I caught this headline today and shook my head in disbelief – Vitamin D Supplements Do Not Reduce Bone Fractures Large Study Finds. https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/bone-fracture-vitamin-d/2022/07/28/id/1080741/. It makes me wonder what the agenda is when I see headlines that do not align with conventional wisdom.
Bone formation chemistry
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2011/8/the-little-known-link-between-bone-health-and-total-health. Calcium is needed for strong, dense bones. What causes calcium to get from your food or supplement to your bones? You must have magnesium in your body to help the absorbability of calcium. If not, the calcium ends up in the toilet.
Then you need vitamin D3 (VD3) to get the calcium from the stomach into the bloodstream. I do not know why so many professional studies use low dosage VD3. It is so easy to measure VD3 in the body rather than relying on a group of people taking a specified amount of VD3.
Regardless, the levels used in this study would not come close to providing an optimal level of VD3 for healthy growth. https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2016/1/why-isnt-everyone-supplementing-with-vitamin-d.
I get my VD3 levels checked every year during my annual physical. It is a simple, inexpensive test that does not require a physician’s approval. It can be done in those locations where independent laboratories offer their services.
Usually, I supplement to a level to keep my VD3 levels above 80 ng/ml. It has been many years since my VD3 levels have been below 50 ng/ml. Based on my trial-and-error supplementation, I found that 2,000 IUs of VD3 was insufficient to raise my VD3 levels above 30 ng/ml.
This study used 2,000 IUs – way too low, in my opinion, to make any difference in VD3 being effectively measured for bone density. Studies can be programmed based on many parameters – especially the dosage level.
Once VD3 levels are in a healthy range (some studies insist that 30 ng/ml is the lowest normal level – others set the lower bar at 50 ng/ml), calcium will enter the bloodstream. If VD3 levels are too low, the calcium ends up in the toilet.
Vitamin K2 and bone density
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2021/2/vitamin-k-builds-new-bone. The next hurdle involves calcium and vitamin K2 (VK2). If adequate amounts of VK2 are present, the calcium will go to the bones. However, if not, the calcium goes to your heart valves and arteries – not a place where you want additional plaque.
Conclusion
This study was done at the Calcium and Bone Section of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Its purpose was to evaluate whether VD3 supplements improved bone health and warded off fractures – or was it a waste of time and money.
It has been my experience that the medical industry and related scientists treat symptoms, not causes. Prescription drugs can be used that have gone through extensive testing to prove efficacy and effectiveness.
If higher levels of VD3 were used and bone density tested on ‘x’ number of participants at the beginning of a five-year study (same as the study being discussed in this article), you would have a baseline to compare with the final results.
Additionally, if periodic assessments of VD3 levels in the blood were done to ensure that a specific level was always achieved – say, 50 ng/ml, then the results would support or not support the purpose of the study. However, getting calcium to the bones is only half the problem.
Measurements of body pH should be done routinely during the study to ensure that the participants maintain a neutral or slightly alkaline body chemistry. Why? Because calcium will be leeched from the bones when our bodies are acidic.
Our bodies become acidic when our dietary choices do not include enough fruits and vegetables. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats make the body more acidic. A constantly acidic pH will cause the removal of calcium from the bones to maintain a normal blood pH level (7.35 to 7.45).
Another point of contention is that “most people get enough vitamin D naturally via their skin, which it produces when exposed to sunlight.” People tend to avoid sunlight. They wear long-sleeved clothing with hats and/or sunblock. The latitude of where people live, the time of the year, the color of their skin, and other factors determine the levels of VD3 production in our bodies.
There were too many things I found to be not scientifically feasible to prove that VD3 was not studied in a way to have a level playing field.
Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughin – RedOLaughlin.com
