You’re brave to tackle the vitamin D issue. I am both intrigued and confused by the proliferation of studies finding low vitamin D in practically every disease process, from cancer to heart disease to obesity.

The questions are:

1. Is the low vitamin D a part of the cause of the disease, or a manifestation of an unhealthy state, i.e. just a marker of disease. It would be similar to blaming a fever for the inflammation of the ear or lungs during an infectious disease. Vitamin D metabolism is complicated, therefore low vitamin D can be a result of both unhealthy lifestyle (engaging in less physical activity, which could be related to less sun exposure and eating an unhealthy diet), but also a sign that some of the many body systems (skin, kidney, liver) that participate in vitamin D production aren’t functioning well.

2. Can supplementation with vitamin D improve those conditions associated with low vitamin D? This question needs to be addressed in a large randomized clinical trial of vitamin D supplementation. Other vitamins were thought to be protective against disease and trails proved that not to be the case.

At this point, all we know is that low vitamin D has been correlated with many states of disease. We don’t know it’s a cause. We don’t know if supplementation will lead to a better outcome.

That’s for sure Vitamin D is a hot topic!

You’re brave to tackle the vitamin D issue. I am both intrigued and confused by the proliferation of studies finding low vitamin D in practically every disease process, from cancer to heart disease to obesity.

The questions are:

1. Is the low vitamin D a part of the cause of the disease, or a manifestation of an unhealthy state, i.e. just a marker of disease. It would be similar to blaming a fever for the inflammation of the ear or lungs during an infectious disease. Vitamin D metabolism is complicated, therefore low vitamin D can be a result of both unhealthy lifestyle (engaging in less physical activity, which could be related to less sun exposure and eating an unhealthy diet), but also a sign that some of the many body systems (skin, kidney, liver) that participate in vitamin D production aren’t functioning well.

2. Can supplementation with vitamin D improve those conditions associated with low vitamin D? This question needs to be addressed in a large randomized clinical trial of vitamin D supplementation. Other vitamins were thought to be protective against disease and trails proved that not to be the case.

At this point, all we know is that low vitamin D has been correlated with many states of disease. We don’t know it’s a cause. We don’t know if supplementation will lead to a better outcome.

That’s for sure Vitamin D is a hot topic!