What a great story that unfolded over the last few days with all 33 of those trapped miners in Chile being saved!  A true miracle!

It’s nice hearing some positive stories in the media vs. the usual negative ones that are broadcast throughout the world.

Of course each of the men has to be checked over to make sure there are no medical concerns that need to be fixed.  One of the concerns that they continue to talk about, though, has peaked my interest …

…vitamin D deficiency.

We’ve talked about this one before.  The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is certainly on the rise.  And now it’s one of the potential health risks with the Chile miners as well. 

Why?

Vitamin D is the only vitamin (technically, it’s a hormone) that our body makes from sunlight.  The Chile miners were underground — in complete darkness — for over 2 months.  Amazing that in such short amount of time — in the grand scheme of things — there’s a high risk of deficiency of this important vitamin.

How does this apply to you?  While situations like this are fortunately extreme and rare, I once heard one of the leading vitamin D researchers speak and suggest that through the data he has seen, anyone living north of Atlanta Georgia can’t make sufficient levels of vitamin D, even when getting some sun.

Why Does it Matter?

It’s not just a clinical deficiency we’re talking about — although that’s of course a major concern as well — but even suboptimal levels of vitamin D are a concern.  Our goal isn’t simply to prevent deficiency, but rather live optimally!

And Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to everything from playing a role with several different types of cancer, immunity, diabetes, even potentially obesity, and many other disease states as well.

Mohr Results Bottom Line: Get your blood levels tested next time you go to your MD.  Aim to get your levels between 50-80 ng/mL.  I had mine tested last year and was deficient myself … and that’s after being outside almost daily on my bike and/or at the park with our daughter and taking 2000 IU’s/day!

Most experts suggest supplementing with 1000 IU’s of vitamin/day, with some even suggesting higher than that.  Getting tested is the only true way to know your levels, however. 

Picture this.  Kara and I are in Italy a couple years ago for our honeymoon.  For one of our day trips, we were in a small town called Ravello, one of the most beautiful towns we visited that trip. 

Since we both love to cook, she found a chef who does private cooking lessons – we were both very excited for our adventure when we woke up.

The 3 of us are in Chef Vincenzino’s house, which was nestled in the mountain side overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. 

Incredible, to say the least.

We had no idea what we’d be preparing that day … when we spoke beforehand, he said he would go to the market that morning and whatever was freshest, he’d pick up. 

Well, lo and behold, fresh off the boat that morning … today’s heart healthy food you probably don’t eat (but should) … Sardines!  

I have had them and enjoy them; I thought Kara’s eyes were going to fall out of her head when she heard that (as you can clearly see in this picture of Kara and Vincenzino). 

Of course she wasn’t going to say no to the dinner we were all making with the Chef.

But, she quickly learned that when prepared well (and super fresh) the little fish are superb. 

And, well, let's be honest — can anything taste bad when you have a view like this?

While going down to sea that morning and picking up fresh sardines unfortunately isn’t a luxury we enjoy daily in landlocked Kentucky, most grocery stores do carry fresh sardines (the term used lightly after eating ones caught that morning)…but stores do at the very least carry canned.

Don’t turn your nose up too soon.

I’ve found that most cringe when I suggest sardines as a powerful health food, yet it’s not because of a bad experience – instead, it’s the thought that these are super strong, fishy, horrible tasting fish.  None of which are true.

But why are these little buggers so darn great for us?

They have significantly more omega-3 fats than wild salmon, they’re naturally high in vitamin D, which I recently told you I was found to be deficient in D, and they’re very low in mercury and other contaminants. 

Oh yeah and they’re also sustainable, which is surely a great bonus!

The question now becomes – what do you do with these tiny omega 3 powerhouses? 

They’re great in spaghetti sauce, or try them lightly breaded (dip in egg, whole wheat bread crumbs, then sauté in olive oil and garlic), or even just mixed with some mustard and used like you would tuna fish. 

I urge you to give them a try, though. 

I’ll go out on a limb and say sardines are the healthiest animal based food that we know of to date.

And you know, combine them with some of the foods that we made that day in Italy (pictured to the left) — fresh veggies, sardines, garlic and herbs, and your heart will LOVE YOU.

That's why they made our previous post — The 13 Healthiest Foods You're Not Eating (but should!)

I get one question more than any other.

“What supplements do I need?”

It doesn’t matter if it’s a 15 year old young athlete trying to put on some muscle, a working mom who is trying to shed those last 10 lbs, or a 60 year old grandpa who is looking to improve his health …

And my answer is always the same – let’s first look at your diet before assessing if you should be taking a supplement(s).  Most are overrated, but there are some that have merit for sure.  

And one vitamin that continues to dominate the science and media is vitamin D –the “Sunshine Vitamin.” 

Not long ago it was thought of as more of a “helper” nutrient – helping the body better utilize its calcium for strong bones.

But the game has changed. Experts now realize that vitamin D has a positive effect on many different functions in the body:

•    muscle strength
•    bone health
•    potentially reducing the risk of type 1 and 2 diabetes
•    obesity
•    cancer prevention
•    Alzheimer's
•    arthritis
•    decreasing falls with elderly
•    other inflammatory issues

And more and more research is showing that a good majority of the population is deficient – here are just some prevalence numbers from several studies:

• 74% of premenopausal women
• 60% of elderly
• 50% of pregnant women
• 42% of children are deficient!

The first step is to get your levels tested – ask for your doctor to test 25-hydroxyvitamin D .  The blood values should be between 50–80 ng/mL (or 125–200 nM/L) year-round.

In fact, I’m headed to the doctor later this month and will ask them to test my levels.  I’ll keep you posted on my results.  

So if it’s so important, where do we get it?

We can make vitamin D from sunlight.  But most "shun the sun" – by either rarely venturing outdoors, or slathering themselves with 4000 SPF suntan lotion so it's like a suit of armor.

And some other foods provide D too, but it’s difficult to get through foods — milk is fortified, canned and wild salmon are good options, sardines, anchovies, egg yolks, liver, and only a few other foods provide decent quantities Vitamin D.  Unfortunately most don't eat or drink many of those options above.

So what should we do?  

1. Go to the doctor and have your levels tested. 
2. Include some of those foods above for quality sources of D, along with other nutrients.
3. Get out in the sun a bit – just 10 minutes each day seems to be sufficient.
4. Add a quality vitamin D supplement – experts seem to agree that 1000 IU’s of Vitamin D3 each day is a good start. Of course talk to your health care provider and follow their specific recommendations.

Heck, even Ella takes 400 IU’s every single day … and she’s just 7 months old!

So to answer the “what supplement should I take” question — this is one supplement that I feel should be on everyone’s shelf.  
 
For more information on dietary supplements, check out this interview with Hector Lopez, MD

And this interview with Dr. Douglas MacKay covers the critical information about the health benefits of omega-3 fats