MODULE #4 - Lesson 1 - Amazon S3€¦ · Welcome to Module 4 Lesson 1 Today we will cover vitamins...

Vitamins 101

MODULE #4 - Lesson 1

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2Super Nutrition Academy – MODULE 4 - Lesson 1

Welcome to Module 4 Lesson 1 Today we will cover vitamins and minerals starting off with fat-soluble vitamins. This can sometimes be a boring subject but I am going to try to make this as exciting as I can. In lessons 1 and 2 we will talk about vitamins and then the 3rd lesson we’ll be talk about minerals. In the 4th lesson we will talk about supplementation versus whole food.

What We’ll Be Covering TodayAs I said, we’re going to be talking about the fat-soluble vitamins, which includes A, D, E and K. As you’ll soon find out, this can be pretty lengthy. So sit tight and let’s start with Vitamin A.

Fat Soluble VitaminsThese first vitamins are called “fat-soluble” because that is where they are stored in the body. The body stores these vitamins in fat, yet another reason it’s important. There is really no single element that is more important than the next since they all work in unison. And that’s a really important thing to understand, especially when we get into minerals. When we start supplementing with individual vitamins and minerals we put the delicate balance our body needs out of whack. They all work in unison and that’s why getting this stuff through whole foods is always going to be the best way.

Because these vitamins are fat soluble, digestion and absorption of them is enhanced when combined with healthy fats. Again natural food sources are best, they are also less likely to cause toxicity. An exception is Vitamin D, which comes from the sun.

Vitamins 101Module 4 - Lesson 1


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Vitamin A

On to vitamin A. Vitamin A has two different forms, retinol, which is important for our eyesight and others like beta-carotene. There is a little bit of confusion with respect to Vitamin A so I want to clear this up for you. On the left we have performed Vitamin A. This is an example of vitamin A through foods and specifically through animal products such as liver. Preformed Vitamin A is the ultimate form our body needs. The retinol form of Vitamin A goes back and forth between retinyl esters and retinal. For instance retinal is used at the eye to combine with rhodopsin which allows us to see at night. Basically, depending on where it is in the body and what uses are required, it will shift function back and forth between retinyl esters, retinol and retinal. Ideally we’re looking for retinol as the preformed version of Vitamin A.

The pro-formed versions are called the carotenoid family. The difference here is that they are water soluble versus retinol, which is fat-soluble. This might be a little confusing so to further explain, the preformed version is retinol, this of


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it as true Vitamin A. In the diagram you can see the carotenoids are converted into retinol in the digestive tract. The most popular form of the carotenoids is beta-carotene which is found in carrots and different vegetables.

Beta-Carotene to Retinol ConversionI just showed you how beta-carotene or carotenoids are converted to retinol via retinal. Beta carotene is actually converted at a ratio of 6:1 and some studies have shown even as high as 12:1, which means that 12 parts beta carotene or 6 parts beta carotene converts to just one part retinol. This is also worse for diabetics and those with poor thyroid function. This is a “catch 22” because it seems like the more beta carotene you eat, the less is actually converted to retinol, nonetheless, beta-carotene still has a huge amount of anticancer benefits. Let’s say you do not eat meat then you’re not getting the actual retinol version of Vitamin A but you are getting huge amounts of anticancer benefits from the beta carotene.

So the carotenes are converted to Vitamin A, retinol, via bile salts and fat splitting enzymes like lipase, in the duodenum, which is the small intestine that attaches at the bottom of the stomach. This conversion can be improved when veggies, for instance carrots, are eaten with healthy fats since bile is secreted when fat is ingested. In order for carotenes to be converted to Vitamin A and then absorbed, it requires bile salts. And as we’ve seen, bile is produced in the liver, secreted from the gall bladder into the duodenum, into the small intestine.

Unless you’re eating fat with your meal bile is not being secreted because bile is secreted in response to fat in the digestive system. I enjoy lightly pan fried asparagus with a little butter. It’s a great way to get some good, healthy fat in which enables the conversion of Vitamin A in the digestive tract and also its absorption.

Are plant sources enough? In some cases yes and in some cases no. Even if you are 100% vegan and you don’t want to eat meat, it’s okay, I still believe that you can get the Vitamin A that you need through fruits and vegetables. If you do have the occasional piece of meat here are a few great sources. Eggs—they provide 140 micrograms or 466 IUs per two eggs so per egg. Men


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generally need about 3,000 IUs of Vitamin A per day and women need about 2,300 or so per day, two eggs would give you one sixth of that, in general. Vitamin A is in the yolk, which is where all the vitamins and minerals are. Butter is a great source of Vitamin A as well, with about 900 micrograms or about 3,000 IUs per half a cup. I’m advising you to have half a cup of butter. Break it down into smaller amounts.

Vitamin A, in terms of retinol is coming from in different sources. The best source is liver pate and cod liver oil. If you live in northern climates where you’re not getting a lot of for instance Vitamin D, you can find cod liver oil Vitamin D. The liver stores a copious amount of Vitamin A. If you’re not getting Vitamin A from vegetables, you may want to look at supplementing with high quality cod liver oil.

But again, you have to use it sparingly because there might be toxins in the final product. The liver will store toxins as it filters all that stuff so that’s something to consider as well. This is why you have to make sure you take a very high quality cod liver oil. You also don’t want to overdo cod liver oil because Vitamin A and Vitamin D can lead to toxicity, especially in their supplemental form.


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This is a molecular diagram that shows you how beta-carotene is twice the molecule that retinol is. Essentially beta carotene is chopped in half in the intestines. Two retinol molecules come out of one beta carotene molecule. Imagine a knife splitting the molecule in half resulting in 2 “half” molecules. So just chop it in half; you get two and then that’s what it looks like.

This is another example of the conversion into retinol, after this retinol can be converted to retinyl esters and back and forth. On the bottom left we can see how they kind of go back and forth between the three of them. Retinal can also be converted to retinoic acid.

Natural vs. SyntheticIf you’re supplementing you need to look at the label in order to understand if it is natural or synthetic. There is a big difference in their effect in the body. If you see these terms: Vitamin A acetate, Vitamin A palmitate or beta-carotene isolated it means they have been synthetically made. You want to steer clear from that because synthetic is almost a totally different molecule. The body does not respond to it. If you see, Vitamin A or beta-carotene or Vitamin A / beta-carotene or retinyl esters it is a naturally derived form.


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Vitamin A in the BodyVitamin A is absorbed from the small intestine, but this absorption can be reduced by alcohol consumption, Vitamin E deficiency, cortisone, and excessive exercise. Alcohol actually reduces everything in the body. There are many far-reaching consequences to drinking high amounts of alcohol, every mineral and vitamin is affected.

Vitamin A—90% of it is stored in the liver. This storage is depleted by alcohol because alcohol literally kills the liver. It also requires zinc in order to really function properly because it helps shuttle Vitamin A out of the liver.

Vitamin A RolesVitamin A is needed for the formation of rhodopsin, which is also called “visual purple.” It allows us to see at night and maintains the health of the cornea. It’s also important for growth and tissue healing. Fat soluble vitamins are important for cell membranes, healthy skin, and tissue healing. With respect to healthy skin, Vitamin A is important for the base layer of skin cells and moisturizes the mucosal membranes. This is important for helping to fight infection and cancer.


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It’s also a very potent antioxidant, as it protects cell membranes. It is important to protect our cell membranes and the tissue lining from free radical damage. As I just mentioned, it also protects against cancer and improves immune function. Actually most of these vitamins help the body differentiate between good and bad cells. Vitamin A improves white blood cell activity for the immune system and it blocks certain viruses.

Retinoic acid is heavily involved it is in all of the different processes within the immune system. This diagram shows that it is important for the conversion of T cells, a type of immune response type of cell in the immune system. It’s involved in every single one of these pathways, retinoic acid, retinoic acid, retinoic acid.

Vitamin A Food SourcesPreformed retinol is mainly from animal liver because 90% of Vitamin A is stored in the liver. Preformed beta carotene mostly comes from yellow and orange fruits and vegetables and green, leafy vegetables. Anything that’s yellow, orange or green is going to be a good source of Vitamin A.


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Calf liver has by far the highest amount of Vitamin A. Again, it’s really important to make sure you’re eating good quality liver because the liver not only stores Vitamin A and Vitamin D but also toxins. So make sure the quality of the liver, if you’re eating liver, is high quality. As you can see here, it’s 1,600% of your daily retinol value. You don’t want to eat it every single day because it can lead to toxicity issues. But if you are looking for a good form, like preformed version of Vitamin A, like the actual retinol, we are essentially looking at liver. That’s it.

Beta-carotene comes from all the fruits and vegetables. Sweet potatoes—very, very high source, carrots, spinach, kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, cantaloupe, papaya, bell peppers. These are all very high sources of beta-carotene and that’s good because you’re going to need a certain amount of beta-carotene to convert some of that into retinol. Again, the more you eat, the less you convert, but you won’t have toxicity issues with beta-carotene from eating fruits and vegetables. It is very, very rare.

Dietary Recommended IntakesThroughout the lessons you will see different recommendations, things like Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) and Adequate Intake (AI) it can be a little confusing.

AI for toddlers, 0-12 months—you’re looking at 400-500 micrograms, which equals 1,300-1,600 or so IUs. The conversion is 1 microgram of retinol equals 3.33 IU. Just multiply the micrograms by 3.33. The reason they did this is because with Vitamin A, they had to standardize the source, so they use is microgram equivalents of retinol. So you’re getting Vitamin A in the form of beta carotene from plants, it isn’t exactly the same as retinol. For this reason they came up with the term micrograms of retinol equivalents (RE) and that is what is represented as the microgram numbers here.

For men 14 years and older, we’re looking at 3,000 IUs or 900 micrograms of retinol equivalents per day, for females it’s 2,300 or so IUs or 700 micrograms of retinol equivalents. If you’re eating plenty of yellowish, orange and green, leafy vegetables, you’ll get all the beta-carotene and that’s all the retinol that you’ll probably need. Pregnant women, need a little less because of toxicity issues. These are things we want to look at if you’re taking the multivitamin,


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actually most do not include Vitamin A because of the toxicity issue. For lactating women, it comes up to the male level of 3,000 IU or 900 micrograms of retinol equivalents.

Up Your Vitamin A When…Any time you’re fighting an infection or healing a wound. Vitamin A is really important. If you have trouble seeing at night, you have dry eyes, or general poor vision, those are all symptoms of potential Vitamin A deficiencies. If you’re suffering from skin problems like acne, psoriasis, eczema, or if you want to fight cancer Vitamin A is great. It is also good if you are exposed to high levels of pollutants.

And here is the most important thing to remember, you want to get more Vitamin A from food this way you will also get other vitamins and minerals. Don’t think “Oh, I’m not feeling well. I’m going to go to the health food store and just grab pure Vitamin A and supplement with that.” This is not recommended because of the relationships between the vitamins and minerals. So don’t go get a bottle of synthetic vitamins or even natural vitamins and just crank up that one, specific vitamin. Get it through whole foods. This will help your body do what it needs to do and in a more effective manner.

DeficiencyDeficiencies are quite common in developing countries. Deficiencies lead to high instances of blindness, viral infections and child mortality. 25% of Americans don’t meet the RDA of Vitamin A. First, most of us don’t eat liver and second, most of us don’t even get half the amount of fruits and vegetables that we need. This affects the health of the skin, hair, eyes, immune system, appetite, bone abnormalities; and proper growth. If you have less Vitamin A in your body, you’re going to be more susceptible to viral infections like measles, chicken pox, pneumonia and respiratory syncytial virus specifically.

A hallmark sign, as this picture shows, is something called hyperkeratosis. It’s a goose bump like appearance on the skin caused by excessive production of keratin, a protein found in the skin that blocks the hair follicles. This initially occurs on the elbows, forearms and thighs but then it can spread all over your


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body. It can also cause hair loss. Prolonged deficiency of Vitamin A can lead to night blindness and Xerophthalmia, which is essentially a drying out of the cornea which can lead to total blindness.

Nutrient Interactions & DeficiencyDeficiency may also be caused by a diet that is extremely low in fat. For example fruitarians, even though they eat a ton of fruits they might not be getting the Vitamin A they need because they don’t take in enough fat. Any medical condition that reduces fat absorption or intestinal problems, like Crohn’s disease, Cystic Fibrosis, surgical removal of part of the stomach or part of the intestinal tract, gallbladder disease, liver disease, are going to affect your ability to absorb these fat soluble vitamins. If you have chronic diarrhea, that may contribute to the deficiency because Vitamin A will just be ejected out of your intestinal tract.

Inadequate protein intake can also be an issue because it can lead to the deficiency of the specific binding. Vitamin A requires binding proteins to be transported and used properly. Zinc is also required to get Vitamin A out of the liver. Vitamin A anemia, something we don’t hear too much about, is still kind of unclear. It’s up and coming in the research but it may cause a loss of iron. If you have less Vitamin A, your body will also tend not to hold onto iron as much. And deficiency in Vitamin A has also been linked to breast, cervical, lung, prostate, laryngeal and stomach cancers.

ToxicityVitamin A is not readily excreted so toxicity may begin at about 14,000 IUs in children and 25,000 IUs per day over one to two months in adults. This can be easily achieved if you are eating a lot of liver. Acute toxicity happens when numbers are 330,000 in children, 660,000 in adults. Again, it’s highly unlikely to create toxicity from diet alone unless you’re eating lots of liver. I have never toxicity happen from eating too many fruits and vegetables.

If you happen to drink large amounts of carrot juice daily, over time you can develop something called carotenodermia, which is the slight orange-yellow discoloring of the skin. There are no health consequences to this and it will


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reverse itself once you drop down your beta carotene levels. Too much retinol, especially supplements via Vitamin A palmitate or acetate forms can be more serious because toxicity of retinol can lead to swelling of the brain. That is something to consider if you’re going to supplement.

One symptom of toxicity in infants is growth retardation of the long bones and the end plates of bones. In adults, dry, itchy skin, dry, brittle fingernails, hair loss, headaches, visual changes, bone and muscle pain, and fatigue. Most of these toxicity issues go away as soon as you drop your Vitamin A intake. So if you’re getting too much, just stop supplementing or reduce your specific Vitamin A, for instance liver based foods.

To avoid toxicity, the National Academy of Sciences set a tolerable upper intake level. The safe level for preformed Vitamin A, retinol, is as follows: for children up to three years, we’re looking at a maximum of 2,000 IU per day, children from 4-14 years, 3,000-5,600 IU per day, teenagers are just over 9,000, and adults, 10,000 would be the upper limit. About these numbers we will start to see toxicity problems, especially for pregnant and lactating women, 5,000 IUs or lower is a much safer level. Vitamin A is being removed from a lot of prenatal vitamins because it can be toxic to the fetus leading to cleft palate and Spina Bifida.


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Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a very fascinating vitamin. It is actually more like a hormone because it’s produced in the skin, circulates through the blood and affects different systems and organs. So it’s a hormone-like, fat-soluble vitamin that requires involvement of the skin, bloodstream, liver and kidneys to be produced. It’s perhaps the biggest bang for your buck vitamin. It impacts all aspects of your health. It regulates over 2,000 of the 30,000 genes in the human body. No other vitamin does this. It’s known as the “sunshine vitamin” because the skin manufactures it through UVB rays. As a result, its production is decreased if wearing sunblock or clothing and those with darker skin color need more sun exposure to create enough Vitamin D.


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Okay, so let’s look at how Vitamin D is created. This process is important to understand because this will make the supplementation issue as well as blood testing paradigms easier to understand. If we look at the top left, we have the sun interacting with the skin. When this happens, UVB rays interact with seven dihydrocholesterol to form cholecalciferol, the pre-pre-pre-preform. Cholecalciferol is then transferred to the liver via the blood through a special binding protein called DBP and when it reaches the liver it is then converted to 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, also known as calcidiol.

This is an important name to remember because most studies use it to measure Vitamin D in the body. Once it’s in the liver, it is then sent to the kidneys to form 125-dihydroxycholecalciferol, also known as calcitriol or Vitamin D3 or calciferol. This is the most active form of Vitamin D. I will use D3, Vitamin D, and calciferol all interchangeably because they’re all pretty much the same thing. D3 increases blood calcium by enhancing calcium and phosphorous absorption from the small intestine. It also reduces the loss of calcium in the urine and it stimulates osteoclast activity in the bone.

So what we’re saying here is that Vitamin D increases calcium levels or increases calcium absorption from the intestines, decreases calcium output in the urine but it also breaks down calcium from the bone by increasing osteoclasts, eat away at the bone mineral density, in order to maintain adequate calcium levels in the blood. That’s what its main function is to do.

D3 vs. D2Vitamin D2, also known as ergocalciferol, is derived from plants and does not have the same effect as D3 inside the body, although some studies show that they are more or less the same. When companies fortify products, Vitamin D, they are using Vitamin D2, which is obviously not as good for us as D3. D2 has a shorter shelf life and its metabolites bind with protein poorly so DBP doesn’t bind properly to it making it less effective. So for instance, one unit of cod liver oil, which contains a good amount of Vitamin D3, has been shown to be as effective as four units of Viosterol, which is a medicinal preparation of Vitamin D2.


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Speaking of synthetic forms, anything that says Vitamin D1 isolated, Vitamin D2 isolated, Vitamin D3 isolated, Vitamin D4, ergosterol or ergosterol isolated, cholecalciferol isolated or lumisterol are synthetic. The worst part is that they are often derived from irradiated animal fat or cattle brains. That’s disgusting.

Again, you don’t need to supplement Vitamin D, and the power of natural Vitamin D is that has been shown to have ten times the antirachitic effect, which is anti-rickets effect. Rickets is problem that occurs in children with Vitamin D deficiency. The natural form of Vitamin D has ten times the power to prevent that than synthetic forms.

Vitamin D3 and CalciumAs I mentioned, calcitriol or calciferol, Vitamin D3, increases calcium in the blood by breaking down bone, so we get a net gain of calcium in the blood, however, deficiency in calcium or intestinal absorption problems can lead to overall loss of calcium from bone.

Regulation of D3 and CalciumThe regulation of Vitamin D3 and calcium is performed by the parathyroid glands.

The major function of the parathyroid glands is to maintain the body’s calcium level within a very narrow range. When blood calcium levels drop below a certain point, calcium-sensing receptors in the parathyroid gland release a hormone called parathyroid hormone (PTH) into the blood.

PTH leaves the parathyroid glands and it increases blood calcium levels, by stimulating osteoclasts to break down bone and release calcium and calcium absorption from the gastrointestinal tract.

PTH and Vitamin D3 work closely together, in fact, PTH regulates the enzyme that allows D3 to be produced in the kidneys. Low levels of Vitamin D cause calcium and phosphorous decrease. That makes sense because less of it is being absorbed in the intestines, less is being broken down in the bones and that increases parathyroid hormone. Remember, low Vitamin D, more PTH


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from the parathyroid glands will be excreted because it needs to stimulate more Vitamin D production in the kidneys.

Over time this can lead to hyperparathyroidism. If there is too much PTH in the blood, too much calcium is pulled from the bones and that can lead to osteoporosis. A lot of things are fortified with calcium and Vitamin D but it’s actually causing more bad than good.

Vitamin D Roles Vitamin D regulates in conjunction with PTH, calcium, metabolism and normal calcification of bones. If we have low Vitamin D, we’ll have an increased amount of PTH, which will break down more bone. This picture shows normal bone and bone with osteoporosis. So the body says, “Well, okay. We have more calcium in the blood but now our bones are brittle.” So Vitamin D is important.

Vitamin D is important for the growth of bones and teeth, helps maintain the nervous system, heart function, and normal blood clotting all of which are affected by calcium levels. It also fights


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colds and the flu as it regulates the expression of genes that influenced your immune system. It regulates cell division, cell growth, and cell numbers.

Vitamin D and CancerVitamin D3 exerts multiple anticancer actions including anti-proliferative and helps differentiate the cells. It helps the immune system differentiate bad cells from good cells on various malignant and normal cells in the body. It has several anti-inflammatory effects including the suppression of prostaglandins. Some prostaglandins are good and some are not. It suppresses the bad ones. It also inhibits P38 stress kinase signaling, - and the subsequent production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the inhibition of NFKB signaling. All of these things lead to inflammation and cancer.

It decreases the expression of aromatase, which is the enzyme that catalyzes estrogen synthesis in breast cancer. Vitamin D specifically attacks the enzyme aromatase to prevent that from happening. It suppresses tumor angiogenesis, which is a topic we’ll cover in a later module. Angiogenesis basically means the creation of new blood vessels. It suppresses tumor invasion and metastasis from occurring.


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Vitamin D, UVB and CancerCountries close to the equator have lower incidence of cancer. This is a study published in the Annals of Epidemiology in 2009 looked at this subject. This graph shows the lowest incidence rates. At the bottom we have countries circled in red, that are all very close to the equator, Brazil, Colombia, India, Belize, Guatemala, these are all the countries that have the lowest incidence of cancer. At the top we have Czech Republic, Estonia, Iceland, Hungary, Poland, USA, Canada, France, Norway, which are all further north or south from the equator. This makes sense because of the angel of the Earth and sun rays, they do not get a lot of UVB. On and around the equator; you can spend a couple of minutes outside and you’ll have all the Vitamin D you need.


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Vitamin D Deficiency among Women with Breast CancerHere is another study that looked at a Vitamin D deficiency among women who already have breast cancer. This is from a study done at the University of Toronto and Mt. Sinai Hospital where they followed women over a 12 year period who already had the early stages of breast cancer in order to see survival rates in respect to their Vitamin D levels. About a third of the pie had less than desirable levels of Vitamin D. They are essentially in deficience. A smaller percentage had sufficient and a larger percentage had insufficient levels. Let’s just say most of them didn’t have proper Vitamin D levels.

The bottom line represents those who are deficient in Vitamin D versus the white line which are those who had sufficient Vitamin D. The survival rate is about 20-30% difference between the sufficient and deficient groups. After 12 years, looking at those who died versus those who didn’t, one of the biggest differences was the amount of Vitamin D in their blood.


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“Vitamin D circulating in the blood may actually slow the growth and progression of breast cancer.” The researchers from this study said, “Vitamin D circulating in the blood may actually slow the growth and progression of breast cancer.” Women in this study who are not taking supplements had an average Vitamin D level of 55 nanomoles per liter.

55 nanomoles per liter is one way of looking at how much Vitamin D—specifically how much Vitamin D in the form of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, which is the precursor to D3. 55 nanomoles is more commonly known as 25 nanograms per milliliter in the Americas. So this is the level of women who are not supplementing with Vitamin D. So taking a Vitamin D supplement of 800 IU per day will on average raise blood Vitamin D levels to 100 nanomoles per liter or 40 nanograms per milliliter.

40 nanograms per milliliter, is the level we start to see positive results in those living with cancer. Vitamin D circulating in the blood may actually slow the growth and progression of breast cancer. Breast cancer cells possess the enzyme that metabolizes the inactive form of 25-hydroxy Vitamin D or cholecalciferol to its active form. So breast cancer cells are actually turning an inactive form to an activated form in the breast tissue. Breast cancer cells also have Vitamin D receptors in their nuclei that can change the molecular machinery by altering different genes. It slows the growth of the cells, causes them to die and become more differentiated so the cancer becomes less aggressive. So breast cancer cells have this built in machinery to first of all receive Vitamin D and alter the cancer gene’s DNA. They also possess enzymes that metabolize inactive vitamin D to active vitamin D.

How Much “D” Do We Need?Vitamin D equals calcitriol equals Vitamin D3 equals calciferol and sometimes we refer to it as cholecalciferol as well. They are all the same. Adults over 70 years old, over 800 IUs per day but the Canadian Cancer Society recommends 1,000 per day in the winter or really year round for most of us and year round for those with dark skin, who rarely go outside, are older or wear clothes that cover most of their skin. These numbers don’t take Vitamin D from the sun into


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account. When buying Vitamin D be aware that it is measured in International Units so you’ll see IU on the food label or micrograms of cholecalciferol, D3 or ergocalciferol if it’s D2. One microgram is equivalent to 40 IU, in terms of the dosage from those supplemental forms.

Each 100 IU of Vitamin D ingested daily produces a one nanogram per milliliter increase in 25-hydroxy Vitamin D or 25-hydyroxycholecalciferol in the blood. For example, let’s say you consumed 800 IUs per day of Vitamin D. If we divide that by 100 it shows you’re only increasing your 25-hydroxy Vitamin D level in the blood by eight nanograms per milliliter. That’s essential deficient.

But Do We Need More?Do we need more than the average recommended intake? Many studies use different levels and come up with many different results. From a cancer preventive perspective, up to 60 nanograms per milliliter in the blood seems to be most protective. That amounts to at least 5,000 IUs per day, which is at least five to six times higher than our adequate intake levels. This number depends on your current blood level of Vitamin D, skin color, and age. This makes sense because if you already have high Vitamin D levels you won’t need as much Vitamin D. If you have darker skin you’re going to need more Vitamin D than somebody who has lighter skin color. If you’re older, you’re going to need more Vitamin D than somebody who is younger. There are a lot of different factors here. Bottom line is get your blood levels tested. That’s the most important thing you can do because then you’ll know where you stand.

Vitamin D Blood TestThere are two different tests for Vitamin D levels. There is the 125-dihydroxycholecalciferol test, which measures the form of Vitamin D just after the 25-hydroxycholecalciferol one that we reviewed at the beginning of this presentation. This is a better marker for overall Vitamin D status and overall health it is also what most of the studies use. If you have levels below 50 nanograms per milliliter, that’s a deficit. Optimal is between 50 and 70. If you have cancer or cardiovascular disease then some studies have used higher levels of 70-100 nanograms per milliliter. Those are special cases, I


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wouldn’t recommend that. Excess is over 100 nanograms per milliliter. Again, these values were taken from healthy people in tropical or subtropical parts of the world, where they receive healthy sun exposures. So they’re not supplementing with Vitamin D. Now if you live in Canada and they measure through nanomoles per liter, then you’ll want to just multiply those numbers by 2.5.

Best Food SourcesHere are some of the best food sources of Vitamin D. Don’t know about you but I am not going to eat eel but it’s got 700 IUs. Sockeye salmon I eat occasionally but it doesn’t really have that high of Vitamin D. Fortified milk, I would never touch it. I recommend you do the same. Cod liver oil has a good source of Vitamin D. The level listed here is for just one teaspoon. The reality is that we’re not getting Vitamin D through food. It’s just not a significant source.

If Supplementing…If you supplement Vitamin D you’ll want to take it with food. A study done at the Cleveland Clinic found that most people take Vitamin D on an empty stomach. In this study 17 such people were instructed instead to take the same supplement with their largest meal of the day. After two to three months they found that serum Vitamin D levels had increased on average by about 56.7%. The magnitude of this increase was seen across a wide range of Vitamin D dosage and forms, using D2 and D3. So essentially, have Vitamin D with food. That’s essentially what the study shows.


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Supplementation vs. SunlightThis is an interesting area of debate. I personally don’t really think there is much to debate. We evolved from early man who wore little clothing while they roamed the earth getting plenty of sun exposure. That’s how our body was constructed to absorb Vitamin D, not through supplementation. Obviously times have changed.

In supplements and fortified foods Vitamin D comes in two form D2 ergocalciferol and D3. D2 is commonly used in processed and fortified foods and was previously thought to not be as effective as D3. In general levels below 30 nanomoles per liter or 12 nanograms per milliliter are too low for bone or overall health. Depending on the health outcome we’re after, high and low levels can have different impacts. Again, most of us are not getting enough Vitamin D from our foods. In fact, 40% of the US population and higher is Vitamin D deficient.


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If supplementing it is best to go with high quality cod liver oil. With 400 IU per teaspoon and I recommend this during the winter months when you’re not getting enough sunlight. Again, beware of methyl mercury toxicity. Only supplement if you have no way of getting sun exposure. This is the only time I’m really going to recommend an isolated supplement and cod liver oil is probably a better choice.

Vitamin D toxicity is rare because we’re so deficient in it but it can occur. An upper limit for adults has been set at about 4,000 IU per day; however, some studies have shown 10,000 IU per day to be safe. The bottom line is that bare sun exposure is critical for everyone. Wearing an SPF of just 8 reduces skin’s ability to make Vitamin D by 95%. So when I’m talking about bare exposure, I mean no sunscreen, no clothing. 10-15 minutes of sun exposure at least twice per week to the face, arms, hands or back without sunscreen is usually sufficient to provide enough Vitamin D. Get that unexposed skin exposed to the sun.

In a study by the Journal of America Academia Dermatologica, it was estimated that getting the equivalent of 1,000 IU dose of Vitamin D requires exposing the face, hands and arms to full sunlight at noon for just 6-15 minutes in Miami or 9-19 minutes during non-winter months in Boston, based on a darker skin Caucasian. The times are 33% shorter for people with fair skin and double for those with dark skin. So let’s say you work in an office and you are a white Caucasian.

Go outside for a couple minutes a day, get some fresh air and take off your jacket, roll up your sleeves, expose your head, expose your legs, expose your arms—5-10 minutes. If you do that every single day, you get more than enough Vitamin D. If you are African American, spend a little bit more time outdoors. To get only 400 IU, those times would be 40% as long. All of these exposures are significantly less than the amount required to cause sunburn. After that put your hat on, put the clothes on, and put the sunscreen on. That’s all you need to do to get the Vitamin D that your body needs to prevent cancer, to stay healthy, to strengthen your bones, for everything else.


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Sunlight ConsiderationsThe New England Journal of Medicine found that it takes up to 48 hours after sun exposure for Vitamin D to absorb through the skin. So here is a recommendation, prevent showering with soap during this time because soap emulsifies fats and it will remove them from your skin. If you’re going to shower, don’t use soap on those exposed areas. Just water is fine because it doesn’t mix with the Vitamin D. Soap reduces your skin’s ability to absorb the Vitamin D. So it takes it 48 hours for that Vitamin D to get inside the skin.

Also glass blocks UVB but not UVA light and UVA destroys Vitamin D synthesis. We get UVB, UVA from the sun. UVB is helpful in terms of developing Vitamin D, while UVA blocks that and also causes cancer. If you’re spending too much time indoors or behind car glass, you’re not getting UVB, but you are getting all the UVA and that’s not good because now you’re predisposing your skin to developing cancer.

Recent reports show that dietary Vitamin D intake correlates poorly with the 25-hydroxy Vitamin D concentrations in the blood and that those concentrations can hover around what is considered to be marginally deficient despite consumption of recommended amount of Vitamin D. So even if you’re getting enough Vitamin D from your food or supplementation it doesn’t necessarily correlate with blood levels. Again, the best way to do it is to go through sunlight, do not use soap on your skin for up to 24-48 hours after that exposure. UVB exposure and time spent outdoors are better predictors of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentrations than is dietary Vitamin D intake. So you’re much better off spending more time outside. From an overall health perspective, less time indoors, less time sitting, more time outdoors; more time being active has a lot of really good benefits.


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Be Wary of Shady Supplements I subscribe to a website called www.ConsumerLab.com. It’s about $35 per year but they’ll give you the breakdown of every single vitamin that they test and they’ll show you are approved and which actually have what they say they have in them. So here’s one thing that they looked at. Among the 20 Vitamin D containing supplements that www.ConsumerLab.com selected for quality evaluation, 8 products failed to meet their quality criteria.

These products were unapproved the amount of Vitamin D or other ingredients was incorrect. These brands, DEVA Vegan Vitamin, Kirkman Calcium/Magnesium, Vitafusion Vitamin D, all contained different levels or other ingredients than what they stipulated on the food label. AlgaeCal Plus and Pure Essence Labs Ionic-Fizz Super D-K Calcium Plus actually had lead contamination. You may want to avoid these brands just because of those issues.

Vitamin D DeficiencyVitamin D deficiency is very common in the western world. In the United States, during the late winter, on average Vitamin D is only about 15-18 nanograms per millimole. That is severely deficient. Research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that those with the lowest Vitamin D levels have more than double the risk of dying from heart disease and other causes over an eight year period compared with those with the highest Vitamin D levels.

They also cited that decreased outdoor activity as the one reason that people may become deficient in Vitamin D. We’re not getting sunlight so we’re deficient. It’s not because we’re not supplementing with Vitamin D, it’s because we’re not getting enough Vitamin D from the sun. A follow up study in 2008 found an increased risk of heart attacks in those with low Vitamin D levels.

http://www.consumerlab.com/

http://www.consumerlab.com/


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Age-Related and Weight FactorsIndividuals age 50 and older are at an increased risk of Vitamin D insufficiency because the skin cannot synthesize Vitamin D as younger individuals and their kidneys are less able to convert Vitamin D into its active hormone, D3. Conversely, adequate Vitamin D levels have been shown to assist in fat loss. These studies have shown that there hasn’t been much weight loss but there is specifically fat loss. People who are obese also tend to have a low plasma concentration of 25-hydroxy Vitamin D because the fat wants to hold onto the vitamin, right? Vitamin D is fat-soluble so if you have more fat, it’s going to sit in those fat stores.

Vitamin D and Bone A 2010 study showed that women aged 69 and older, whose Vitamin D levels were not between 20 and 30 nanograms per milliliter had a greater risk of being frail, i.e. weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, slowness and low physical activity, was increased by 47% among those with Vitamin D levels below 15 nanograms per milliliter, 24% with levels below 20 nanograms per milliliter and 32% among those with levels above 29.9 nanograms per milliliter.

This is interesting because we just said that approximately 60 nanograms per milliliter is important for preventing cancer but now this study and others have shown that high levels of Vitamin D can also be a bit of a double edged sword for bone health. In this case an average of 4.5 years after these measurements were made, those originally not frail but whose blood levels had been below 20 nanograms per milliliter were 21% more likely to have become frail or died. These findings correspond with the 2010 report from the Institute of Medicine indicating that 20 nanograms per milliliter is a sufficient level for Vitamin D and that levels above 30 nanograms per milliliter may be associated with certain risks, especially with respect to bone.

So here is a graph from the study. The red circle shows the optimal range between 20 and 30 nanograms per milliliter in the blood of Vitamin D, anything lower and the risk for frailty increases. Anything higher is also a risk factor for bone frailty. This is something we want to consider. High Vitamin D can be good for preventing cancer but at the same time, it can also lead to bone


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fragility. Once again, if you simply go outside and get some sunlight, you won’t necessarily fall into these issues of if you’re getting way too much from supplementation or not.

Vitamin D and Heart Disease Researchers found that men with low levels of Vitamin D in the blood are at an increased risk for heart attack. Low Vitamin D is not good. 30 and higher is protective for heart disease and even adjusting for other factors and physical activity.


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This also may contribute to the higher rate of cardiovascular mortality. African Americans tend to have lower Vitamin D levels than white American due to their skin color. African Americans have higher blood pressure in general and higher incidence of heart attacks. Could this be related to Vitamin D? A six-year study showed that adults with Vitamin D levels below 30 were more likely to suffer from hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy and diabetes than those with higher levels. In fact, after adjusting for other factors, the risk of death from all causes was 164% higher among those with the lower levels of Vitamin D. 71% of people in the study, involving over 10,000 people in Kansas, had serum Vitamin D levels below 30, which is pretty significant.

So Vitamin D seems to be cardio-protective. It increases the body’s natural anti-inflammatory cytokines, suppresses vascular calcification, it inhibits vascular smooth muscle growth. We don’t want the smooth muscles of the heart or the arteries to get big, Vitamin D suppresses that. It also suppresses calcium from building up in the arteries. Again, Vitamin D below 30 nanograms per milliliter seems to be a risk factor for heart disease, as it tends to be for cancer and a lot of other health issues. The only anomaly we’ve seen so far is bone, where the sweet spot is between 20 and 30.

Other Vitamin D ImplicationsDeficiency in Vitamin D is linked to Autism; specifically deficiency in pregnant women can predispose the womb to future problems. A onetime high dose of 300,000 IU given to women with painful menstrual cramps reduced pain by 41% during the next two months and none of these women needed to use anti-inflammatories versus 40% of women from the placebo group. Low levels of Vitamin D are associated with depression. Older women, less than 20 nanograms per milliliter were two times more likely to develop depression and 60% more likely in men. Risk of depression was 20% lower for women between 50-79 with daily intake of 800 IUs or more versus women with an intake of less than 100 IUs of Vitamin D.

You have a 65% lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease if you’re at 20 nanograms per milliliter versus 10. Daily intake of greater than 500 IUs per day of Vitamin D decreased risk of Type 2 Diabetes by 13% versus 200 IUs


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per day. 42% reduction in Influenza in Japanese children getting D3, 1,200 IU per day from December through March versus placebo. All of these studies were done high caliber journals like the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the Archives of Internal Medicine. I wanted to give you a quick rundown of different issues associated with Vitamin D deficiency. It literally runs the gamut of health issues.


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ToxicityToxicity is possible but not if achieved through natural sunlight. Excessive and prolonged D3 supplementation is probably not advised. There is a study that shows that 10,000 IUs per day seems to be the limit although the recommended upper limit is about 4,000 IUs per day. Here is a review of the literature on Vitamin D blood levels and toxicity.

The Xs represent the levels at which problems started to occur inside the body. Above 10,000 IUs there is an exponential increase, but up to 10,000 IUs we see no problems. It also reflects the fact that Vitamin D intake up to 10,000 IUs doesn’t make that much of a difference in terms of the circulating blood levels of Vitamin D3 or the 25-hydroxycalciferol. After about 10,000 IUs, then it started to spike up dramatically. So 10,000 IUs tends to be about the upper limit of where we want to be. And again, you won’t even get to that point through natural sunlight.


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Vitamin E

Vitamin E is part of a family called the tocopherols or the tocotrienols. Each of these contains four different forms. You can have the alpha, beta, gamma, delta within these tocopherols or tocotrienols. Ideally, Vitamin E should be consumed in the broader family of mixed natural tocopherols and tocotrienols, also referred to as full spectrum Vitamin E. It’s absorbed from the intestines but not readily stored in the body in this case. Vitamin A and Vitamin D were easily stored in the body but Vitamin E is not, therefore its toxicity is uncommon. Its absorption is impaired by a lot of the common things, in this case estrogen so soy products and polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically the bad ones like soybean and sunflower oil will impact absorption. Vitamin E’s major function is as an antioxidant. It prevents fat oxidation and free radical damage to cell membranes.

Vitamin E “Look a Likes”Be careful for Vitamin E lookalikes. You have the natural version, which is the RRR. You’ll see RRR-alpha-tocopherol or you’ll see D-alpha-tocopherol, this is the natural form. If you see SRR or DL-alpha-tocopherol, that’s the synthetic form.

One IU of tocopherol equals two-thirds milligrams of the natural tocopherol. One IU is also defined as one milligram of an equal mix of eight stereoisomers. There are 8 smaller versions of Vitamin E in one IU. In a supplement this is defined as one milligram from these eight. This mixture is often called DL-alpha-tocopherol acetate and it is synthetic. One IU of this race mix is now considered to be equivalent to one IU of natural RRR or the D tocopherol. The Institute of Medicine and the UST now convert one IU of the race mix mixture, which is the eight sub-Vitamin Es, 2 milligrams of equivalent RRR using one IU equals 0.45 milligrams of D-alpha-tocopherol.


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I know this is confusing but essentially what this means is that if you are supplementing with a synthetic form of Vitamin E, multiply the IU by 0.45 milligrams to get the actual amount of E. Example, 10 IU of synthetic Vitamin E times 0.45 actually equals 4.5 milligrams of real Vitamin E.

Natural vs. SyntheticYou want to be looking out for synthetic. You’re going to see things like Vitamin E acetate, mixed tocopherols, all-rac-alpha-tocophero, DL-alpha-tocopherol, D-alpha-tocopherol isolated. Be careful here because this D makes it seem like it’s actually the natural thing, but it isn’t because it has the isolated parentheses. DL-alpha-tocopherol acetate and all acetate forms. All of this is synthetic. If you see it avoid it.

When it’s natural you’ll see Vitamin E, RRR, or you’ll just see the D-alpha-tocopherol food. If you’re using a supplement or a multivitamin, unless it says “from food,” it’s not from food. Natural form has up to four times the free radical scavenging strength. So you’re wasting your money if you’re buying synthetic supplements.

But Hold On…Our bodies can easily distinguish between natural and synthetic Vitamin E thanks to a specific protein carrier in the liver called alpha-tocopherol transfer protein or Alpha TTP. Here are images of both natural Vitamin E and synthetic Vitamin E. There are very small chemical changes.

Ataxia, a neurological disorder that affects the cerebellum can occur with extremely low deficiency of Vitamin E. These people have defects in the Alpha TTP protein carrier. In other words, they become Vitamin E deficient because they are unable to secrete alpha-tocopherol or Vitamin E into the circulation.

The synthetic form of Vitamin E does not bind to this protein and natural D-alpha-tocopherol the natural Vitamin E has 1.7 to 4 times the free radical scavenging strength than the synthetic form. This binding protein is very, very interesting and it’s important because if you take a synthetic Vitamin E, it won’t


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even be carried throughout the blood because it simply has no carrier protein to help it do its job.


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Vitamin E BenefitsBy protecting the integrity of cell membranes Vitamin E lowers the risk of asthma, allergies, reduces menstrual pain, improves circulation, helps prevent prostate and breast cancers, slows down cognitive decline, and can help reduce atherosclerosis and heart disease by up to 80%.

Your Internal “Bodyguard”Think of Vitamin E as your internal bodyguard. Its sole purpose is to protect the cell membranes. When you consume an omega-3 fatty acid or an omega-6 fatty acid, a lot of times Vitamin E will come in conjunction with them because Vitamin E is mainly derived from the germ of the outer casing of grains and seeds.

Without Vitamin E our DNA is more exposed to free radical damage and we don’t want that to happen. It’s powerful for skin and wound healing. Vitamin E helps to heal the lining of your arteries and cuts on your skin. It also prevents the oxidation of other nutrients, for instance, we saw that omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA are unstable. So they are a double edged sword. Vitamin E helps to make them more stable.

Its functions are also enhanced by the presence of Vitamin C, beta-carotene, and glutathione (a powerful antioxidant inside our cells), CoQ10 and selenium. As we will soon discuss, Vitamin K helps clot our blood, which is important so we don’t bleed to death, but Vitamin E helps to keep things in balance by decreasing blood clotting.

But Be CarefulHigh levels, especially from supplementation, have been shown to increase lung cancer risk by 28% amongst 77,000 people consuming 400 milligrams per day. Studies show a 1.6 greater risk of prostate cancer among over 35,000 men supplementing with 400 IUs per day. If we multiply that by 0.45 we get 180 milligrams of the true Vitamin E. However, a Finnish study found that the incidence of prostate cancer was 32% lower among men who took Vitamin E than among those who did not. The death rate from the disease was 40%


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lower among men who supplanted daily with 50 milligrams. So a lot lower than what those previous studies had shown—180, 400 milligrams per day—seemed to be a bit of a warning sign.

How Much Do You Need?For most of us we only need 15 milligrams per day, that’s why those studies that showed 400 milligrams per day and 180 milligrams per day were obviously leading to prostate and lung cancer. That’s why you don’t want to overdo this stuff. That’s why supplementation is not really the solution guys. I hope you’re starting to get the picture. If you’re pregnant or lactating, a little bit higher.

Best Food SourcesAs I mentioned, Vitamin E is present in highest amounts in the germ of grains and is lost during processing. If you eat whole wheat bread, you will be getting a certain degree of Vitamin E. If you eat white bread, you will not be getting Vitamin E because the germ has been removed. Vitamin E is also present in vegetable oils and in pretty much all plants. It’s not abundant in animal products because just like us, they don’t store very much in their fat.


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Here is a picture of a typical grain. Inside we have the bran, the endosperm and on the outside we have the germ.

Sunflower seeds are actually the highest source of Vitamin E literally meeting our daily requirements in one cup. Do not eat this amount in one sitting. Almonds are a very good source of Vitamin E. If you have ever used almond milk from a premade carton, the Vitamin E will not be the same quality as if would be if you made it from scratch. If you’ve read my “Eating for Energy” program, you know how to make your own almond milk, but essentially soak almonds overnight. The next morning you put them in your Vitamix or a blender with some water and blend it until it becomes milk.

If you want a really good source of Vitamin E without supplementation and without having to eat a thousand almonds, have some almond milk. Have it in place of cow’s milk on your cereal or if you’re making a natural, raw cereal. My favorite raw cereal is blueberries, walnuts, coconut, hempseeds topped off with almond milk. After soaking the almonds overnight rinse them and blend with new water and strain if you want. In general, nuts and seeds that have a casing will provide some degree of Vitamin E. All the green, leafy vegetables are good sources.

The best supplemental source is wheat germ. One cup of sunflower seeds gives you 12.31 milligrams of Vitamin E while one ounce of wheat germ gives you a third of that. And that’s one ounce versus one cup. The only problem with wheat germ is that it contains gluten. So if you have issues with glutinous grains, then wheat germ is not the best option. Wheat germ oil is also great at 20 milligrams per teaspoon. I don’t necessarily think you need to go to that extent again, because then you are getting in very, very high doses in unnatural forms but you can if you want to.

Deficiency and ToxicityDeficiency and toxicity are both rare. Premature babies who can’t get Vitamin E from breast milk are pretty much the only time you’ll see a deficiency. First sign of deficiency may be a loss of red blood cells due to fragility caused by a loss of cell membrane protection. So if your cell membranes are loose, your


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red blood cells will disintegrate. Peripheral neuropathy may occur or ataxia at the extremes. Again, those are very rare.

Athletes engaging in intense exercise may need a little more than most to calm that increased oxidated stress. Again, everything seems to be a double edged sword. Too much is not good, right? Everything is about moderation and balance, hence the name “homeostasis,” which represents balance. So too much intake of oxygen via exercise and a lot of this muscular work increases free radical damage inside the body. We need to scavenge that by using things like Vitamin E. Just so you know, the big antioxidants are Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Zinc. You can remember them by using the acronym ACES.

The tolerable upper limit is 1,000 milligrams, supplementally, per day. Again, that’s way higher than what we would typically get through food and what we need based on a recommended intake of about 15 milligrams. Through food there is no problem and toxicity is rare because it is readily excreted from the body but high doses can turn this antioxidant into a pro-oxidant causing more damage than it repairs. Just as the others, too much of a good thing can be bad. In this case, an antioxidant can become a pro-oxidant, which means that it actually increases oxidation in the body at very high levels. That’s why you don’t need to supplement with Vitamin E at extreme, high levels.


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Vitamin K

This is going to be quick because Vitamin K is very subtle. It is made in the body, found in nature and is also known as phenylquinone. So in nature it’s known as phenylquinone and that’s why it’s also known as phylloquinone from a food source. It’s also known as K1. Menaquinone, known as K2, comes from our bacteria in the large intestine.

Vitamin K3, menadione, phytonadione, napthoquinone, dihydro Vitamin K1 are the synthetic forms. Those, you want to avoid. Vitamin K or phylloquinone from food are the only natural ones. The food label should show if you’re getting it from supplements. But you’re going to see that. This is probably one of the easiest vitamins to get in high doses in no problem, without toxicity really.

FunctionsBlood clotting is its major function. It is required the synthesis of prothrombin and clotting factors nine, seven and ten. It helps convert prothrombin to thrombin, which helps the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin clots. It’s also involved in bone metabolism and the prevention of bone loss. This is something that not a lot of people talk about or consider with Vitamin K but it has a very, very important role there. It also helps prevent calcification of your arteries and it provides possible protection against liver and prostate cancer.

The 1998 Nurse’s Health Study is one of the biggest studies ever done showing an inverse relationship between dietary Vitamin K1 and the risk of hip fractures. So the more Vitamin K, the less hip fractures. After being given 110 micrograms per day of Vitamin K, women who consume lettuce more than one time per day had a significantly lower risk of hip fracture than women who consume lettuce one or fewer times per week. Also high intakes of Vitamin D but low intakes of Vitamin K were suggested to pose an increased risk of hip fracture. We saw high intake of Vitamin D just a few minutes ago, becomes a risk factor for bone loss and frailty. In conjunction with low intakes of Vitamin


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K, in this case, can increase the risk of hip fracture. So can high intakes of Vitamin D and high intakes of Vitamin K work together to increase… Does high intake of Vitamin K offset the high intake of Vitamin D with bone loss issues? I’m not too sure but something to maybe research on your own, if you will.

The Framingham Heart Study which is another huge study, subjects in the highest quartile of Vitamin K1 intake of 250 micrograms per day had a 35% lower risk of hip fracture than those in the lowest quartile. I

MechanismsOne of the menaquinone forms of Vitamin K, known as MK4, is also known as menotetrinone, has also been shown to block formation of too many osteoclasts. So the menaquinone is coming from our bacteria in our colon. So it actually blocks the formation of too many osteoclasts and osteoclasts are those cells that break down bone. Secondly, for healthy bones we need a protein called osteocalcin, which needs to be chemically altered through the process of carboxylation. Okay, so this osteocalcin is really important. But if it’s not carboxylated, it will not perform properly and thus we will be at an increased risk of a bone fracture. Now amazingly and thankfully, Vitamin K—Vitamin K1 in a lot of cases—is required for proper activity of the carboxylase enzyme that allows carboxylation of osteocalcin protein in bone. So MK4, menaquinone, has been best researched in this regard. So Vitamin K1 is helpful but also the menaquinone, the type of bacterial one that we produce, is probably the most effective in this regard. So it’s a very, very important role in bone health.

Vitamin K and Anti-CalcificationWhat about anti-calcification? Here is an image of a calcium buildup in an artery and this is essentially known as atherosclerosis. Vitamin K can prevent that. MGP, which is known as the matrix GLA protein, inhibits the buildup of calcium inside the arteries by blocking the formation of calcium crystals inside the blood vessels. Well for MGP to function in this way, it must first be present in its, again, carboxylated form. Vitamin K is required for this carboxylation process. Both basic forms of Vitamin K—K1 and K2—have been found to provide excellent calcification preventing benefits.


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How Much Do You Need? So adults-- 120 micrograms for men, 90 micrograms for women. This is easily attained by eating more plant foods, which are the number one source of Vitamin K. So we only need at the most, for men, 120 micrograms. Half a cup of cooked kale is 531. At the lower end we have broccoli, half a cup cooked is 110. Turnip greens, Swiss chard, collard, spinach all easily meet your Vitamin K requirements. So with whatever you’re having for dinner, if you have a half a cup of cooked kale, spinach, collard, Swiss chard—any green, leafy vegetables—you will be getting Vitamin K. In the raw form, they are a little bit less because phylloquinone’s tight binding to phylloclade membranes in chloroplasts, which are those pigments in plants, make Vitamin K less bioavailable. So that’s why Vitamin K in cooked greens is more bioavailable.


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DeficiencyDeficiency is rare in healthy adults but if present, fractures and bleeding are two obvious issues. Newborn infants are, again, increased risk of deficiency since they cannot produce Vitamin K until four days old. So if you have a newborn, you’ll usually get a Vitamin K shot for that reason. Greater risk for those with, again, any damage to the intestinal tract. Any of these fat soluble vitamins are heavily impoverished, if you have any kind of intestinal issues—Cystic Fibrosis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, liver damage, alcoholism. The use of antibiotics can reduce Vitamin K production in the gut by nearly 74%. Yet another reason antibiotics are not a good thing. And salicylates like aspirin can reduce Vitamin K in the body.

Symptoms of deficiency include heavy menstrual bleeding, anemia, bruising and bleeding of the gums or nose. Also osteoporosis and coronary heart disease. Deficiency is strongly related to osteoporosis and coronary heart disease. Menaquinone is not inhibited by salicylates so if you take aspirin, the bacterial form of Vitamin K2 is not inhibited by the use of aspirin, however, aspirin will lower levels of K1. So menaquinone supplementation can alleviate


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chronic Vitamin K deficiency if you are on long-term use of aspirin. Just something to consider or to bring up to your doctor.

Unfortunately the human intestinal tract is very inefficient at absorbing Vitamin K. Thankfully our food intake supplies way more than we need. So again, we’re not absorbing as much as we should—Vitamin K from our intestinal tract—but we get a ton of Vitamin K just by eating enough plant foods.

ToxicityToxicity is rare in its natural form. However, there are three synthetic types of Vitamin K our known: Vitamin K3, K4 and K5. And although the natural forms, K1 and K2, are nontoxic, the synthetic form, K3 has shown toxicity.


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Your Assignment

So we’ve come to the end of this presentation, before moving on to Lesson Two, I would highly recommend going through this presentation again, really digesting each vitamin one at a time if you have to.

Your assignment is very simple. If you’re taking multivitamins, go through your multivitamins and identify the type of vitamin—A, D, E and K—that are present within, if at all and determine if they are natural or synthetic. Again please share your results in the comments section and let us know if your vitamins are natural or synthetic. If you aren’t sure of something write your question in the comments section and together we can kind of put together this really cool encyclopedia of natural and synthetic forms that I may not have presented in this presentation. Soon you’ll see whether you’re wasting your money or not.

And as a general rule of thumb, if you’re supplements do not say “from food,” or if see a USP anywhere on the label, it’s most likely from a synthetic form. So anyway, do this. Share your findings below. Coming in Lesson Two is water-soluble vitamins. These are the B-complex vitamins, Vitamin C and Vitamin P, also known as bioflavonoids. So that is it for Lesson One. It’s been awesome. Hopefully educating you on these four really essential fat-soluble vitamins and I look forward to seeing you in Lesson Two.

MODULE #4 - Lesson 1 - Amazon S3€¦ · Welcome to Module 4 Lesson 1 Today we will cover vitamins...

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Transcript of MODULE #4 - Lesson 1 - Amazon S3€¦ · Welcome to Module 4 Lesson 1 Today we will cover vitamins...