Never Say Never

In June, Becky Captain blogged about a patient facing diabetes and health concerns who felt that she had failed herself. It’s never too late to change your lifestyle. We received a lot of emails about that blog post from people who felt the same way. Here’s a shining example of why you should never give up.

Ten years ago, my father in law was overweight, smoked, and could have cared less about nutrition. It was around this time that his best friend and brother in law passed away from pancreatic cancer. Dennis knew he wanted to be there for his kids and eventual grandkids and decided then and there to turn his life around. He quit smoking cold-turkey and started walking.

This past weekend, Dennis joined my husband and me for his first triathlon. He did so well that he missed medaling in his age group by a mere one second. I asked him if ten years ago this would have been in his wildest dreams. His answer – “absolutely not.” Never say never. Dennis now runs or cycles or kayaks or does some other form of activity everyday. He thinks about what he eats and of course, couldn’t dream of smoking again. When you feel good and do good things for your body, your body pays you back. He feels better than ever. He can even keep up with two pre-school aged grandkids and enjoys chasing them around. Triathlon isn’t for everyone, but fitness and taking care of your body is. Think of all the things you could do if you felt well – and get out there and make it happen. It’s never too late.

(PS - If you haven't read The Forever Young Diet and Lifestyle, I urge you to do so. It's full of great advice and the motivation to help anyone get back on track.)

Getting Serious About D

In April, I had the privilege of listening to Dr. Michael Holick speak about Vitamin D and its health implications. According to Holick, Vitamin D deficiency is the most common medical condition worldwide. Many people associate it with rickets. Early in the 20th century, scientists discovered the link between the two. Vitamin D was then added to milk and rickets was all but eradicated in the US. As it turns out, insufficient levels of Vitamin D may be the cause of many more health issues.

According to Holick, 1,000 IU of Vitamin D daily can reduce the risk for colorectal, breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers by up to 50%! In one study, postmenopausal women taking 1,500 mg calcium plus Vitamin D3 daily reduced their risk for all cancers by 60%. It seems that activated Vitamin D inhibits cancer cell growth. Holick says that children who get at least 2,000 IU Vitamin D daily have a 78% reduced risk for diabetes. Psoriasis and fibromyalgia have also been linked to D deficiencies. Holick’s research shows that 93% of persons complaining of chronic bone and muscle pain are in fact Vitamin D deficient.

So, what is Vitamin D and how do we get enough? Vitamin D is actually a hormone and our bodies create it from exposure to the sun. About five to 15 minutes exposure to direct sunlight every day during the summer months should be sufficient for most people. (Leave arms and legs bare, but ALWAYS protect the face with sunscreen.) African Americans need five to ten times the sun exposure as those with lighter skin (Holick says that between 30 and 50 percent of all African Americans are Vitamin D deficient). In the winter months, those living in Northern latitudes (above Atlanta, GA) can not get enough Vitamin D from the sun. The angle of the sun’s rays make it impossible. Holick says that those of us living above 37° latitude are at increased risk for conditions such as MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteomalacia, and other Vitamin D-related conditions. Obese people are also much more likely to be Vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is fat soluble. According to Holick, “Vitamin D loves fat and won’t leave” thus, it won’t circulate to the rest of the body.

Holick recommends that we all get at least 1,000 IU Vitamin D daily from a supplement and get our 5-15 minutes of daily sun exposure. If you have any of the conditions listed above, or just for prevention, ask your clinician to test your Vitamin D levels. The cardiologists at CardioTabs are currently testing many of their patients for Vitamin D deficiency, particularly those that complain of bone and joint pain.

CardioDaily contains 1,000 IU of Vitamin D3 and you can expect to see more the next time we reformulate. Since hearing this talk and discussing it with the dieticians and clinicians at CardioTabs, I've started taking Vitamin D a lot more seriously. I take my CardioDaily every day and a Calcium plus D supplement. I also make sure that my children get a few minutes outside without sunscreen (arms and legs only) every day and started paying attention to the amount of D in their multivitamins (it's difficult to find a children's multi with enough D - I had to go with D on it's own). At their annual physician’s visits this summer I will be sure to have their levels of Vitamin D tested.