[R.B.]

Hi thanks for your interest JayKay in this subject.

There are two different measures of vitamin D

Nano-grams per milliliter ( nano-gram = a billionth of a gram)

Nanomols per litre (units of substance per litre)

The conversion rate between the two for vitamin D is about 2.5 so a UK Nanomol figure of 75, = a US nano-gram figure of 30


Part of the discussion of the vitamin D issue is what should be the normal level.

The UK recommendations on GP notebook http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepa...?ID=-200933361 are as follows

"opinions on optimal vitamin D serum concentrations in adults vary but the following have been taken from the literature, consensus guidelines from other UK areas (4)

Optimal: 75nmol/L or more

Adequate: 50-74nmol/L

Insufficiency: 30-50nmol/L

Deficiency: Less than 30nmol/L"


To get the nanogram equivalent you need to divide by 2.5 - so 75 nmol/L divided by 2.5 = 30 ng/ml. So the current UK main stream recommendation of what is optimal is about half of the sort of levels that are being considered / 'recommended' in these papers / videos trials. That is the issue - there is strong evidence that the mainstream recommendations are behind the emerging science, (viz watch the Holick and other lectures - it may be one of the most beneficial hours or more you have spent in a long time) and the nature of things is that it takes a long while to shift long held positions by large institutions.

The point that is being made in these lectures is the full benefits of Vitamin D are not really seen until you get into the sort of vitamin D levels seen in beach guards which is maybe 50 - 80 nano-grams per ml; by implication these specialist researchers into vitamin D, some who have been at this for 30 years, view the mainstream recommendation levels as insufficient, and are clearly implicitly frustrated at the delay in translating research into recommendations - see Dr Holick's lecture. (apparently life guards in the US are at about 80ng/ml at the end of summer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByL1...e_gdata_player 16.40 minutes onwards )



This http://grassrootshealth.net/media/do...upplements.pdf is a chart from Grass Roots Health from their document page http://www.grassrootshealth.net/index.php/documentation ( an organization dedicated to informing people as to the importance of Vitamin D) giving an idea as to what levels of supplementation will produce given vitamin D levels. Sun exposure in the summer between 10 and 2 in UK type latitudes, if you are not wearing sunscreen, do not wash immediately before or after exposure etc will significantly increase vitamin D levels. !0 minutes of full body exposure in a Caucasian who has not seen the sun for a while can produce 10s of thousands of units, so will increase vitamin D in the blood. In contrast a glass of milk contains maybe 10 iu, 4 oz of farmed salmon maybe 200 iu; we are equipped by nature to make much larger amounts of vitamin D than we could ever get in the diet and store it for the winter months. IF you cannot get into the sun the only other option to get the sort of levels of vitamin D that can be made through regular lower and upper body sun exposure is to supplement; it may not be ideal but is much preferable to being deficient.

There are big differences between individuals and the only way to be certain of your vitamin D level is to get tested.

Maybe you could show these video links to your Doctor; Grass Roots Health state on the videos that they are more than happy to provide doctors with research information etc. . . .