The first modern scientific experiments to identify vitamins were conducted long ago. Food concentrates of vitamin C were discovered in the 1700’s, while food concentrates of vitamins A and B-complex were discovered in the 1800’s. Experiments in the early 1800’s also identified sunshine as a source of vitamin D.
Deficiency in “factors” A, B, C, and D are responsible for all the frightening pandemic diseases associated with poor nutrition. In my mind, this makes vitamins A, B, C, and D special.
I am aware of only one textbook dedicated solely to the nutritional biochemistry of vitamins. To the best of my knowledge, it is not required reading for becoming a professional anywhere in the healthcare industry. So if you want to become a world expert on vitamins A, B, C, and D, all you need to do is master the required basic science courses that enable you to understand biochemistry and then read this text. You can rest assured that the doctors and nurses caring for you and the nutritionists preparing menus for your children have not read this text and know less about the biochemistry of vitamins than the handful of scientists who have.
People like stories. For this one, I just can’t find a good story. In my opinion, societies world wide have underplayed the importance of vitamins A, B, C, and D for hundreds of years. I hold this opinion because I believe that we are living in a time of epidemic vitamin deficiency. My opinion is easy to test. I have asserted that regular, educated usage of vitamins A, B, C, and D prevent cavities. This assertion is easily tested by all readers. Almost every family has a child or senior with bad teeth. Provide them with the doses of vitamins A, B, and C and with regular sunshine as I recommend and new cavities either stop or don’t stop.
Vitamins and sunshine are not easy to use. Overdoses are easily accomplished and result in immediate discomforts. The benefits are difficult to detect and can take years to deliver full benefits. That’s why I believe the healthcare industry should make studying the nutritional biochemistry of vitamins a priority. Achieving maximal benefit from vitamin supplements while causing minimal discomfort is a difficult task.
For unhealthy readers, their is much to gain and little to lose by heeding my advise. The discomforts of vitamin overdose pale in comparison to the discomforts of poor health and are easily remedied by adjusting the dose of the offending vitamin down.
Here’s wishing for good health to all,
Steve
Steve,
I found your blog last summer when I started getting a lot of diarrhea a couple of months after increasing my Vitamin D to 4,000 IU/day while getting noontime sun a few days per week.
You had some of the best information I had seen about D side effects.
I still had digestive side effects after stopping the D, so I forgot about it.
Now it's June, I am getting even more sun than last spring, and I just upped my D again from 2,000 to 4,000 IU. And, bingo, I really had some bad diarrhea. So, I am stopping the D again to see what happens.
This time, I am reading your blog in detail. I thought I got some digestive and sleep help from niacin (nicotinic acid) 100 mg/day, but it did seem to raise my blood sugar a bit. So, I stopped it. I just started up again with the niacin this week, so I'll have to see if I can reproduce the improvements to digestion and sleep.
Do you have any comments about niacin's effects on blood sugar?
Thanks to your work here, I will now start researching TTFD. I appreciate the time and work you put into this blog. I have found it quite helpful.
I am really enjoying your blog.
Regarding the biochemistry of vitamins, could you provide us with a reading list?
I entered high school 4 decades ago. That was the last time I took a chemistry course. To say I am a bit rusty would be an understatement.
I would, however, be willing to invest 1-2 years to become well-versed in biochemistry. I have no aspirations to become a world expert. But I would like to have a working knowledge.
Because of candida, I am deficient in quite a few vitamins….but working on it. I need to cure this candida so I can take care of everything else.
Check out my blog. My Journey With Candida. I am having an APRON GIVEAWAY!!http://myjourneywithcandida.blogspot.com/
Moises,
To the best of my knowledge, there is only one textbook on the biochemistry of the vitamins. It is by David A Bender and is titled "Nutritional Biochemistry of the Vitamins". I highly recommend the book despite my reservations about Bender's clinical advice. Again to the best of my knowledge, no one in the healthcare industry is required to read this textbook. Hopefully this will change soon.
Niacin is difficult to use. Supplements are essential to optimize health. I believe it is particularly important to take extra niacin when healing any kind of wounds. High blood sugar is an unusual niacin side effect. I don't doubt that niacin raises your blood sugar. I believe, however, that it is likely that if you continue to supplement with niacin your blood sugar will return to normal. Blood sugar is too important to be permanantly perturbed by niacin.
Thanks for your comments,
Steve
Can you please restart your thread on these horrible vitamin d side3 effects. It has been 3 months and although I am about 60% better, I am still suffering with bone pain, nausea, headache, upper back pain, teeth hurting, itching skin. I have found that when I accidently eat calcium it gets worse and when I go out in the sun. I cant totally avoid the sun cause of my job. Help!
Dear Anonymous,
The old thread is still live and I have been updating it. So, although the date does not change, the contents do.
Your inability to avoid the sun is a big problem. I'm not sure how I would control vitamin D side effects if I couldn't avoid the sun.
So – you need sunblock. You're going to want to slather it on thick everywhere that is exposed to the sun. That should do the trick and accelerate detoxification.
You also need to watch out for all foods "enriched" with vitamin D.
You are correct about high calcium foods – this is also in the main thread.
I hope you've carefully read the long thread comment section. I came up with a long list of suggestions. I'm confident all of them will help some. I'm so sorry you've had to go through this.
Steve
I have CHF and I am currently on medicines. My doctor says I don't need vitamin c, thiamine and niacin. He says my meds are enough.
I said maybe if I were on these vitamins, I wouldn't be sick,
After researching these vitamins, I will take them along with my meds.
Dear Anonymous with CHF,
You have much to gain and little to lose by giving the vitamins a try. Please also consider adding sunshine to your health strategy to increase your vitamin D levels.
I believe the vitamins associated with pandemic deadly deficiency diseases are special. These are vitamins B1, B3, C, D and A. Vitamin D pills are dangerous unless they are used carefully with great attention to side effects. Fortunately, vitamin D is obtained from sunshine without risk of side effects. There is no safe way to get vitamin A. In my mind, the benefits of vitamin A are clearly worth the risks. I take a 10,000 IU tablet once or twice a week and am constantly on the lookout for side effects.
Good luck with your CHF.
Steve