The Complex World of Food, Vitamin D3 and Psychosis- Dr. Kelly Brogan Discusses Vitamin D3

Cholesterol 

Several studies have indicated a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and schizophrenia, but a recent study is the first to identify deficiency at the first episode. How is this important for the gluten sensitive person: Gluten sensitive people struggle with getting enough vitamin D3 in their system. I like to see a blood level of 120 nmol/l (48 ng/ml) or a little above. To feel confident that you are getting enough sun and vitamin D3 supplements, you need a blood test.

And not enough vitamin D3 in your blood puts you at risk. Vitamin D deficiency is known to be a trigger of celiac disease and is linked to the onset of many diseases including schizophrenia. 

It is known that persons with celiac disease have a 17% increased risk of having schizophrenia. There are multiple mechanisms to the development and the whole subject is too large to talk about here, but just to emphasize Vitamin D3 is and important part of the picture.

From Dr. Kelly Brogan's newsletter: Holistic Women's Health Psychiatry, 

Several studies have indicated a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and schizophrenia, but a recent study is the first to identify deficiency at the onset (first episode), controlling for previous theories of days spent inpatient, away from the sun, resulting in long-term deficiency.
-69 adult inpatients and 69 healthy controls were assessed and those with psychosis were found to be 3x more likely to have vitamin D deficiency (below 25 nmol/L).
-No significant seasonal trends were observed.

Because vitamin D is an acute phase reactant, it plays a role in inflammatory response. Interference from infection, pesticides, and low cholesterol may lower vitamin D availability. Strategic supplementation is important, but resolution of underlying inflammation is the goal. I would love to see these patients treated, first, in a controlled environment devoid of pollutants, with clean air and water, and an anti-inflammatory diet.

Read the study yourself to learn more about the link between vitamin D deficiency and schizophrenia.

See here for the other risks of having low cholesterol, besides poor Vitamin D production.

A good anti-inflammatory diet is a gluten free diet, with lots of healthy fats like omega 3's, and cholesterol. The best gluten free diet, in my opinion, is a GAPS diet with supplements like vitamin D3, B complex and zinc to neutralize methylation polymorphisms that affect homocysteine. And a good probiotic. See Dr. Campbell- McBride's book Gut and Psychology Syndrome to see how mental health issues can be ameliorated. 

To Your Health

Dr. Barbara

Sunlight Boosts Nitric Oxide Production, Lowers Risk of Heart disease, Stroke

Sunbathers

Skin exposure to sunshine boosts nitric oxide production and that is a good thing. And researchers have found that the  nitric oxide levels were independent of vitamin D levels. Sunlight triggers healthy metabolism that can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

But many people are worried that they will get melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, if they should get sun exposure without a sun screen. Sun exposure reduces the risk of many conditions and studies show the benefits of sun exposure outweighs the risks. In regards to dying from skin cancer, studies show your risk is 80 times lower on average than your risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke. So it makes sense to work at  lowering your risk for heart attacks and strokes, with getting some sun exposure. 

A recent study by Dr. Weller et al, has some very important conclusions. We need sun exposure as well as good vitamin D blood levels, from sun and from dietary sources to be well. 

Dr. Weller ,lead researcher is quoted as saying:

"We suspect that the benefits to heart health of sunlight will outweigh the risk of skin cancer. The work we have done provides a mechanism that might account for this, and also explains why dietary vitamin D supplements alone will not be able to compensate for lack of sunlight."

I recommend, unless you conciously fit in time for sun exposure that can be proven to give you a vitamin D level above 120 nmol/l, than get as much sun as possible and take a good quality supplement of Vitamin D3, followed with regular blood tests to verify you are getting enough.

There is more here on how to normalize borderline or high blood pressure, the importance of vitamin D, the real incidence of melanoma and the dangerous effects of fructose on the body.

To Your Health
Dr. Barbara

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UVA lowers blood pressure and vasodilates the systemic arterial vasculature by mobilisation of cutaneous nitric oxide stores

D Liu,¹ BO Fernandez,³ NN Lang,² JM Gallagher,⁴ DE Newby,² M Feelisch³ and RB Weller^1,5 1Dermatology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom,²Cardiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, ³Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom, ⁴Leithmount Surgery, Edinburgh, United Kingdom and ⁵Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

The incidence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD) correlates with latitude and rises in winter. Population vitamin D levels inversely correlate with CVD, but oral supplementation does not alter CVD rates. Skin contains large stores of nitrite(NO₂) and nitrate(NO₃). Nitrate is biologically inert, but can be photo-reduced to active NO₂ and nitric oxide (NO). The dermal vasculature enables rapid systemic dispersal of NO₂ and NO.We hypothesised that ultraviolet A (UVA) mobilises NO bioactivity from skin to circulation to exert beneficial cardiovascular effects. Vit’ D is a marker for sunlight exposure. 24 healthy volunteers were sham (temp’ control) irradiated then actively irradiated with 20 J/cm² UVA. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) fell and heart rate rose during active but not sham irrad’n (3.50±0.73 mmHg vs 2.80±0.98). The MAP fall was sustained for 50 mins in the active group only. Temperature rise was the same in both groups. Circulatory nitrite rose (0.50±0.04 μM to 0.72±0.04 μM p<0.001) and nitrate fell (11.79± 0.64 μM to 8.99±0.40 μM (p<0.001)) during active, but not sham irradiation. There was no change in circulating vitamin D levels. 12 volunteers had forearm blood flow (FBF) measured by venous plethysmography while 8 μmol/min of the NOS antagonist L-NMMA was infused to the brachial artery. FBF rose during active but not sham irradiation (23.7±6.5 % over baseline vs no change p<.0002). Physiological levels of UVA irradiation cause systemic vasodilation and lower BP in a vitamin D and NOS independent manner. Deaths from CVD and stroke are 60 to 100 times higher than from skin cancers in northern Europe. This study provides a mechanistic explanation for the inverse correlation between sunlight exposure and CVD mortality. Sunlight has beneficial effects independently of vitamin D synthesis.