April 10, 2008

Don't combine vitamin D with milk

by Russell Eaton

Recent studies have consistently shown the positive link between Vitamin D and health improvement. Vitamin D has been shown to improve lung health, new asthma treatments, and the prevention of breast and colon cancer. For example, the research is showing that daily intake of 1,000 units of Vitamin D cuts the odds of getting colon cancer by about half, and the chances of breast and ovarian cancer by about one third.

It is well known that sensible, regular exposure to ultraviolet sunlight helps the body produce Vitamin D. You cannot "overdose" on Vitamin D that is produced through UV exposure (but of course you might get badly sunburn so never over-expose your body to sunlight!). What is less well known is that vitamin D supplements can be very harmful in certain circumstances.

Among the many important functions of vitamin D is absorption of calcium. Vitamin D greatly increases absorption of calcium into the blood stream (from the food you eat), and hence into the body generally.

The danger is that if vitamin D supplements are combined with milk, the bloodstream is overwhelmed with calcium, and this can cause harmful calcification in different parts of the body. Calcification of the body is at the root of many serious diseases such as stroke, cancer and heart disease, to name just a few.

When dairy milk is consumed, the casein protein in milk makes the bloodstream go acidic. This happens before all the calcium in milk gets to the bloodstream. The body reacts by pulling calcium from the bones into the bloodstream (calcium is very alkaline and this helps to neutralize the blood).

As the milk is gradually digested, calcium from the milk enters the bloodstream. As this happens, calcium levels in the blood become too high. In a kind of "knee-jerk" reaction hormones in the body get rid of the excess calcium in the bloodstream by 'storing it' it in different parts of the body, leading to harmful calcification and illness.

Problems are made worse if vitamin D supplements are taken on days that dairy milk is consumed. This will increase further the amount of excess calcium that accumulates in the bloodstream. Doctors call this 'hypercalcemia', a known medical condition that can result in a variety of health problems. It is important, therefore, to avoid consuming dairy milk and vitamin D on the same day.

To protect your health you should avoid taking vitamin D supplements on days that dairy milk is consumed (or vice-versa). Better still, switch to non-dairy milk which is far more nutritious and delicious than cow's milk. If non-dairy milk is difficult to obtain, you can easily make your own milk from ingredients that can be stored at home.

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