which defend us against viruses, bacteria, and cancer. What this means is that you might run out of enough vitamin D in your blood, as the result of fighting an infection. Like fuel in your car, you need an ongoing supply of vitamin D! Sunlight is not usually going to be enough. The answer is either getting vitamin D from your diet or taking a vitamin supplement. Here are some foods rich in vitamin D: fatty fish like salmon (wild caught has the most), herring and sardines, cod liver oil, canned tuna, egg yolks, and mushrooms. The problem with eating a lot of such fish is you need to pay attention to the amount of mercury you take in. (3) Foods fortified with vitamin D can be another source of vitamin D. Processed milk and orange juice are commonly vitamin D fortified.

It has been proposed that the stimulation of our immune cells by the vaccine may also consume our vitamin D stores. That means every time your immune system is challenged, you use up your Vitamin D.

This information has several important consequences.  One is that you ought to know what your vitamin D level is. Once a person has been identified as low in vitamin D, it is likely to be a lifelong tendency. If you change jobs from librarian to lifeguard, or move to the equator, this may not apply.

Another factor to consider is whether you should take vitamin K2 along with your vitamin D3. Vitamin K helps promote calcium going into your bones and teeth. It also prevents calcium from accumulating in soft tissues, such as the kidneys and blood vessels. Calcium in the wrong places causes all sorts of other problems, including heart attacks, strokes, and narrowed arteries throughout the rest of the body. Vitamin K comes in several forms, and is found in leafy greens, and some animal sources such as egg yolk, liver, and cheese. Vitamins D and K are generally safe; however, you could get too much of a good thing. Discuss this with your doctor to be sure you are not overdoing it or are not taking enough.

Study Those Supplements

A vocal and persistent proponent of using vitamin D preventively was John Campbell PhD. His popular You Tube nightly segments went on throughout the pandemic. They have been very informative, and proven to be right on target, even as he went from an early mRNA vaccine proponent to opponent. He has often asked an important question- How many lives could have been saved if people with low vitamin D levels had been identified and given supplements? People still argue about their risks and benefits. Vitamin D is generic, safe, and cheap. Testing for the vitamin D level is a simple blood test. This is a tragic example of an opportunity lost. Covid 19 is not the last respiratory virus that will plague humanity. My hope is that people look at their lifestyle risk factors, including low vitamin D3, and get ready for the next one.

Vitamin D – the “Sunshine Vitamin” – really is “Safe and Effective”.