Vitamin D3 Benefits Over Vitamin D2!

Vitamin D3 Model

Recent research continues to show the importance of Vitamin D but few understand the difference between vitamin D3 benefits over vitamin D2. 

Yes, there are two forms of vitamin D. Vitamin D2 is manufactured by plants or fungus and is typically used to fortified foods like milk, cereals, and juices. This form of vitamin D is called Ergocalciferol.  

Vitamin D3 is called Cholecalciferol and is synthesized by humans and animals from sunlight. When taken in supplement form it has a longer shelf life and is better for the human body. In a recently published study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, vitamin D3 was shown to be 87% more effective in raising vitamin D levels in the blood over vitamin D2. According to the lead researcher Dr. Robert Heaney (Creigton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska),  

Given its greater potency, D3 should be the preferred treatment option when correcting vitamin D deficiency.” 

Their research showed that vitamin D3 produced significantly greater bioavailability and reserve storage than vitamin D2. 

Vitamin D3 Benefits 

As the body of scientific research continues to grow, the number of health benefits from vitamin D3 also grows. Here is a brief summary of some of the new vitamin D3 benefits: 

Helps to Maintain Calcium Balance in the Bloodstream – Vitally important to cardiovascular health is the proper maintenance of your blood calcium levels. This helps to prevent calcification of the vascular wall, which leads to arteriosclerosis. Additionally, your endothelial cells, which line all of your cardiovascular system, need calcium to be able to convert the amino acid L-arginine into nitric oxide – the master signaling molecule of your entire cardiovascular system.  

Helps in Blood Pressure Regulation – Recent studies have shown that vitamin D3 may decrease the risk for high blood pressure. This would make sense since proper blood calcium levels are needed to initiate the production of nitric oxide from L-arginine. Since nitric oxide is the body’s most powerful vasodilator, it is used to relax the vascular wall to help control blood pressure. 

Has a Role in Insulin Secretion – When conditions are right for increased insulin demand, vitamin D3 can play a pivotal part in insulin secretion.  

Boosts Your Immunity – Studies are showing vitamin D3 to be a potent immune system modulator to help enhance your immunity while helping to inhibit the development of autoimmunity.  

Aids in Cell Differentiation – Cell differentiation is needed to help cells form for specific functions in your body. While cellular differentiation is needed for growth and wound healing, uncontrolled proliferation of cells can lead to cancer. The active form of vitamin D3 inhibits this proliferation and stimulates cell differentiation. 

Prevention of Osteoporosis – Vitamin D3 is recognized as the best form for balancing the amount of calcium and phosphorous within your bloodstream. This is essential for bone production and development.  

Vitamin D3 Benefits versus Toxicity 

There is an ongoing debate regarding vitamin D3 benefits versus toxicity resulting from vitamin D overdose. Because of this the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has established a tolerable upper intake level of 2000 IU of vitamin D3. However, many research studies suggest that this upper intake level of 2000 IU is very conservative and that healthy people could increase their intake levels to 10,000 IU/day without side effects.  

If you have questions in this area, then work with your health care provider to find the vitamin D3 intake that will help to bring your blood concentrations of 25(OH)D, which is the circulating vitamin D metabolite that serves as the most frequently measured indicator of vitamin D status, into a healthy range.  

Vitamin D3 Benefits Increase Through the Method of Absorption 

If you are going to use vitamin D3 supplements to improve your vitamin D3 benefits then make sure that the product you use is either a spray or chewable supplement. This dramatically increases absorption over those supplements that you swallow. By using the spray or chewable supplements you will achieve better results in a shorter period of time. 

As you hear more and more research toting the health benefits of vitamin D, please make sure that you choose a supplement that contains vitamin D3 in a chewable form. You will improve both your absorption and effectiveness in raising this needed nutrient in your bloodstream.  

Together we can work to save a million lives! 

Dan Hammer 

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry, and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.  

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam. The information about vitamin D3 benefits has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.

Dr. Oz on L-Arginine!

 

Dr. Oz on L-Arginine

Recently Dr. Oz has emphasize the need for L-Arginine supplementation for improved cardiovascular health and overall wellness. Here is a recent video of both Dr. Oz and Dr. Mercola talking about how important L-Arginine is in maintaining the flexibility and integrity of the vascular system. Most of Dr. Oz and his discussion on L-Arginine is in the second half of this video:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/alternative-health-controversy-pt-3 

If you watched and listened to Dr. Oz and Dr. Mercola, they only talk about the essential amino acid L-Arginine. Technically they are correct from the standpoint of your endothelial cells using L-Arginine to create nitric oxide. Because nitric oxide relaxes the smooth muscle of the vascular wall to help maintain proper blood pressure, keeps blood platelet cells from sticking together to prevent heart attacks and stroke, and repairs the damage done to the endothelium to prevent atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis, what Dr. Oz tells us about L-Arginine is critically important. But there are some other ingredients that need to be part of the equation, especially if you want to create nitric oxide in sufficient amounts to be therapeutic to your cardiovascular system. 

Dr. Oz, L-Arginine, and an Additional Key Ingredient! 

One of those ingredients needs to be the amino acid L-Citrulline. L-Citrulline recycles L-Arginine to have a synergistic effect on extending the endothelium’s ability to properly produce nitric oxide. Here’s what I mean. 

If you consume a therapeutic level of L-Arginine you will typically get a 30 minute to 2 hour window of improved nitric oxide production resulting in a small window of improved circulation. 

What Dr. Oz doesn’t tell you is critically important. If you combine your L-Arginine with a therapeutic level of L-Citrulline then you will increase this window of improved nitric oxide production to a 24 to 36 hour window. That’s huge especially in helping to repair your endothelium so that you can heal your vascular wall for long term improvements in your circulation. 

This means that you need both of these amino acids in sufficient quantities to truly obtain a benefit. To help you better understand this I’d like to provide two quotes from Dr. Louis J. Ignarro. Dr. Ignarro won the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine, along with two other American researchers, for discovering how your endothelium converts the essential amino acid L-Arginine into nitric oxide – the most powerful signaling molecule of your entire cardiovascular system. These quotes are taking from his 2005 bestseller NO More Heart Disease. 

My research shows that L-arginine in doses smaller than 4 to 6 grams produces almost zero increase in NO, so it is in essence an ‘all or nothing’ proposition – you must receive the full dose of L-arginine.” 

It is the synergy between the L-arginine (in a large enough dose), the L-citrulline, and the key antioxidants that creates dramatic increases in your body’s nitric oxide production. Without the proper combination of these nutrients, which so many other programs lack, you will receive little to no benefit from NO therapy.” 

Dr. Oz Doesn’t Tell You How Much L-Arginine to Use! 

While there is more I could say about additional ingredients, here are the two most important factors you need to consider in evaluating an L-Arginine product: 

  1. Does it include L-Citrulline? If it doesn’t, then you are wasting your time and money.
  2. Does it include sufficient amounts of both L-Arginine and L-Citrulline to create a synergistic and therapeutic benefit? According to Dr. Ignarro you need 4-6 grams of L-Arginine and 200 to 1000 mg of L-Citrulline to have a therapeutic effect. Anything less and you’re not going to get improved nitric oxide production. 

According to Dr. Ignarro, “Nitric oxide is the body’s natural cardiovascular wonder drug.” But for you to get a therapeutic effect to aid you in improving the health of your cardiovascular system, then you need to be taking both L-Arginine and L-Citrulline in sufficient quantities.  

There’s much more that could be said about the creation of nitric oxide; such as the need for Folic Acid and other antioxidants to enhance nitric oxide production over a long period leading to therapeutic benefits. I’ve prepared two videos to help you better understand this. My next post will highlight these two videos. The first video covers which foods will help you obtain L-Arginine, L-Citrulline, and Folic Acid since these three are critically important in helping your endothelium properly produce nitric oxide. The second video will cover whether it is better to get your L-Arginine, L-Citrulline, and Folic Acid through food or supplementation.

If you would like to order Dr. Ignarro’s book NO More Heart Disease then please click here!  

Together we can work to save a million lives by help to education others about what was said by Dr. Oz on L-Arginine but also including the other key nutrients for improved nitric oxide production! 

Dan Hammer 

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry, and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.  

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam. The information about Dr. Oz on L-Arginine has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.

Arteriosclerosis and Atherosclerosis – Treatment Programs!

ArteriosclerosisAccording to the American Heart Association, arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis account for nearly 75% of all deaths from heart disease! To have a significant impact on reducing the number one killer of people worldwide, it would make sense to focus on treatment programs that address these cardiovascular diseases.

As I gathered data for this article many of the websites made the following comment – “The exact cause of arteriosclerosis is not known.”

This author would like to disagree with that statement.


The exact cause of arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis is known!

It is damage to the endothelial cells that line all of your cardiovascular system, which reduces their ability to properly produce nitric oxide, the master signaling molecule of the cardiovascular system. Nitric oxide is key to cardiovascular health. According to Dr. Louis J. Ignarro, the 1998 Nobel Laureate in Medicine,

NO – as it is known by chemists – is produced by the body specifically to help keep arteries and veins free of the plaque that causes stroke and to maintain normal blood pressure by relaxing the arteries, thereby regulating the rate of blood flow and preventing coronaries. Nitric oxide is the body’s natural cardiovascular wonder drug.”

If you look closely at Dr. Ignarro’s statement you will notice the following significant phrase: “. . . specifically to help keep arteries and veins free of the plaque that causes stroke. . .” Plaque formation is at the heart of atherosclerosis. Calcification of these plaque formations lead to arteriosclerosis.

The “natural cardiovascular wonder drug” Dr. Ignarro was referring to is nitric oxide, which is produced by the endothelial cells from two important amino acids: L-arginine and L-citrulline. Nitric oxide can specifically prevent both arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. Many researchers would also suggest that the proper production of nitric oxide, by your endothelial cells, can reverse both of these cardiovascular diseases.

The following is a review of many of the treatment programs for arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. These treatment programs can be broken down into two major categories: self-care at home and medical treatment. The overall goals of these treatment programs are to reduce symptoms and prevent the progression of the disease so that potential blockages can be prevented. But, the question remains:

Is there a better treatment program and can it actually reverse arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis?”

We’ll examine this after we look at the standard treatment programs usually recommended to patients diagnosed with arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis.

Self-Care at Home Treatment Programs!

Self-care treatment programs typically mean lifestyle changes. Let’s look at each of these lifestyle changes in relationship to their effects on the endothelial cells and the production of nitric oxide:

  1. Eat food that is low in saturated fats and low in cholesterol. This is a big topic but in its simplest terms LDL cholesterol (Bad Cholesterol) can damage your endothelial cells leading to plaque formations.

  2. Restrict salt intake especially if you have high blood pressure. Again this is a big topic because it only focuses on one mineral: sodium. Also important to this equation is potassium, magnesium, and calcium for proper cardiovascular metabolism.

  3. Increase the consumption of high fiber foods especially vegetables and fruits. High fiber foods help to absorb bile salts that your body uses in digestion. Your liver manufactures bile from cholesterol. Thus, high fiber foods are a natural way to reduce LDL cholesterol, which reduces the potential damage they can cause to your endothelial cells. Also, vegetables and fruits have little sodium but are high in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, which helps maintain proper cardiovascular metabolism.

  4. Quit smoking. This habit has major effects on your cardiovascular system, especially your endothelial cells. Nicotine damages endothelial cells. Cigarette smoking decreases “Good” cholesterol that helps to protect your endothelial cells and increases the “Bad” cholesterol that damages your endothelial cells. The carbon monoxide produced from cigarette smoking also damages endothelial cells and can facilitate plaque formation. Plus, smoking constricts arteries leading to an increased risk of blockages.

  5. Lose weight if overweight or obese. Fat cells absorb and store Vitamin D. Vitamin D inhibits vascular calcification. Vascular calcification is at the heart of arteriosclerosis. Thus, losing weight releases needed Vitamin D back into your system and improves your body’s ability to utilize Vitamin D to reduce multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

  6. Mild to moderate exercise under the supervision of a health care provider. Exercise increases blood flow. Increased blood flow stimulates the endothelial cells to produce nitric oxide.

  7. Maintain normal blood glucose (sugar) levels. When blood glucose is above the normal range it causes oxidative stress to the endothelial cells resulting in damage and a reduction in nitric oxide production.

Medical Treatment Programs

Medical treatment programs usually center on prescription drugs, surgical procedures, or a combination of both to either reduce the risk or repair existing damage to the vascular system. While this list is not exhaustive it does include many of the more prominent treatment programs. Let’s look at each in relationship to the endothelial cells and nitric oxide production.

  1. Taking drugs to normalize blood pressure. High blood pressure can damage the endothelial cells. Yet, learning how to naturally nourish your endothelial cells to improve their ability to produce nitric oxide can also normalize blood pressure but without the side effects of medications.

  2. Taking drugs to normalize blood sugar levels. This is especially important for those with diabetes. But, equally important is having in place a nutritional program that will help to repair the damage high blood sugar can cause the endothelial cells.

  3. Taking drugs to lower lipid levels. Statin drugs are the most commonly used lipid-lowering drugs because they effectively interfere with the production of cholesterol by your liver. Unfortunately, they also interfere with the creation of Co-Q10 which is extremely important for heart health and overall energy production. The main purpose of statin drugs is to keep LDL Cholesterol or Bad Cholesterol from damaging the endothelial cells. The proper production of nitric oxide can also repair this damage and keep the “Bad” cholesterol from creating damage in the first place.

  4. Aspirin inhibits sticky platelets cells from forming a blood clot. Nitric oxide also keeps blood platelet cells from sticking together but without the potential risk for bleeding.

  5. Balloon angioplasty. To open blocked or narrowed vascular vessels a balloon-tipped catheter is inserted into the body. When the narrowed vascular area is reached the balloon is inflated to press the plaque deposit against the vascular wall. This procedure is designed to increase the diameter of the affected area to improve blood flow. The concern is that the balloon procedure will damage the endothelial cells creating a stimulus for additional scarring and plaque formation. This procedure treats a symptom but doesn’t solve the underlying problem.

  6. Stenting. Following angioplasty a metal tube called a stent will be placed in the vascular area to help keep it open. The stent acts as a scaffold to support the vascular wall. To prevent additional complications from the endothelium and blood clotting on the metal surface, patient are asked to take specific drugs. Again, this procedure treats a symptom but doesn’t solve the underlying problem.

  7. Bypass surgery. This surgical procedure uses arteries or veins from other areas of the person’s body to bypass the blocked vascular area to improve blood flow. Again, this procedure treats the life-threatening event but doesn’t solve the underlying problem.

All of these treatment programs are important. Most of the self-care at home treatment programs help to protect and nourish the endothelial cells. Most of the medical treatment programs limit additional damage to the endothelial cells or are used to correct a problematic area of the vascular system. No one is questioning the proper use in helping to reduce risk and/or save a person’s life from the arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis.

But, the question still remains is:

Is there a better treatment program and can it actually reverse arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis?”

The answer is “YES!”

It all centers on nourishing and repairing the endothelial cells to improve their ability to properly product nitric oxide, the master signaling molecule of the cardiovascular system or what Dr. Ignarro refers to as “the body’s natural cardiovascular wonder drug.” We’ll explore this in future articles.

Together we can work to save a million lives!

Dan Hammer

[email protected]

630-936-8079

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry, and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam. The information about Arteriosclerosis and Atherosclerosis contained in this article has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.