Re: Vitamin D May Block Cancer and Other Diseases

I am of the very strong opinion that we need adequate amounts of both ioding and vitamin D, and going even further, we need a good balance of a great many vitamins and minerals,  Leave any on item neglected to a large extent, including the vital trace elements, and there will be problems - including the proper utilization of other vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

The bioessay and view you refer to is interesting - I am of the opinion that the  problems discussed have more to do with LACK of iodine than with actual supplementation with vitamin D.

I am however, uncomfortable with the way most vitamin D3 supplements are made, as well as the companies who make them, and would encourage everyone to get as much of their vitamin D3 as possible from the sun and, if you can avoid mercury contamination, salt water fish such as herring, salmon, sardines, and fish liver oils.

The commercial production of vitamin D₃ is completely dependent on the availability of either 7-dehydrocholesterol or cholesterol. 7-Dehydrocholesterol can be obtained via organic solvent extraction of animal skins (cow, pig or sheep) followed by an extensive purification. Cholesterol typically is extracted from the lanolin of sheep wool and after thorough purification and crystallization can be converted via a laborious chemical synthesis into 7-dehydrocholesterol. It should be appreciated that once chemically pure, crystalline 7-dehydrocholesterol has been obtained, it is impossible to use any chemical or biological tests or procedures to determine the original source (sheep lanolin, pig skin, cow skin, etc.) of the cholesterol or 7-dehydrocholesterol.

 

Next the crystalline 7-dehydrocholesterol is dissolved in an organic solvent and irradiated with ultraviolet light to carry out the transformation (similar to that which occurs in human and animal skin) to produce vitamin D₃. This vitamin D₃ is then purified and crystallized further before it is formulated for use in dairy milk and animal feed supplementation. The exact details of the chemical conversion of cholesterol to 7-dehydrocholesterol and the method of large-scale ultraviolet light conversion into vitamin D₃ and subsequent purification are closely held topics for which there have been many patents issued (2).

 

The major producers of vitamin D₃ used for milk and other food supplementation are the companies F. Hoffman La Roche, Ltd (Switzerland) and BASF (Germany).

Source:

Vitamin D and Milk
Prepared by Professor Anthony W. Norman;
Department of Biochemistry & Biomedical Sciences
University of California, Riverside CA 92521
(December 12, 2000)

Iodine is one of THE essentials in my estimation (and my appreciation for it grows daily thanks to good information sources like yourself, Trapper).  Like an adequate supply of the 60 or more vital trace minerals, it appears that it can lead to lesser requirements for calcium, vitamin D and other essentials.  Nothing though, is so magical that it will enable us to shortchange any of the other essentials altogether.

DQ