Vitamin D3 and Early Death [Video]

Video: Vitamin D3 and Early Death

Dr. Vikki Petersen discusses the importance of vitamin D3, highlighting its role as a steroid hormone that regulates over 1,000 genes. She explains that factors such as age, skin color, and latitude affect the body’s ability to convert sunlight into vitamin D. Polymorphisms can also hinder this conversion, increasing the risk of deficiencies and related health issues like aging, multiple sclerosis, and inflammation. Dr. Petersen emphasizes the benefits of vitamin D3 for balancing serotonin levels in the gut and brain and encourages monitoring and supplementing vitamin D levels to maintain overall health.

Transcript of the video

Hello, Dr. Vikki Petersen here. Just when I think I’ve heard everything about vitamin D3, there’s more to learn. As you probably know, you can get vitamin D from the sun, but what you might not know is that it’s actually a steroid hormone that regulates over 1,000 genes in your body, which is a tremendous amount.

When you get sun exposure, your body converts it into the active form of vitamin D. Many people write to me and ask, “Why can’t I just get some sun?” And you certainly can. If you get a decent amount of sun and your vitamin D levels are great, that’s fine—supplementation isn’t mandatory. However, as we get older, our ability to convert vitamin D from the sun diminishes. For example, someone who is 70 years old is four times less able to convert vitamin D than when they were in their 20s.

Melanin, which gives your skin its color, also affects this conversion. The darker your skin, the less able you are to convert vitamin D from the sun. Additionally, your latitude matters. In the northern latitudes of the US, people are unable to make enough vitamin D for half the year.

I also want to talk about polymorphisms, which are variations in gene expression. You can have a polymorphism of vitamin D that affects your ability to convert it into its active form. These individuals are not only twice as likely to be deficient in vitamin D, but their risk of dying from any cause other than accidents goes way up, as well as their risk of developing multiple sclerosis. Interestingly, multiple sclerosis has a higher incidence in northern latitudes, indicating a correlation.

If you don’t have adequate vitamin D, you’re increasing your aging. People with this polymorphism need to know their D levels and will need more vitamin D to compensate. Fortunately, they can still convert it; they just need a higher intake.

Another fascinating aspect of vitamin D is that it regulates how we convert the amino acid tryptophan into serotonin. Most of us think of serotonin as a neurotransmitter, but we convert tryptophan into serotonin both in the gut and in the brain. Too much conversion in the gut can lead to inflammation, causing conditions like Crohn’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease. In the brain, we want a lot of serotonin to prevent moodiness, anxiety, poor memory, and impulsive behavior.

Vitamin D down-regulates the enzyme that converts tryptophan into serotonin in the gut, reducing inflammation. But in the brain, it up-regulates this conversion to ensure we have enough serotonin, which helps prevent anxiety, depression, moodiness, irritability, poor memory, and impulsiveness. Isn’t it fascinating that vitamin D balances this conversion in different parts of the body?

I hear from many people who are afraid of vitamin D supplementation, and I’ve covered this in earlier videos. No, it’s not rat poison. You are not going to poison yourself. It’s important to ensure you’re getting a good form of vitamin D. There’s a lot of fear-mongering about taking vitamin D, but can you get it from the sun? Sure. If you’re good at getting it from the sun, great. But monitor your levels to make sure.

Increasing aging, the risk of dying, the risk of MS, and the risk of cancer are all associated with low vitamin D levels. It’s just not worth it. It’s an easy supplement and an easy test. I’ve done many videos about balancing your D3 with K2, so make sure you’re doing that.

Ultimately, this is my final point in all my videos: my team here at Root Cause is here to optimize your health and figure out why it’s not the way you want it to be. If it isn’t, please reach out. That’s why we’re here. Give me a call at the clinic, and we can put together a strategy for you. The telephone number here is 408-733-0400. I’ll talk to you soon.

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