“Alright. The answer to the ultimate question ... of Life, the Universe, and Everything ... is ... Forty two.”
—Deep Thought computer (Helen Mirren), from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything (“forty-two”) is coincidentally the serum level, in ng/mL, of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or “25(OH)D,” that you should shoot for in order to keep your immunity strong. Vitamin D is an immune modulator that keeps white blood cells (WBCs) functioning well.
But when you are low in vitamin D, your body notices that the WBCs aren’t functioning well, so it makes more of them — raising your WBC count in order to try to make up for the difference of poorly-functioning WBCs. Researchers checked the levels of about 450,000 people to see what level coincides with low WBCs (right graph):
The low-point (good level) of serum 25(OH)D was 42 ng/mL, indicating really good immune function. You can even see this play out in the real world when looking at vitamin D levels versus COVID infections in medically under-served populations:
After adjusting for potential confounders, for every 10 ng/mL increase in 25(OH)D, there was a 12% reduction in COVID. But public health officials in the USA, mired in perverse incentives from drug companies, do not willfully acknowledge published scientific research showing that we’d all be better off with higher levels of vitamin D.
They still say that 20 ng/mL is fine:
And they say that there is not enough evidence to recommend vitamin D for COVID:
Not only are the U.S. public health officials wrong about the level of vitamin D that is protective (~42 ng/mL vs. 20 ng/mL), they are wrong about the dose of vitamin D that it takes to get 97.5% of the general population up to a given level — a double-whammy. By telling people that 800 IU is enough, they do us a double disservice.
To get 97.5% of us (lower red line) up to 20 ng/mL (bottom green dashed line), we all need to get almost 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day:
To get 97.5% of us up to the magic number of ~42 ng/mL — the top green dashed line — then we all need to get about 9,000 IU of vitamin D per day. Yet are there any gamblers out there willing to take a bet that U.S. public health officials are going to acknowledge the scientific research? I wouldn’t bet on it.
There are too many perverse incentives for them to keep this immoral charade going, keeping us sick, while drug firms grow richer by the day off of the extra illness.
Reference
[the level of vitamin D that keeps our WBCs healthy and low] — Li X, Liu Y, Chen X, Reichetzeder C, Elitok S, Krämer BK, Hocher B. Target Values for 25-Hydroxy and 1,25-Dihydroxy Vitamin D Based on Their Associations with Inflammation and Calcium-Phosphate Metabolism. Nutrients. 2024 Aug 13;16(16):2679. doi: 10.3390/nu16162679. PMID: 39203816. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/16/2679
[the inverse relationship between vitamin D and COVID] — Coudray MS, Hansel S, Alesci S, Meyer WA 3rd, Christenson RH, Landry LG, Edwards C, Puckrein G, Forney DJ, Akinboboye O. Vitamin D Levels and SARS-CoV-2 Infection among Medically Underserved Populations in the Minority and Rural Coronavirus Insights Study. Viruses. 2024 Apr 19;16(4):639. doi: 10.3390/v16040639. PMID: 38675979; PMCID: PMC11053904. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11053904/
[official factsheet for healthcare professionals] — https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/COVID19-HealthProfessional/
[the daily dose of vitamin D required to get 97.5% of us up to a given level] — Heaney R, Garland C, Baggerly C, French C, Gorham E. Letter to Veugelers, P.J. and Ekwaru, J.P., A statistical error in the estimation of the recommended dietary allowance for vitamin D. Nutrients 2014, 6, 4472-4475; doi:10.3390/nu6104472. Nutrients. 2015 Mar 10;7(3):1688-90. doi: 10.3390/nu7031688. PMID: 25763527; PMCID: PMC4377874. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4377874/
Another level of controversy is “pill induced vs sun induced” vit D…. A mid-western doctor (I think) and others have written on this. Can you imagine a CDC recommendation to get more sun exposure?!
I was interested to learn that like many nutrients, Vitamin D uptake requires a synergistic interplay of a number of minerals and nutrients. According to Dr Eric Berg, the following minerals and nutrients are required to ensure maximum Vitamin D3 uptake:
* Magnesium: Magnesium is essential for the conversion of Vitamin D into its active form. It also helps in the absorption and metabolism of Vitamin D.
* Zinc: Zinc plays a role in the synthesis and activation of Vitamin D.
* Boron: Boron helps to increase the half-life of Vitamin D, allowing it to remain active in the body for a longer period.
* Vitamin K2: Vitamin K2 works synergistically with Vitamin D to ensure proper calcium absorption and utilization.
* Calcium: Calcium is the primary mineral that Vitamin D helps to absorb and regulate in the body.
Phosphorus: Phosphorus works with calcium and Vitamin D to support bone health.
Iron: Iron is important for the proper functioning of enzymes involved in Vitamin D metabolism.
* Cholesterol: Cholesterol is a precursor to Vitamin D, and adequate levels are necessary for optimal Vitamin D production.
* Healthy fats: Consuming healthy fats, such as those found in avocado, olive oil, and fatty fish, can improve Vitamin D absorption.
* Protein: Protein is essential for the production of the Vitamin D binding protein, which transports Vitamin D in the bloodstream.