“Supplemental vitamin D is commonly found in multi-vitamin and single-nutrient preparations. Evidence for vitamin A and D toxicity as a result of dietary supplementation was more commonly seen in clinical practices in the earlier part of this century. More recently, vitamin D toxicity has been documented in several accidental situations that have usually involved food fortification errors, but it is rarely seen. In this issue, Adams and Lee report several cases of vitamin D toxicity in older adults who reported consumption of vitamin D supplements. The sources and doses of the supplements differed, but all patients regularly consumed (in addition to their diets) single-nutrient sources of vitamin D, other supplements that contained vitamin D, and multi-vitamin supplements.”
What are the health risks of too much vitamin D?
There is a high health risk associated with consuming too much vitamin D. Vitamin D toxicity can cause nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, weakness, and weight loss. It can also raise blood levels of calcium, causing mental status changes such as confusion. High blood levels of calcium also can cause heart rhythm abnormalities. Calcinosis, the deposition of calcium and phosphate in soft tissues like the kidney can be caused by vitamin D toxicity. Consuming too much vitamin D through diet alone is not likely unless you routinely consume large amounts of cod liver oil. It is much more likely to occur from high intakes of vitamin D in supplements.
References:
Norman AW. Vitamin D. In: Ziegler EE, Filer LJ Jr, eds. Present Knowledge in Nutrition. 7th ed. Washington, DC: ILSI Pr; 1996:120-9.
Adams JS, Lee G. Gains in bone mineral density with resolution of vitamin D intoxication. Ann Intern Med. 1997; 127:203-6.
The better question is: How does one resolve vitamin deficiencies?
Let me start with addressing vitamin D in the context of cancer prevention. Vitamin D is a very small player as far as cancer fighting goes. There are hundreds of nutrients that are much more active when it comes to quenching free radicals and tumor growth. Will you start taking a supplement for each one of those hundreds of nutrients? Did you know that it has already been established and published in cancer research that the best cancer prevention is the powerful nutrients obtained from eating many colorful fruits and vegetables?
“The thousands of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (beneficial plant compounds) in whole foods act synergistically together to create a more powerful effect than the sum of their parts, producing a result which cannot be recreated by supplements.”
– Vice President for Education at the American Institute for Cancer
The concept of measuring and supplementing individual, isolate or separate nutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc) is of the chemical (as in Chemist) domain, that deals with inorganic, as in unorganized molecules, known as chemicals. While with natural sciences the bio-chemist works with bio-chemicals, those molecules that are organic, or organized together naturally and only as they occur in whole foods. These organized molecules with their natural balance and synergistic proportions that carry ZERO toxicity can never be found or replace with supplements that are isolate and separates.
Vitamin D is not a vitamin!
A “vitamin” by definition is a substance regularly required by the body in small amounts but which the body cannot make and is, therefore, required to be supplied in the daily diet. Technically the molecular species classified as vitamin D is not really a vitamin because it can be produced by exposure of the skin to sunlight. However for unknown reasons, vitamin D3 continues to be classified officially as a vitamin. (History of vitamin D). In natural science we know that “vitamin D” is a complex metabolism involved in many aspects of human health, from bone formation, to hair growth and cancer prevention, and that the best source is its natural source, the sun. When the sun hits your skin, vitamin D metabolism is triggered.
Vitamin D: the sun vitamin
The sun is an important source of vitamin D. Our bodies make vitamin D when sunlight touches our bare skin. Despite the rumors about harmful effect of too much sun, in the United States and Canada, adequate amounts of vitamin D can readily be obtained from the diet and from casual exposure to sunlight. It has also been proven that at least 10-15 minutes of sunlight per day, depending on your skin sensitivity, is actually good for you.
But how much is too much? Here is the answer, according to The Center for Science For the Public Interest: Exposing non-sun screened hands, face and arms to the sun for about ten to fifteen minutes (depending on skin sensitivity to sunburning, latitude and time of day) two to three times a week between 8 am and 4 pm gives the body its vitamin D requirement.
Food for thought regarding deficiency
 Vitamin D Metabolism |
In most cases when a deficiency such as that of vitamin D is diagnosed, there are other deficiencies and/or degenerative conditions in your body. Supplementing to deficiencies as they are diagnosed will not solve the cause of those deficiencies. One cannot view human health as a series of separate events or as a multitude of separate parts like that of your car. It is much more important to resolve the causes of deficiencies. For example, when you are exhausted from stress or poor diet choices, then you will not be efficient at metabolizing vitamin D, converting your food into energy, synthesizing proteins and enzymes, or many other health giving functions of your body. It is a vicious cycle and supplementing to each deficiency is like chasing after your own tail.
The best secondary food sources of vitamin D
Until you resolve the potential causes of your deficiencies, a much healthier solution to supplementing your vitamin D is the natural way. The best natural sources of vitamin D are some foods. Our need of vitamin D is very small and can easily be found in several foods. A partial list of foods high in Vitamin D3 include Cod liver oil, several micro algae, salmon, mackerel & sardines, egg yolks, and beef liver. Note that this list of foods does not constitute dietary recommendations by BioAge or Roland Thomas.
The ultimate solution to vitamin D deficiency and other deficiencies
A much better solution to supplementing vitamin D, and by the same token addressing your other known and unknown deficiencies, is the restoration of your general vitality, particularly that of your brain organs, thus restoring your natural capacity to efficiently synthesize vitamin D from your exposure to the sun wherever you reside. You will be surprised how easily you can progress by simply applying some of the following life style changes:
stop overeating and stop eating the wrong foods
eat lots of fruits and vegetables and drink mostly water
exercise, exercise and exercise
find peace of mind, get informed about the health and diet connection
Let me repeat and be clear regarding deficiencies of nutrients such as vitamin D or all the others; If you eat a “proper” diet and follow the above recommendations on life style changes, there is no need for additional supplementation with isolated vitamins or supplements (unless there is an acute deficiency, immediate infection, or a life threatening condition).
And now let me address your question as it relates specifically to BAC
In all of BAC’s formulations, there is less than 1.0 μg/g of vitamin D3. In essence, it is below the quantitative limit (BQL) or too small to be measured precisely. But do not stop reading; let me shed some light on the benefits of taking BAC as it relates to vitamin D deficiency and any other deficiency.
So how does BAC fit in as a solution to vitamin D deficiency?
BAC as a solution fits right in with the “eat fruits and vegetables” recommendation, but BAC is no ordinary food; BAC is an extremely efficient food. In the words of Dr. Michael Kiriac, PhD, “BAC is the culmination of cellular nutrition”. BAC contains many more nutrients then a diet of 30 exotic foods gathered from around the world. Some of its nutrients occur in amounts more then what is required for the day, others that are just ok, some that are not enough for the day, and some that are a complete “bonus” to the body and could never be obtained other than with BAC.
BAC awakens the genius within
Besides supplying an “extraordinary” array of nutrients, the principal value of consuming BAC is its power to “awaken the genius within”. When fed efficiently by BAC, the cells of the mission critical brain organs that regulate all metabolisms such as nutrient assimilation, will function much better and you will assimilate vastly more nutrients from your food, or synthesize them better from the sun (as in the case of vitamin D). This “awakenning” is the most important value of consuming BAC.
In natural sciences it is well known that there are no better nutrients then those naturally occurring from the sun, the air we breath, and in whole foods, NONE. When consuming BAC, because of its positive influence on the brain organs that regulate digestion, you will assimilate significantly more nutrients out of any diet, and certainly out of a good diet. And with most people that should be enough.
There are over 5,000 individual nutrients in BAC, including over 4,000 enzymes, vitamin A, B-complex, C, D, E and K, all ten essential amino acids plus ten more, all known trace minerals and elements, Omega-3, Omega-6, Omega-9, GLAs (Gamma-Linolenic Acids), ALAs (Alpha-Linolenic Acids), DGLA (Dihomogamma-Linolenic Acid), DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and more fatty acids, etc. Here are some links: The Ingredients in BAC and Detailed List of Nutrients in BAC.