Vitamin D3 Can Save Lives

VITAMIN D3 CAN SAVE LIVES


Vitamin D3 is an absolutely fascinating supplement that I have ignored for a long time. Last month, Life Extension Magazine, January, 2009 issue had a startling article written by the magazine’s editor, William Faloon. MILLIONS OF NEEDLESS DEATHS tells how this vitamin can save lives by preventing heart attack, cancer and stroke. Mr. Faloon has been on a crusade to get our federal government to recognize the benefits of vitamin D3. After almost two years of trying to gain co-operation from the government nothing had happened. But in his 16 months of effort new studies have appeared to show optimizing vitamin D intake will save even more lives than what had been expected.

A study published in June, 2008 showed men with low vitamin D levels suffered 2.42 times more heart attacks. This caused me to look back on an article I read by Chris D. Meletis, ND. It has become clear that this nutrient acts to widen the role of vitamin D3 in an individual’s total health. This has only made it clear that a large percentage of the population at large is deficient in this important nutrient. Faloon made this deficiency even more apparent when he placed the number of Americans dieing each year from coronary artery disease-related heart attacks at 157,000. He went on to say that based on a recent study, if Americans were optimizing their vitamin D status, the number dieing would have been reduced to 92,500, 55% would have been saved.

He put the number of lives into context by pointing out that millions of dollars are being spent to promote Lipitor as reducing heart attacks by 37%. Yes, this is an impressive number; but not when compared to the number of lives that would be saved by vitamin D. He makes the point the latest study, men with higher levels of vitamin D levels had a 142% reduction in heart attacks. This does not mean that you should stop taking your prescribed medications, but it does mean you do not want become vitamin D deficient.

All forms of heart disease kill over 869,700 Americans per year. The lethal forms of heart disease include all of the following: cardiomyopathy, valvular insufficiency, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, coronary thrombosis (blood clot in coronary artery), and coronary atherosclerosis. It is believed that vitamin D would help to give protection against many of the forms of cardiac-induced death.

Today we are surrounded by an economy that seems to be on the verge of disaster. President Obama is trying to find a solution to our many financial problems. The politicians talk about how health care has to be made more effective and affordable for the average American citizen. Consider these facts; there are 920, 000 heart attacks per year, according to the American Heart Association. Annual cost for health care services, medications, and lost productivity caused by these heart attacks is over $156 billion.

Now compare the annual retail cost of all 300 million Americans supplementing with 1,000 IU of vitamin D is $6.6 billion. This would give us a savings of $149.40 billion. Ok, if vitamin D’s only benefit is to reduce heart attacks by 142%, the net savings (after deducting the cost of vitamin D) would be around$84 billion each year. Do you not agree that would put a huge dent in our national health care cost?


References
1. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis. Accessed September 4, 2008.
2. Faloon W. Should the president declare a national emergency? Life Extension. 2007 Oct;13(10):7-17.
3. Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Hollis BW, Rimm EB. 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of myocardial infarction in men:
a prospective study. Arch Intern Med. 2008 Jun 9;168(11):1174-80.
4. Available at: www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1200082005246HS_Stats%202008.final.pdf. Accessed October 29, 2008.
5. Dobnig H, Pilz S, Scharnagl H, et al. Independent association of low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d and 1,25-
dihydroxyvitamin d levels with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Arch Intern Med. 2008 Jun 23;168(12):1340-9.
Refrences: Chris D. Meletis, ND
4. Hathcock JN, Shao A, Vieth R, Heaney R. Risk assessment for Vitamin D. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jan;85(1):6-18.
5. Vieth R. Critique of the considerations for establishing the tolerable upper intake level for Vitamin D: critical need for revision upwards. J Nutr. 2006 Apr;136(4):1117-22.
6. Wilkins CH, Sheline YI, Roe CM, Birge SJ, Morris JC. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with low mood and worse cognitive performance in older adults. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006 Dec;14(12):1032-40.
7. Lotfi A, Abdel-Nasser AM, Hamdy A, Omran AA, El-Rehany MA. HypoVitaminosis D in female patients with chronic low back pain. Clin Rheumatol. 2007 Mar 22; [Epub ahead of print].