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Doug Cook RD > Vitamin D

Vitamin D

Various spheres representing vitamins and minerals
Various spheres representing vitamins and minerals
Anti Viral Foods And Nutrition

I’m writing this in the middle of the 2020 pandemic where the world has almost...

Anti Viral Foods And Nutrition
Fresh Fillet of Sockeye Salmon with parsley - by Doug Cook RD
Fresh Fillet of Sockeye Salmon with parsley - by Doug Cook RD
Sockeye Salmon. One Of The Original Superfoods

  You know that fish and seafood are good for you.   Whether or not...

Sockeye Salmon. One Of The Original Superfoods
Sake salmon and quinoa
Sake salmon and quinoa
Quick Cured Sake Salmon With Quinoa

  This simple meal of salmon, quinoa, and veggies is an uncomplicated way to get...

Quick Cured Sake Salmon With Quinoa
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dougcookrd

Doug Cook RD, The Gut Brain Guy
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My practice is grounded in science not dogma. I provide evidence to substantiate my views and nutritional advice.

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I could eat this combination of beets and parsnips I could eat this combination of beets and parsnips or any other roasted veggie for that matter. ⁣ ⁣ One of the original sheet pan dinners. ⁣ ⁣ No cooking skills required other than safe knife handling I suppose. ⁣ ⁣ The best part? Leftovers! ⁣ ⁣ #beets #parsnips #vegetables #veggies #plantpowered #fiber #phytonutrients #antioxidants #tasty #health #nomnom #forkyeah #eatrealfood #simple #instayum #delicious #dinner #eat #dine #homemade #nutrition #nutrients
Instagram post 17908844209761236 Instagram post 17908844209761236
When it comes to vitamin D, the powers that be hav When it comes to vitamin D, the powers that be have taken a "one-size-fits-all" approach. ⁣ ⁣ The RDA for vitamin D3 is 600 IU/day for everyone over the age of 1 year (until 70, then it's increased to 800 IU), regardless of body size, other dietary factors, health status, etc. ⁣ ⁣ Can you imagine? ⁣ ⁣ There are heaps of variables that can affect your vitamin D blood level. ⁣ ⁣ 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗗𝗔 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘄 ⁣ If you aim to get the RDA of 600 IU, you'll be hard-pressed to achieve some of the levels known to be beneficial. This includes the primary focus on bone health. 600 IU won't get you to the level where maximal calcium absorption occurs (75-80 nmol or 30-32 ng), or when optimal PTH suppression occurs (100+ nmol or 40+ ng ). ⁣ ⁣ 𝗜𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 ⁣ With all the fear-mongering about sun exposure (the primary source of vitamin D, thanks to natural selection which ensured we all have vitamin D-producing genes encoded into our DNA), most of the human race is low in vitamin D. ⁣ ⁣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 ⁣ There's a lot of individual variation in absorption of vitamin D by the gut due to genetics, digestive issues, & other health issues. ⁣ ⁣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁 ⁣ As you age, your ability to produce vitamin D in your skin from UVB exposure declines. You'll produce 𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗧 less at 60-70 yrs of age compared to when you were 25. ⁣ ⁣ 𝘼𝙉𝘿, whatever vitamin D you make from the sun (or take as a supplement), won't be converted as efficiently into vitamin D's prehormone form. Your liver has to take D3 produced by the sun/taken as a supplement & go through a first step activation - older livers are less efficient. ⁣ ⁣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 ⁣ Adequate vitamin D blood levels rely on other nutrients to make this happen: vitamins B6, B12, C, K2, & the minerals calcium & magnesium. If your intake of these is suboptimal, your vitamin D level suffers. ⁣ ⁣ So? What are you waiting for? ⁣
Omega-6 (O-6) and omega-3 (O-3) are both essential Omega-6 (O-6) and omega-3 (O-3) are both essential fats. ⁣ ⁣ Over the decades, researchers have hypothesized that the O-6 to O-3 ratio of the human diet might play a role in health & disease. ⁣ ⁣ In other words, the amount of O-6 compared to O-3 in your diet influences disease risk (e.g. too much O-6 relative to O-3 is no good). ⁣ ⁣ Recently, this theory has been considered outdated (PMID 29599053). ⁣ ⁣ The longstanding theory proposed that because O-6 is converted to arachidonic acid (O-6 derivative) which has pro-inflammatory properties, then too much dietary O-6s leads to increased inflammation. ⁣ ⁣ Note: O-6s are found in vegetable oils, as well as meat, poultry, nuts, & seeds. ⁣ ⁣ It's true we are consuming much more O-6s in our diets (some say 15-20x more), but does that matter? ⁣ ⁣ What we do know is that the more O-3 fats (EPA, DPA & DHA) there are in your blood & the proportion of those O-3 fats in your blood & cell membranes relative to O-6 is good (PMID 25285179, PMID 24566438). ⁣ ⁣ Enter the Omega-3 Index. A higher index means there are enough O-3 fats in your body to provide benefits. ⁣ ⁣ So, does a high DIETARY O-6 to O-3 ratio negatively impact the O-3 Index? ⁣ ⁣ Nope. Turns out, the issue isn't about too much O-6, but rather too little O-3s & dietary O-6 does not impede the absorption of EPA, DPA & DHA. ⁣ ⁣ So, dietary O-6 is not inflammatory. In fact, tissues stop converting it to the so-called pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid when the O-6s in your diet make up more than 2% of total energy (PMID 8379505). ⁣ ⁣ The real issue is about getting enough EPA, DPA & DHA in your diet. ⁣ ⁣ If you're relying on ALA (found abundantly in flax, chia, walnuts, soy, hemp, etc) to be converted to EPA/DPA/DHA to help with the O-3 Index, you're in trouble (PMID 12323085). ⁣ ⁣ Bottom line: getting more EPA, DPA & DHA is the key vs. focusing on dietary O-6 ⁣
Think a snack has to be one of the usual suspects Think a snack has to be one of the usual suspects like a piece of fruit, crackers & hummus or peanut/almond butter, a bran muffin, etc? ⁣ ⁣ Ya, me neither. ⁣ ⁣ One of my go to snacks are eggs. ⁣ ⁣ If I've boiled a dozen & have them in the fridge, easy breezy. ⁣ ⁣ But it also doesn't take a lot of time to scramble some up or make an omelette. ⁣ ⁣ I'll have these mid-afternoon or if I'm craving something at 8 pm. ⁣ ⁣ It's always a good time to get some high-quality protein & heaps of micronutrients, not to mention the oft forgotten, yet much needed choline. ⁣ ⁣ What about you? Eggs for snacks? ⁣
An adequate immune response, whether that's from e An adequate immune response, whether that's from exposure to a infectious organism or by vaccination, relies on a healthy host - 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂. ⁣ ⁣ Your immune system (which includes tonsils, lymph nodes, thymus gland, spleen, Peyer's patches, bone marrow & different white blood cells) 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗦 optimal nutrition (energy, protein, vitamins & minerals) to perform its best. ⁣ ⁣ Current medical approaches only rely on vaccines without consideration to the health of the host (again, 𝗬𝗢𝗨) & how the health status of the individual affects the immune response to a vaccine. ⁣ ⁣ This is surprising given that there's research to support the role of optimal nutrition in supporting the efficacy of vaccinations (psst, this is 𝗡𝗢𝗧 new). ⁣ ⁣ Some of the heavy hitters when it comes to a 'strong' immune system include (PMID 31963293): ⁣ - vitamins A, B6, C, & D ⁣ - minerals selenium & zinc ⁣ ⁣ But in reality, all 30 or so vitamins & minerals are crucial for antibody production [https://tinyurl.com/vby9wn6f]. ⁣ ⁣ One trial in the elderly found that a nutritional supplement with vitamins & minerals, as well as antioxidants, produced higher antibodies one month after the flu vaccination (PMID 12196491). ⁣ ⁣ In nursing home elderly, zinc supplementation led to increased T cell response (PMID 26817502). ⁣ ⁣ A review of 9 studies found those deficient in vitamin D were less protected against 2 strains of flu after being vaccinated (PMID 29587438). ⁣ ⁣ Don't forget selenium, a superstar for sure (PMID 15213043). ⁣ ⁣ This nutrition professional/nutrition geek wishes there was a parallel campaign on improved nutrition & targeted supplementation with any vaccine rollout - a boy can dream. ⁣ ⁣ If you're simply relying on the jab, you may want to give your vaccine strategy a little more thought. ⁣
Because vitamin D receptors are found throughout y Because vitamin D receptors are found throughout your body, its no surprise that vitamin D benefits so many different tissues & organ systems, including your digestive tract (therefore gut health) & the trillions of micro-organisms that call your intestines home. ⁣ ⁣ Vitamin D (and safe sun exposure) have been shown to improve gut health (PMID 31708890), improve the diversity of the microbiota (PMID 33303854) & protect the gut by modulating immune cell function & regulating inflammation (not too much, not too little). ⁣ ⁣ Vitamin D is being studied for its role in regulating the proteins (tight junctions) that help the cells that line various organs from being too permeable (a.k.a. "leaky") (PMID 24358453). ⁣ ⁣ A loose analogy of these proteins is like the mortar that separates, yet binds bricks; the mortar helps to provide structure & fortify a brick wall. ⁣ ⁣ Increased permeability (poor mortar integrity) can increase the risk for various diseases/disorders. ⁣ ⁣ Because most of your immune system is found in your digestive tract, anything that supports your gut immunity is a good thing and vitamin D seems to help. ⁣ ⁣ By interacting with your gut microbiota, improving tight junction protein structures, improving your gut barrier & improving gut function, vitamin D balances/supports your gut immunity. ⁣ ⁣ When this happens, there's less gut inflammation & better gut health - amazing. ⁣ ⁣ 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: ⁣ Maintaining healthy vitamin D levels leads to a more robust & diverse microbiota, improved digestive health, less digestive symptoms & better overall health. ⁣ ⁣ Did you get your vitamin D today? ⁣
Wrap anything in pastry and I'm in love ⁣ ⁣ G Wrap anything in pastry and I'm in love ⁣ ⁣ Good old-fashioned Scottish meat pie ⁣ ⁣ Food for the soul. ⁣
When it comes to immunity, vitamins A, C, D, & the When it comes to immunity, vitamins A, C, D, & the minerals selenium & zinc have gotten the most attention, and deservedly so. ⁣ ⁣ But there are several other nutrients that are crucial when it comes to immune fitness. ⁣ ⁣ A strong immune system does more than just fight, fungal, viral or bacterial infections such as influenza, coronaviruses, rhinoviruses, candida etc. ⁣ ⁣ Your immune system is doing constant surveillance for cells that are behaving badly. ⁣ ⁣ Cells that are not committing suicide at the appropriate time (programmed cell death), cells that are reproducing uncontrollably, cells that have gone rogue. ⁣ ⁣ Your immune system is fighting off precancerous & cancerous cells 24/7 and in order to do that, it needs help. That's where vitamin B6 comes in. ⁣ ⁣ One of vitamin B6's role is in the formation of new proteins, proteins that are involved in immunity such as cytokines (proteins that ensure there's just the right amount of inflammation that's part of the disease fighting process) AND in the production of white blood cells (WBCs), as well as antibodies. ⁣ ⁣ Without adequate amounts of vitamin B6, new, baby WBCs can't fully grow into their full potential. In short, you'll have underdeveloped immune cells & the antibodies they produce will be subpar. ⁣ ⁣ BUT, you can do better. ⁣ ⁣ Risk factors for poor B6 status?: ⁣ - kidney disease/impaired function ⁣ - autoimmune disorders ⁣ - poor food sources of B6 ⁣ - alcohol use ⁣ - malabsorption issues ⁣ - oral contraceptives ⁣ - medications (isoniazid, hydralazine, penicillamin) ⁣ - pregnant or breast-feeding women ⁣ ⁣ Good food sources ⁣ - legumes ⁣ - beef liver ⁣ - fish ⁣ - chicken/turkey ⁣ - fortified breakfast cereals ⁣ - beef ⁣ - banana ⁣ ⁣ Also supplements can round out your intake. ⁣ ⁣ Upper Level (intake) from food & supplements: 100 mg per day. ⁣ ⁣ #vitamins #supplements #cancer #colds #immunity #influenza #legumes #health #immunesystem #antiaging #nutrition #health #longevity #beef #seafood #yournutritioneducation #dietitian #minerals #zinc #selenium #orthomolecular #pyridoxine⁣ ⁣ Vitamin B6 and immune competence ⁣ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8302491/

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