Renowned expert Professor Bruce Hollis discusses the multiple functions of vitamin D beyond skeletal health. He delves into the different forms of vitamin D in the body and the challenges of testing for its active form. The podcast explores the importance of maintaining optimal vitamin D levels for cancer prevention and the role of magnesium as a cofactor in its metabolism. Additionally, it addresses misconceptions about toxic doses of vitamin D and highlights the impact and challenges of vitamin D research.
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Quick takeaways
Vitamin D plays a crucial role in various cellular functions beyond skeletal health.
Challenges in vitamin D research include inaccurate test results and lack of consensus on 'normal' levels.
Deep dives
Two Systems of Vitamin D in the Body
Vitamin D operates in two systems in the body. The first system, known for decades, focuses on skeletal integrity, blood calcium levels, and involves vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and kidneys in the endocrine function. The second system, discovered later, affects immune cells, cancer cells, and is referred to as the paracrine and intracrine system.
Vitamin D Forms and Activation in the Body
Vitamin D goes through various forms in the body, starting as the parent compound obtained through sunlight or supplements. It transforms into 25 D, an intermediate form in the blood, and finally into the active 125 -dihydroxyvitamin D, crucial for cellular functions. Blood tests often show the inactive form, requiring a continuous supply of the parent compound for activation.
Challenges in Vitamin D Research Trials
Research challenges in vitamin D trials include factors like compliance issues among patients, limited funding for extensive studies, and resistance from pharmaceutical companies against cost-effective vitamin D treatments. The complexity of vitamin D metabolism and the necessity for higher doses in certain conditions pose significant hurdles.
Impacts of Vitamin D on Health Beyond Skeletal Health
Vitamin D demonstrates significant effects beyond bone health, influencing outcomes like cancer prevention, childbirth complications, and even childhood asthma. Studies showcasing the preventive and therapeutic potential of vitamin D face challenges in funding, acceptance of non-traditional treatments, and proper recognition of its broader health benefits.
Please join me in welcoming Professor Bruce Hollis! Professor Hollis’ research has provided a new understanding of the importance of vitamin D and its full range of functions.
Vitamin D has been understood as an essential nutrient for skeletal integrity and maintaining blood calcium levels. As microbiology and research developed, researchers found that many cells that had nothing to do with the skeleton could respond to vitamin D, including cancer and immune cells.
Vitamin D exists in different forms inside the body. When you take a supplement or sunlight hits your skin, you’re dealing with the inactive form of vitamin D. It is then turned into a compound called 25-hydroxy vitamin D, the intermediate form of vitamin D that stays in the blood for weeks. This form is picked up in blood tests but isn’t easily accessible by the tissues that might need it.
The final form of vitamin D is one of the most potent hormones, 125 di-hydroxy vitamin D. Vitamin D is converted into the active form in the kidney but can also be converted inside the cells.
The vast majority of studies substantiating our information on vitamin D in the U.S. have several problems and have produced inaccurate results. There is also no agreed-upon range on “normal” vitamin D levels.
Professor Hollis has conducted research and has seen significant results using vitamin D to prevent birth complications in women in Iran, in patients with low-grade prostate cancer, and in lactation. He also explains the importance of magnesium, a key cofactor for vitamin D metabolism.
Professor Hollis wants people to understand that few physicians recommend or acknowledge the benefits of vitamin D because national organizations have yet to properly understand and recognize them.