![\"2009-04-09-more-d-copy.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.thumbnail.jpg\")
<\/a>Dr. William Davis recently penned an essay on vitamin D that has been published on www.HealthCentral.com.<\/p>\n\u201cFor years, vitamin D was the Rodney Dangerfield of the nutrition world: It got no respect,\u201d Davis wrote in his essay. \u201cVitamin D was viewed as a nutrient necessary in children to prevent rickets, a small quantity necessary to prevent osteopenia (bone-thinning) in adults. Mothers forced foul-tasting cod liver oil on their children. End of story. But today anyone engaged in Web-based health conversations or reading the newspapers can’t help but stumble across many of the unexpected and wonderful new observations surrounding vitamin D: reduction in risk for colon, breast, and prostate cancer; improvement in bone density and improvement in arthritis; reduction in heart attack risk; reductions in falls and fractures; improved memory and clarity of thinking; reduction of blood sugar; reduction in blood pressure, and on and on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can personally attest to most of these effects, now that I have helped about 1000 patients replace vitamin D.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis points out that, even with all this in the media, people aren\u2019t asking the right question. \u201cBut a very common question from people: “How much vitamin D should I take? The media are quick to say such things as \u2018Take the recommended daily allowance of 400 units per day,\u2019 or \u2018Perhaps intake of vitamin D should be higher, maybe 2000 units per day.\u2019 Or \u2018Be sure to get your 15 minutes of midday sun.\u2019”<\/p>\n
These are the wrong questions and the wrong recommendations, he says. \u201cThe Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has been struggling with this question, also. They have tried to make broad pronouncements on American requirements for various nutrients by recommending Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA). The Food and Nutrition Board break vitamin D requirements down by age and sex, little better than a one-size-fits-all approach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis calls this approach \u201cNonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst of all, much of the confusion over dosing stems from the fact that vitamin D should not be called a “vitamin.” We think of vitamins as nutrients our bodies were meant to obtain from foods. But, outside of oily fish, there is very little naturally-occurring vitamin D in food. (Even in fish, there is generally no more than 400 units per 4 oz. serving.) Sure, there’s 20 units in an egg yolk, 100 units per 8 oz of milk because the USDA mandates it, and you can activate the vitamin D in a shiitake mushroom by exposing it to ultraviolet radiation, but those sources hardly help at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVitamin D is better regarded as a hormone, not a vitamin. Vitamin D exerts potent effects in tiny quantities with hormone-like action in cells. It is the only hormone that is meant to be activated by sun exposure of the skin, not obtained through diet. As with any other hormone, such as thyroid hormone, doses should be individualized.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis conclusion: Vitamin D does needs to be individualized \u2013 and that many people might need up to 10,000 units a day based on their age, weight and other factors.<\/p>\n
To read Davis entire essay on HealthCentral.com click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One leading heart specialist is actively promoting the fact that vitamin D recommendations should be customized for every different person \u2013 a huge victory for anyone who believes that \u201cthe sunshine vitamin\u201d is best received from sun exposure rather than through dietary supplements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
HEADLINE STORY: Heart specialist points out: Vitamin D is Not a Vitamin, and Not One Size Fits All - Smart Tan News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One leading heart specialist is actively promoting the fact that vitamin D recommendations should be customized for every different person \u2013 a huge victory for anyone who believes that \u201cthe sunshine vitamin\u201d is best received from sun exposure rather than through dietary supplements. Dr. William Davis recently penned an essay on vitamin D that has been published on www.HealthCentral.com. \u201cFor years, vitamin D was the Rodney Dangerfield of the nutrition world: It got no respect,\u201d Davis wrote in his essay. \u201cVitamin D was viewed as a nutrient necessary in children to prevent rickets, a small quantity necessary to prevent osteopenia (bone-thinning) in adults. Mothers forced foul-tasting cod liver oil on their children. End of story. But today anyone engaged in Web-based health conversations or reading the newspapers can't help but stumble across many of the unexpected and wonderful new observations surrounding vitamin D: reduction in risk for colon, breast, and prostate cancer; improvement in bone density and improvement in arthritis; reduction in heart attack risk; reductions in falls and fractures; improved memory and clarity of thinking; reduction of blood sugar; reduction in blood pressure, and on and on.\u201d \u201cI can personally attest to most of these effects, now that I have helped about 1000 patients replace vitamin D.\u201d Davis points out that, even with all this in the media, people aren\u2019t asking the right question. \u201cBut a very common question from people: "How much vitamin D should I take? The media are quick to say such things as \u2018Take the recommended daily allowance of 400 units per day,\u2019 or \u2018Perhaps intake of vitamin D should be higher, maybe 2000 units per day.\u2019 Or \u2018Be sure to get your 15 minutes of midday sun.\u2019" These are the wrong questions and the wrong recommendations, he says. \u201cThe Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has been struggling with this question, also. They have tried to make broad pronouncements on American requirements for various nutrients by recommending Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA). The Food and Nutrition Board break vitamin D requirements down by age and sex, little better than a one-size-fits-all approach.\u201d Davis calls this approach \u201cNonsense.\u201d \u201cFirst of all, much of the confusion over dosing stems from the fact that vitamin D should not be called a "vitamin." We think of vitamins as nutrients our bodies were meant to obtain from foods. But, outside of oily fish, there is very little naturally-occurring vitamin D in food. (Even in fish, there is generally no more than 400 units per 4 oz. serving.) Sure, there's 20 units in an egg yolk, 100 units per 8 oz of milk because the USDA mandates it, and you can activate the vitamin D in a shiitake mushroom by exposing it to ultraviolet radiation, but those sources hardly help at all.\u201d \u201cVitamin D is better regarded as a hormone, not a vitamin. Vitamin D exerts potent effects in tiny quantities with hormone-like action in cells. It is the only hormone that is meant to be activated by sun exposure of the skin, not obtained through diet. As with any other hormone, such as thyroid hormone, doses should be individualized.\u201d Davis conclusion: Vitamin D does needs to be individualized \u2013 and that many people might need up to 10,000 units a day based on their age, weight and other factors. To read Davis entire essay on HealthCentral.com click here.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HEADLINE STORY: Heart specialist points out: Vitamin D is Not a Vitamin, and Not One Size Fits All - Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One leading heart specialist is actively promoting the fact that vitamin D recommendations should be customized for every different person \u2013 a huge victory for anyone who believes that \u201cthe sunshine vitamin\u201d is best received from sun exposure rather than through dietary supplements. Dr. William Davis recently penned an essay on vitamin D that has been published on www.HealthCentral.com. \u201cFor years, vitamin D was the Rodney Dangerfield of the nutrition world: It got no respect,\u201d Davis wrote in his essay. \u201cVitamin D was viewed as a nutrient necessary in children to prevent rickets, a small quantity necessary to prevent osteopenia (bone-thinning) in adults. Mothers forced foul-tasting cod liver oil on their children. End of story. But today anyone engaged in Web-based health conversations or reading the newspapers can't help but stumble across many of the unexpected and wonderful new observations surrounding vitamin D: reduction in risk for colon, breast, and prostate cancer; improvement in bone density and improvement in arthritis; reduction in heart attack risk; reductions in falls and fractures; improved memory and clarity of thinking; reduction of blood sugar; reduction in blood pressure, and on and on.\u201d \u201cI can personally attest to most of these effects, now that I have helped about 1000 patients replace vitamin D.\u201d Davis points out that, even with all this in the media, people aren\u2019t asking the right question. \u201cBut a very common question from people: "How much vitamin D should I take? The media are quick to say such things as \u2018Take the recommended daily allowance of 400 units per day,\u2019 or \u2018Perhaps intake of vitamin D should be higher, maybe 2000 units per day.\u2019 Or \u2018Be sure to get your 15 minutes of midday sun.\u2019" These are the wrong questions and the wrong recommendations, he says. \u201cThe Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has been struggling with this question, also. They have tried to make broad pronouncements on American requirements for various nutrients by recommending Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA). The Food and Nutrition Board break vitamin D requirements down by age and sex, little better than a one-size-fits-all approach.\u201d Davis calls this approach \u201cNonsense.\u201d \u201cFirst of all, much of the confusion over dosing stems from the fact that vitamin D should not be called a "vitamin." We think of vitamins as nutrients our bodies were meant to obtain from foods. But, outside of oily fish, there is very little naturally-occurring vitamin D in food. (Even in fish, there is generally no more than 400 units per 4 oz. serving.) Sure, there's 20 units in an egg yolk, 100 units per 8 oz of milk because the USDA mandates it, and you can activate the vitamin D in a shiitake mushroom by exposing it to ultraviolet radiation, but those sources hardly help at all.\u201d \u201cVitamin D is better regarded as a hormone, not a vitamin. Vitamin D exerts potent effects in tiny quantities with hormone-like action in cells. It is the only hormone that is meant to be activated by sun exposure of the skin, not obtained through diet. As with any other hormone, such as thyroid hormone, doses should be individualized.\u201d Davis conclusion: Vitamin D does needs to be individualized \u2013 and that many people might need up to 10,000 units a day based on their age, weight and other factors. To read Davis entire essay on HealthCentral.com click here.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-04-09T08:00:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.thumbnail.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"smarttan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"smarttan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"smarttan\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4191f4b1131c0a37b4fd39f876771e7b\"},\"headline\":\"HEADLINE STORY: Heart specialist points out: Vitamin D is Not a Vitamin, and Not One Size Fits All\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-04-09T08:00:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/\"},\"wordCount\":571,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.thumbnail.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/\",\"name\":\"HEADLINE STORY: Heart specialist points out: Vitamin D is Not a Vitamin, and Not One Size Fits All - Smart Tan News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.thumbnail.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-04-09T08:00:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"One leading heart specialist is actively promoting the fact that vitamin D recommendations should be customized for every different person \u2013 a huge victory for anyone who believes that \u201cthe sunshine vitamin\u201d is best received from sun exposure rather than through dietary supplements. Dr. William Davis recently penned an essay on vitamin D that has been published on www.HealthCentral.com. \u201cFor years, vitamin D was the Rodney Dangerfield of the nutrition world: It got no respect,\u201d Davis wrote in his essay. \u201cVitamin D was viewed as a nutrient necessary in children to prevent rickets, a small quantity necessary to prevent osteopenia (bone-thinning) in adults. Mothers forced foul-tasting cod liver oil on their children. End of story. But today anyone engaged in Web-based health conversations or reading the newspapers can't help but stumble across many of the unexpected and wonderful new observations surrounding vitamin D: reduction in risk for colon, breast, and prostate cancer; improvement in bone density and improvement in arthritis; reduction in heart attack risk; reductions in falls and fractures; improved memory and clarity of thinking; reduction of blood sugar; reduction in blood pressure, and on and on.\u201d \u201cI can personally attest to most of these effects, now that I have helped about 1000 patients replace vitamin D.\u201d Davis points out that, even with all this in the media, people aren\u2019t asking the right question. \u201cBut a very common question from people: \\\"How much vitamin D should I take? The media are quick to say such things as \u2018Take the recommended daily allowance of 400 units per day,\u2019 or \u2018Perhaps intake of vitamin D should be higher, maybe 2000 units per day.\u2019 Or \u2018Be sure to get your 15 minutes of midday sun.\u2019\\\" These are the wrong questions and the wrong recommendations, he says. \u201cThe Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has been struggling with this question, also. They have tried to make broad pronouncements on American requirements for various nutrients by recommending Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA). The Food and Nutrition Board break vitamin D requirements down by age and sex, little better than a one-size-fits-all approach.\u201d Davis calls this approach \u201cNonsense.\u201d \u201cFirst of all, much of the confusion over dosing stems from the fact that vitamin D should not be called a \\\"vitamin.\\\" We think of vitamins as nutrients our bodies were meant to obtain from foods. But, outside of oily fish, there is very little naturally-occurring vitamin D in food. (Even in fish, there is generally no more than 400 units per 4 oz. serving.) Sure, there's 20 units in an egg yolk, 100 units per 8 oz of milk because the USDA mandates it, and you can activate the vitamin D in a shiitake mushroom by exposing it to ultraviolet radiation, but those sources hardly help at all.\u201d \u201cVitamin D is better regarded as a hormone, not a vitamin. Vitamin D exerts potent effects in tiny quantities with hormone-like action in cells. It is the only hormone that is meant to be activated by sun exposure of the skin, not obtained through diet. As with any other hormone, such as thyroid hormone, doses should be individualized.\u201d Davis conclusion: Vitamin D does needs to be individualized \u2013 and that many people might need up to 10,000 units a day based on their age, weight and other factors. To read Davis entire essay on HealthCentral.com click here.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.thumbnail.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.thumbnail.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"HEADLINE STORY: Heart specialist points out: Vitamin D is Not a Vitamin, and Not One Size Fits All\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/\",\"name\":\"Smart Tan News\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Smart Tan\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":164,\"caption\":\"Smart Tan\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/SmartTan\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4191f4b1131c0a37b4fd39f876771e7b\",\"name\":\"smarttan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"smarttan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/author\/smarttan\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"HEADLINE STORY: Heart specialist points out: Vitamin D is Not a Vitamin, and Not One Size Fits All - Smart Tan News","description":"One leading heart specialist is actively promoting the fact that vitamin D recommendations should be customized for every different person \u2013 a huge victory for anyone who believes that \u201cthe sunshine vitamin\u201d is best received from sun exposure rather than through dietary supplements. Dr. William Davis recently penned an essay on vitamin D that has been published on www.HealthCentral.com. \u201cFor years, vitamin D was the Rodney Dangerfield of the nutrition world: It got no respect,\u201d Davis wrote in his essay. \u201cVitamin D was viewed as a nutrient necessary in children to prevent rickets, a small quantity necessary to prevent osteopenia (bone-thinning) in adults. Mothers forced foul-tasting cod liver oil on their children. End of story. But today anyone engaged in Web-based health conversations or reading the newspapers can't help but stumble across many of the unexpected and wonderful new observations surrounding vitamin D: reduction in risk for colon, breast, and prostate cancer; improvement in bone density and improvement in arthritis; reduction in heart attack risk; reductions in falls and fractures; improved memory and clarity of thinking; reduction of blood sugar; reduction in blood pressure, and on and on.\u201d \u201cI can personally attest to most of these effects, now that I have helped about 1000 patients replace vitamin D.\u201d Davis points out that, even with all this in the media, people aren\u2019t asking the right question. \u201cBut a very common question from people: \"How much vitamin D should I take? The media are quick to say such things as \u2018Take the recommended daily allowance of 400 units per day,\u2019 or \u2018Perhaps intake of vitamin D should be higher, maybe 2000 units per day.\u2019 Or \u2018Be sure to get your 15 minutes of midday sun.\u2019\" These are the wrong questions and the wrong recommendations, he says. \u201cThe Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has been struggling with this question, also. They have tried to make broad pronouncements on American requirements for various nutrients by recommending Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA). The Food and Nutrition Board break vitamin D requirements down by age and sex, little better than a one-size-fits-all approach.\u201d Davis calls this approach \u201cNonsense.\u201d \u201cFirst of all, much of the confusion over dosing stems from the fact that vitamin D should not be called a \"vitamin.\" We think of vitamins as nutrients our bodies were meant to obtain from foods. But, outside of oily fish, there is very little naturally-occurring vitamin D in food. (Even in fish, there is generally no more than 400 units per 4 oz. serving.) Sure, there's 20 units in an egg yolk, 100 units per 8 oz of milk because the USDA mandates it, and you can activate the vitamin D in a shiitake mushroom by exposing it to ultraviolet radiation, but those sources hardly help at all.\u201d \u201cVitamin D is better regarded as a hormone, not a vitamin. Vitamin D exerts potent effects in tiny quantities with hormone-like action in cells. It is the only hormone that is meant to be activated by sun exposure of the skin, not obtained through diet. As with any other hormone, such as thyroid hormone, doses should be individualized.\u201d Davis conclusion: Vitamin D does needs to be individualized \u2013 and that many people might need up to 10,000 units a day based on their age, weight and other factors. To read Davis entire essay on HealthCentral.com click here.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"HEADLINE STORY: Heart specialist points out: Vitamin D is Not a Vitamin, and Not One Size Fits All - Smart Tan News","og_description":"One leading heart specialist is actively promoting the fact that vitamin D recommendations should be customized for every different person \u2013 a huge victory for anyone who believes that \u201cthe sunshine vitamin\u201d is best received from sun exposure rather than through dietary supplements. Dr. William Davis recently penned an essay on vitamin D that has been published on www.HealthCentral.com. \u201cFor years, vitamin D was the Rodney Dangerfield of the nutrition world: It got no respect,\u201d Davis wrote in his essay. \u201cVitamin D was viewed as a nutrient necessary in children to prevent rickets, a small quantity necessary to prevent osteopenia (bone-thinning) in adults. Mothers forced foul-tasting cod liver oil on their children. End of story. But today anyone engaged in Web-based health conversations or reading the newspapers can't help but stumble across many of the unexpected and wonderful new observations surrounding vitamin D: reduction in risk for colon, breast, and prostate cancer; improvement in bone density and improvement in arthritis; reduction in heart attack risk; reductions in falls and fractures; improved memory and clarity of thinking; reduction of blood sugar; reduction in blood pressure, and on and on.\u201d \u201cI can personally attest to most of these effects, now that I have helped about 1000 patients replace vitamin D.\u201d Davis points out that, even with all this in the media, people aren\u2019t asking the right question. \u201cBut a very common question from people: \"How much vitamin D should I take? The media are quick to say such things as \u2018Take the recommended daily allowance of 400 units per day,\u2019 or \u2018Perhaps intake of vitamin D should be higher, maybe 2000 units per day.\u2019 Or \u2018Be sure to get your 15 minutes of midday sun.\u2019\" These are the wrong questions and the wrong recommendations, he says. \u201cThe Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has been struggling with this question, also. They have tried to make broad pronouncements on American requirements for various nutrients by recommending Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA). The Food and Nutrition Board break vitamin D requirements down by age and sex, little better than a one-size-fits-all approach.\u201d Davis calls this approach \u201cNonsense.\u201d \u201cFirst of all, much of the confusion over dosing stems from the fact that vitamin D should not be called a \"vitamin.\" We think of vitamins as nutrients our bodies were meant to obtain from foods. But, outside of oily fish, there is very little naturally-occurring vitamin D in food. (Even in fish, there is generally no more than 400 units per 4 oz. serving.) Sure, there's 20 units in an egg yolk, 100 units per 8 oz of milk because the USDA mandates it, and you can activate the vitamin D in a shiitake mushroom by exposing it to ultraviolet radiation, but those sources hardly help at all.\u201d \u201cVitamin D is better regarded as a hormone, not a vitamin. Vitamin D exerts potent effects in tiny quantities with hormone-like action in cells. It is the only hormone that is meant to be activated by sun exposure of the skin, not obtained through diet. As with any other hormone, such as thyroid hormone, doses should be individualized.\u201d Davis conclusion: Vitamin D does needs to be individualized \u2013 and that many people might need up to 10,000 units a day based on their age, weight and other factors. To read Davis entire essay on HealthCentral.com click here.","og_url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/","og_site_name":"Smart Tan News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan","article_published_time":"2009-04-09T08:00:49+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.thumbnail.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"smarttan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SmartTan","twitter_site":"@SmartTan","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"smarttan","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/"},"author":{"name":"smarttan","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4191f4b1131c0a37b4fd39f876771e7b"},"headline":"HEADLINE STORY: Heart specialist points out: Vitamin D is Not a Vitamin, and Not One Size Fits All","datePublished":"2009-04-09T08:00:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/"},"wordCount":571,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.thumbnail.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/","name":"HEADLINE STORY: Heart specialist points out: Vitamin D is Not a Vitamin, and Not One Size Fits All - Smart Tan News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.thumbnail.jpg","datePublished":"2009-04-09T08:00:49+00:00","description":"One leading heart specialist is actively promoting the fact that vitamin D recommendations should be customized for every different person \u2013 a huge victory for anyone who believes that \u201cthe sunshine vitamin\u201d is best received from sun exposure rather than through dietary supplements. Dr. William Davis recently penned an essay on vitamin D that has been published on www.HealthCentral.com. \u201cFor years, vitamin D was the Rodney Dangerfield of the nutrition world: It got no respect,\u201d Davis wrote in his essay. \u201cVitamin D was viewed as a nutrient necessary in children to prevent rickets, a small quantity necessary to prevent osteopenia (bone-thinning) in adults. Mothers forced foul-tasting cod liver oil on their children. End of story. But today anyone engaged in Web-based health conversations or reading the newspapers can't help but stumble across many of the unexpected and wonderful new observations surrounding vitamin D: reduction in risk for colon, breast, and prostate cancer; improvement in bone density and improvement in arthritis; reduction in heart attack risk; reductions in falls and fractures; improved memory and clarity of thinking; reduction of blood sugar; reduction in blood pressure, and on and on.\u201d \u201cI can personally attest to most of these effects, now that I have helped about 1000 patients replace vitamin D.\u201d Davis points out that, even with all this in the media, people aren\u2019t asking the right question. \u201cBut a very common question from people: \"How much vitamin D should I take? The media are quick to say such things as \u2018Take the recommended daily allowance of 400 units per day,\u2019 or \u2018Perhaps intake of vitamin D should be higher, maybe 2000 units per day.\u2019 Or \u2018Be sure to get your 15 minutes of midday sun.\u2019\" These are the wrong questions and the wrong recommendations, he says. \u201cThe Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has been struggling with this question, also. They have tried to make broad pronouncements on American requirements for various nutrients by recommending Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA). The Food and Nutrition Board break vitamin D requirements down by age and sex, little better than a one-size-fits-all approach.\u201d Davis calls this approach \u201cNonsense.\u201d \u201cFirst of all, much of the confusion over dosing stems from the fact that vitamin D should not be called a \"vitamin.\" We think of vitamins as nutrients our bodies were meant to obtain from foods. But, outside of oily fish, there is very little naturally-occurring vitamin D in food. (Even in fish, there is generally no more than 400 units per 4 oz. serving.) Sure, there's 20 units in an egg yolk, 100 units per 8 oz of milk because the USDA mandates it, and you can activate the vitamin D in a shiitake mushroom by exposing it to ultraviolet radiation, but those sources hardly help at all.\u201d \u201cVitamin D is better regarded as a hormone, not a vitamin. Vitamin D exerts potent effects in tiny quantities with hormone-like action in cells. It is the only hormone that is meant to be activated by sun exposure of the skin, not obtained through diet. As with any other hormone, such as thyroid hormone, doses should be individualized.\u201d Davis conclusion: Vitamin D does needs to be individualized \u2013 and that many people might need up to 10,000 units a day based on their age, weight and other factors. To read Davis entire essay on HealthCentral.com click here.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.thumbnail.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.thumbnail.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/headline-story-heart-specialist-points-out-vitamin-d-is-not-a-vitamin-and-not-one-size-fits-all\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"HEADLINE STORY: Heart specialist points out: Vitamin D is Not a Vitamin, and Not One Size Fits All"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/","name":"Smart Tan News","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization","name":"Smart Tan","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png","width":500,"height":164,"caption":"Smart Tan"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan","https:\/\/x.com\/SmartTan"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4191f4b1131c0a37b4fd39f876771e7b","name":"smarttan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60bebff64d4c62315967b9126de927b81d5a9d9511fd52f9dbe9e8b344149182?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"smarttan"},"url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/author\/smarttan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"2009-04-09-more-d-copy.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/2009-04-09-more-d-copy.jpg\")
<\/a>Dr. William Davis recently penned an essay on vitamin D that has been published on www.HealthCentral.com.<\/p>\n