I agree that D deficiency may well have played a significant role in the CHD epidemic. But I also believe that vitamin K2 deficiency has also played a role. As you know, the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, K2 and E act synergistically, and any excess of one combined with a deficiency of another can be problematic. Vitamin K2 regulates calcium metabolism and when it’s deficient, calcium gets put into the soft tissues where it doesn’t belong – causing heart disease. Overall, though, I tend to think the rise in consumption of industrial seed oils and refined carbohydrates is more responsible for heart disease than deficiency of fat soluble vitamins. Thanks for your comment.

I enjoyed this article, and found it to be a very reasonable one, emphasizing that it is a very important substance, which is perfectly true (it controls hundreds of genes). I also approve of exposure to sunshine, as they advise. A few things are a bit doubtful, like saying that is the most toxic of all the vitamins – it is certainly true that it is toxic, but it is not a vitamin in the real sense. It was only called one because it was discovered at the same time as the others.
The natural Vitamin D seems superior to the synthetic, too and codliver oil much more innocuous unless taken in excess. The great problem is that there are all those non-clinical enthusiasts pushing the synthetic stuff and being believed and quoted, when the better work is indicating that the range of safety is quite narrow. What I am trying to do now is throw some light on the possibility that Vitamin D was the cause of all the heart disease in the 20th century. It is not so far-fetched. A good topic for some young person to take up, I would think.

All the best,

Hywel D  

I just got back from a trip and haven’t had the chance to read the article Ken linked to. My first reaction was incredulity, for exactly the same reasons you pointed out. We evolved in a vitamin D-rich environment and it’s extremely unlikely that D would be the cause of disease for this reason.

Chris

I just followed that link and it’s some of the most misleading drivel I’ve ever read. The claim that rickets isn’t caused by vitamin D deficiency is ludicrous and contradicts hundreds, if not thousands of experiments. The experiment is very simple: you feed a mammal a D-deficient diet. It develops rickets. You can block this by giving it vitamin D or UV light. Case closed.

Furthermore, the idea that vitamin D contributes to chronic disease doesn’t make a shred of sense. We evolved outdoors in a high-sun environment with high levels of vitamin D in our blood. The idea that getting vitamin D from the sun could be unhealthy requires a vivid imagination.

Your writing is clear and concise and graphics are excellent. Unfortunately, you are just repeating outdated mainstream dogma about vitamin D. You need to be more skeptical. See http://bacteriality.com/2007/09/15/vitamind/

Ken

Thanks for your feedback and kind words!

Yes, I’ve definitely been influenced by Price’s work and the Foundation. I’ll check out the “Whole Health Source” blog you suggest.

I’ve read almost all of Masterjohn’s articles and have corresponded with him frequently on the Weston A. Price Yahoo group. I actually wrote a 20-page research paper on Activator X (K2) a few months ago so I’m quite familiar with his work!

Best,
Chris

I’ve been publishing a lot about K2 MK-4 (activator X) lately. Have you read Chris Masterjohn’s activator X article on the WAP website? I highly recommend it.