Why a Healthy Immune System Needs Vitamin D 

0:42 Welcome from Linus Pauling Institute Director, Dr. Emily Ho. 2:30 Host Dr. Alexander Michel introduces speaker Dr. Adrian Gombard, Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics, OSU 5:30 Dr. Gombard's Presentation: Why a Healthy Immune System Needs Vitamin D 5:45 Overview 6:09 What is Vitamin D? 6:46 Chemical structures and synthesis of VItamin D 9:06 Vitamin D3 or vitamin D2? 10:05 How does Vitamin D work in the body? 10:10 Vitamin D mediates effects effects on the cell via the vitamin D receptor. 10:35 1,25(OH)2D interacts with receptor which can turn on the expression of genes in the nucleus. 10:47 Many genes involved in classical functions incl calcium uptake, PTH synthesis, bone health. 10:56 Many genes involved in non-classical functions such as anti-cancer, antiproliferative, regulation of apoptosis and angiogenesis, anti-bacterial, antigen presentation, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive responses. 11:18 The VDR is expressed in most cells in most tissues of the body. 11:30 Over 1000 genes are regulated by the Vitamin D receptor and its ligand, the active form of vitamin D. 11:46 Inadequate Vitamin D levels: 88% insufficient according to the Endocrinology Society (mean values below 75 nmol/L or 30 ng/mL) 13:31 What factors affect serum 25(OH)D? Climate & Weather, Geo location, Obesity, Skin, Clothing, Sunscreen, Age, Cholesterol content of skin, Mobility, Diet & Supplement Usage. 15:52 How much does one need? 17:01 Why does the immune system need vitamin D? 17:54 Historically sources of Vitamin D were used to treat diseases. 19:27 Vitamin D & Innate Immunity: Insufficiency/deficiency correlates with increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. Activated macrophages metabolize 25(OH)D to 1,25(OH)2D. 1,25(OH)2D confers increased phagocytic and anti-mycobacterial activity on macrophages by inducing antimicrobial peptide gene expression. 21:30 Vitamin D and the immune system: Major impact on genes involved in immune response 23:35 Immune system benefits: Anti-inflammatory properties. Reduces risks of autoimmune diseases; of cytokine storm; from infectious disease. 24:14 COVID-19: vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of acute respiratory tract infection 25:08 Review of 25 studies Vitamin D studies. No serious adverse advents. 26:03 Studies on Vitamin D and COVID-19: USA: 1 ng/mL increase in serum 25(OH)D linked to 1.6% lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 positivity, risk lowest > 55 ng/mL Israel: those with < 30 ng/mL 25(OH)D serum level had 50% or higher risk 29:00 Hosted Q&A

This video is gold. Robert Heaney advocated Vit D for years but passed away recently.

@43 min on Vit K. Calcification is best addressed with K2 (mk-7). You get a lot of K1 when you eat plenty of vegetables, especially green leafy, but the amount of K2 in your diet may still be low. Best to find Vit K researchers and research to address this important question. I take at least 45 micrograms a day of K2-MK7 mainly to help with calcium transport.

Thank you.

Two points here. One, the great late Robert Heaney recommended 8000IU a day. Two, A Michels looks like that young kid from the Munsters.

This video gives some background but is somewhat incomplete. A couple of points: You want vitamin D3 almost daily. Weekly or longer intervals aren't as effective. It's D3 you want. D2 is less effective.And it's D3 your body produces from the sun's UVB. (When the sun is 50° above the horizon, that is.) The ancestral level of 25(OH)D in the blood is 40 - 60 ng/dl. Each 1000 IU raises the level about 5 ng/dl. And,without sun, you are about 20ng/dl,if healthy From that you can calculate your need for supplement. After about 3 months you are at a stable level,and can measure your individual response to supplementation, and adjust it. There's no need for any quick loading phase to get to the maintenance level faster. Vitamin D is supported by Magesium and vitamin K2, so make sure you get enough of those too. Vitamin A and potassium should also be at appropriate levels. But you can more easily get those from food. Potassium is in most vegetables. So if you eat 700 g of them, you surely have got enough of potassium. It's important to know that vitamin D (eg 25(OH)D) increases the uptake of calcium. So, you don't need to supplement with calcium if you have enough of vitamin D. You should get it only from food. Actually, if you supplement with calcium, and not with K2, you could get to muuch calcium in the blood. Otherwise, it doesn't happen with less than10000 IE of vitamin D, unless you have other medical problems. (Actually 30000 IU, but I'm cautious!) I think it's a little odd when researchers supplement wit D3, but not check the levels of supporting factors. Don't they know that things has to be in balance? Potassium, soduum. Magesium, Calcium. If they aren't balanced, you won't get the any good result from the research!

If macrophage activation during Covid 19 progression is encouraged by D3, which could be beneficial in early stages, then reaches an over-excited stage for immune system persistence in later stages, might it become important to temporarily avoid spikes of D3 just during that sensitive stage, in order to 'chill out' macrophage hyper aggression? Say, perhaps avoid much skin sun exposure or bolus doses of D3 or D2 temporarily?

Gombart is great.

The long "introduction" is over at 5:40.

If D3 builds up during summer with skin exposure, and tends to be stored in fat, is that how bears can hibernate in the dark all winter w/o health problems? Dropping fat load through the winter mobilizes slow release of D3 to keep adequate blood D3 levels up enough for immune system? Similar human/ fat level relationships?

Really informative, but imagine being the poor rats and other lab animals. 😢