10/21/09 Marco Island, Florida – This ranks as one of the most important public health breakthroughs in decades.
A trickle of solid peer-reviewed evidence that most people are severely vitamin D deficient has turned into a flood. If the new consensus is correct, and I believe it is, increasing your vitamin D level could, for most people, add years of healthy life. It could also save the U.S. economy hundreds of billions annually…
D is not just another nutrient. Putting it simplistically, it is the über-nutrient that affects the way all other nutrients, not just calcium, are utilized. Virtually every cell in the body has a D receptor, even those in the brain. Until recently, however, few asked why. This is a particularly interesting question because there is very little vitamin D actually available in food. Most of our nutritional D, in fact, is added. Historically, the primary source of D, not only for humans, but for many other animals, has been sunshine. We convert the energy found in ultraviolet B in our skin to vitamin D. Obviously, there is something critically important about D if our prehistoric ancestors could manufacture it even during times of famine.
Now we see a compendium of solid peer-reviewed research indicating that many of our most troublesome and expensive diseases are symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. Rickets, apparently, was only the tip of the iceberg. Other diseases on the list of conditions caused or exacerbated by D deficiency include cancers, diabetes, susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections, autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, heart disease, stroke, osteomalacia or age-related bone mass thinning, osteoporosis, depression and even food allergies. Obesity, in fact, is highly correlated with vitamin D deficiency. In many of these conditions, risk factors drop within months, and by as much as 80%.
I know, I know. This is a financial newsletter, but living a longer healthier life is not just an end in itself. It is the most important component of an optimal financial strategy… The nature of exponential growth is simply this: The longer you live, the faster your portfolio grows.
Patrick Cox
Patrick Cox brings two decades of experience in software, public policy, medical economics and biotechnology to the Agora Financial table. He is editor of the Breakthrough Technology Alert and Technology Profits Confidential, as well as a contributor to the Penny Sleuth. Cox, who spent his early childhood on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, studied at Boise State University and has written for USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Reason Magazine. Cox has also been featured in The Baltimore Sun and CNBC Business Magazine.
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The quality of this site has been going down lately. It’s sad. The fact that you have to apologize: “I know I know this is a financial newsletter”… shows that Bill and Addison are fine with the sad state of affairs. Get rid of the “mini-sized” articles by Rocky Vega and company.
i disagree strongly with the first poster complaining about site content….
i thought this article was excellent…i also subscribe to the ideas that less is more and brevity the soul of wit….
in an information overloaded age the last thing i want is someone’s prolix cow manure….
Far from being worthless content on a financial blog, I think this could possibly be turned into a winning investment. Not quite sure how, though, on a moments notice.
What, invest in cheese and other dairy products…UV sun lamps? Tanning booth manufacturers? Sorry, I don’t get it either.
It seems that many readers are “only” interested in money matters. What really matters, anyway? “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul?” Money does matter, a lot, but, there is nothing wrong with giving vital information about life, even on a site such as this.
“The longer you live, the faster your portfolio grows”????
How does my Vit D intake/lifespan affect my portfolio growth rate?
Vitamin D-3 has been shown to protect well against swine flu. My doctor advised me 2,000IU per day or 5,000 if I get sick as opposed to a vaccine.
Might be worth asking a doctor about recommended doses.
My blood pressure was 160 over 100. On my Step Father’s advice I started taking vitamin D3. Within two weeks my blood pressure was 117 over 78 and holding steady.