Heart failure linked to gene variant affecting vitamin D activation
This article discusses the role of a gene variant that affects how our bodies activate vitamin D. They found that some people are missing a specific enzyme that is needed to activate vitamin D. I think this is what we will find is happening with the whole vitamin D deficiency epidemic. Most of us do get enough vitamin D, but we are deficient in an enzyme that activates the vitamin. The bigger question is why are so many of us deficient in this enzyme if it is necessary. Either many of us don’t need as much vitamin D (think people from the northern hemisphere) as recent studies indicate. Or something is depleting or blocking this enzyme (think diet and artificial chemicals). This is where more study is needed. I have been wondering for a long time how could we all be so deficient in vitamin D, as the studies are suggesting. It seemed too broad to say that all people need the same amount of vitamin D to be healthy. I am sure there is much more to the vitamin D story than we know at this point. For now, however, I am supplementing with 2,000 iu’s vitamin D3 until we know better.