A great discussion on vitamin D

10. April 2006 William Davis (0)
If you need better convincing that vitamin D is among the most underappreciated but crucial vitamins for health, see Russell Martin's review of vitamin D and its role in cancer prevention. You'll find it in March, 2006 Life Extension Magazine or their www.LEF.org website at:

http://search.lef.org/cgi-src-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=0&page_id=1308&query=vitamin%20d&hiword=VITAM%20VITAMER%20VITAMERS%20VITAMI%20VITAMINA%20VITAMINAS%20VITAMINC%20VITAMIND%20VITAMINE%20VITAMINEN%20VITAMINES%20VITAMINIC%20VITAMINK%20VITAMINS%20d%20vitamin%20

Our preliminary experience over the past year suggests that vitamin D may be the crucial missing link in many people's plaque control program. We've had a handful of people who, despite an otherwise perfect program (LDL<60, HDL>60, etc.; vigorous exercise, healthy food selection, etc.--I mean perfect)continued to show plaque growth. The rate of growth was slower than the natural expected rate of 30% per year, but still frightening rates of 14-18% per year--until we added vitamin D. All of a sudden, we saw dramatic regression of 7-25% in 6 months to a year.

This does not mean that vitamin D all by itself regresses plaque. I believe it means that vitamin D exerts a "permissive" effect, allowing all the other treatments (fish oil, LDL reduction, HDL raising, correction of small LDL, etc.) to exert their full benefit. So please don't stop everything and just take D. This will not work. However, adding vitamin D to your program on top of the basic Track Your Plaque approach--that's the best way I know of.
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Chocolate . . . for adults only

Chocolate . . . for adults only

30. November 2011 William Davis (22)
If you've got a serious chocolate addiction and you'd like to make it as healthy as possible, give this X-rated dark chocolate a try.
I call it X-rated because it is certain to not satisfy young, sugar-craving palates, but is appropriate for only the most serious chocolate craver. This is a way to obtain the rich flavors and textures of cocoa, the health benefits (e.g., blood pressure reduction, antioxidation) of cocoa flavonoids, while obtaining none of the sugars/carbohydrates . . . and certainly no wheat!

It is easy to make, requiring just a few ingredients, a few steps, and a few minutes. Set aside and save for an indulgence, e.g., dip into natural peanut or almond butter.

Ingredients:
8 ounces 100% unsweetened cocoa
5 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup dry roasted pistachios
1/4 cup whole flaxseeds or chia seeds
Truvia or other non-aqueous sweetener

Using double-boiler method, melt cocoa. Alternatively, melt cocoa in microwave in 15-20 second increments. Stir in coconut oil, pistachios, and flaxseeds or chia seeds. Stir in sweetener, mixing thoroughly. (Note that the sweetener must be non-aqueous, as water-based sweeteners will separate in the oils.)

Lay a sheet of parchment paper out on a large baking pan. Pour chocolate mixture slowly onto paper, tilting pan carefully to spread evenly until thickness of thick cardboard obtained. Place pan in refrigerator or freezer for 20 minutes.

Remove chocolate and break by hand into pieces of desired size.
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Comments (22) -

  • Geoffrey Levens

    11/30/2011 4:43:44 PM |

    If you substitute Fair Trade cacao for the cocoa you will avoid being party to child slave labor. Also, there are a lot of nutritionally beneficial compounds in raw cacao that are lost in the "Dutching" process used to make most cocoa.

  • Buckaroo Banzai

    11/30/2011 6:12:45 PM |

    Just tried it with a little Truvia.  The granules did not dissolve.  I've added some stevia which seems to mix in just fine.  Agree on fair trade/organic if you can find it.

  • Dee

    11/30/2011 7:12:30 PM |

    Truiva is maltodextos and stevia, not a true product.

  • cancerclasses

    11/30/2011 9:10:59 PM |

    As an alternate to the pan & parchment paper (too fussy, extra equipment & cost) you can pour the stuff into quart or gallon size regular or freezer zippy bags then lay the bag flat in your freezer.  Been doing this long time now with coconut oil & coco candy, works good & it's already in a bag for storage.  To eat just break it up in the bag before opening, no muss, no fuss.

  • Thomas Moore

    12/1/2011 12:40:24 AM |

    loved reading your various blog's, lot's of stuff to get my teeth into.  Don't worry I'll get through it slowly..........very slowly!!!!!!!!

  • Laura

    12/1/2011 12:52:03 AM |

    Actually Truvia is stevia and erythritol (not sure of that spelling) and it is a sugar alcohol that has very little if any impact on blood sugar and consequently insulin.  
    If you add the Truvia into the coconut oil and then melt and warm the coconut oil (stir the truvia occassionally) it will dissolve better.

  • Dr. William Davis

    12/1/2011 4:18:52 AM |

    Thanks, again, Cancerclasses! I also saw your wonderful suggestion on the Wheat Belly Blog.

  • Dr. William Davis

    12/1/2011 4:19:31 AM |

    Yes, while I am not a fan of the manufacturer, Cargill, I believe they have a good product in Truvia, which is erythritol and rebiana.

  • Lindas

    12/1/2011 6:58:39 PM |

    May seem silly, but how much would be a serving?
    AND  Is coconut really OK, I have read that most of the concern was with Hydrogenated processed coconut oil, not  organic?     How much is ok per day if eating coconut oil?

  • Lindas

    12/1/2011 7:00:13 PM |

    Sorry for being SO serious about chocolate...in the comment above....but just wondered!

  • Geoffrey Levens

    12/1/2011 7:04:26 PM |

    "Actually Truvia is stevia and erythritol (not sure of that spelling) and it is a sugar alcohol that has very little if any impact on blood sugar and consequently insulin."

    I am pretty sure that ANY sweet taste, including zero calories stevia and the nasty chem ones will all provoke an insulin response. Here's one study to that effect

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20619074
    Br J Nutr. 2010 Nov;104(10):1415-20. Epub 2010 Jul 12.
    Sweet-taste receptors, low-energy sweeteners, glucose absorption and insulin release.
    Renwick AG, Molinary SV.

  • Laura

    12/2/2011 1:10:00 AM |

    Geoffrey
    That most likely is an accurate observation.  I know that if I indulge in too much no-calorie sweetened food (even if very low carb) it can stall my weight loss.  An occassional indulgence or a little sweetner in my coffee with real cream in the morning doesn't seem to be a problem.  
    My BS doesn't seem to change but if that is because the insulin is kicking in that would explain the problem.

  • STG

    12/2/2011 3:09:00 AM |

    This chocolate sounds great! However, I found when I was eating dark chocolate my HbA1c was too high. Also, a little chocolate was good but more was better (carb creep). Since I have restricted fruit, eliminated "safe carbs" (e.g., potatoes and sweet potatoes) and eliminated dark chocolate, I have my HBA1c in a normal range.  For me that has meant retraining my relationship with food and not seeking out sweetness. At this point in time, almonds and plain cocoa powder actually taste sweet to me. I don't want to set-off the sweet cravings, so it is best for me to avoid anything sweet. That said, I am sure many of you can eat this chocolate with joy and health--go for it!

  • Jeanne

    12/3/2011 4:04:49 PM |

    This is the first time I've made anything like this, and it was wonderful. I used macadamina nuts, instead.

  • SkyKing

    12/5/2011 1:52:47 AM |

    Dr. Mercola advises to avoid Truvia and Purevia brands since they've undergone a ton of processing.

    I personally prefer to use the NuStevia brand.

  • Hans Keer

    12/5/2011 4:42:30 PM |

    Beware of the negative effects of theobromine in chocolate doc.

  • Dr. William Davis

    12/6/2011 5:22:39 PM |

    Eat all you want, Lindas, of the non-hydrogenated organic coconut oil and dark chocolate.

  • Dr. William Davis

    12/6/2011 5:23:47 PM |

    Yes, agreed. But I am skeptical that, with removal of wheat and limiting other carbohydrates, followed by substantial weight loss and return to ideal weight, that it has much practical significance.

  • Allison

    12/10/2011 11:10:25 PM |

    Do you mean unsweetened cocoa powder or do you mean unsweetened chocolate?  How do you melt cocoa powder?  I'm confused.

  • Dr. William Davis

    12/14/2011 2:51:37 AM |

    Sorry for the confusion, Allison. 100% chocolate or unsweetened baking chocolate, not the powder.

  • Al

    1/17/2012 6:27:21 PM |

    Can one use undutched cocoa powder, such as hershey's, and dissolve in the melted coconut oil? Is it ok to add some good quality 2x vanilla, and cinnamon to it? If the cocoa powder is ok to use, is the quantity the same as the baking chocolate of 8 oz?

  • Rmm0117

    2/4/2012 9:05:41 PM |

    What amount of sweetener?

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HDL and vitamin D

HDL and vitamin D

22. February 2007 William Davis (5)
I know of no published reports on this question, but I've now seen numerous people experience significant jumps in HDL with raising blood vitamin D to 25-OH-vitamin D3.

Last week, for example, I had a man who had struggled with raising HDL from a starting level of 28 mg/dl. On niacin, exercise, weight loss, fish oil, red wine, and cilostazol (a prescription agent that I use occasionally that raises HDL), his HDL rose to 41 mg/dl--better, but hardly to our goal.

I added vitamin D, 4000 units, and raised his 25-OH-vitamin D3 level from 22 ng/ml to 53 ng/ml. Next HDL: 73 mg/dl! Small LDL improves along with a rise in HDL.

Not everybody's response is this dramatic. I see more typical rises of 5 to 10 mg/dl every day. I'm uncertain of why the response is inconsistent, though people who begin with lower vitamin D levels seem to experience a larger HDL increase. I wonder if the partial normalization of insulin and glucose responses is at work, or some anti-inflammatory effect.

Vitamin D provides so many other benefits, as well as HDL-raising. I hope you've gone to the effort to have your blood level checked to determine your replacement need. If not, now's the time. February represents your nadir (lowest point) for 25-OH-vitamin D3 blood levels.
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Comments (5) -

  • Mike

    2/22/2007 4:49:00 PM |

    If higher vitamin D levels increase HDL, then HDL levels should be higher in the summer and lower in the winter.

    I did a quick Google search and the first two studies that I found showed the opposite.

    http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1059698
    http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2459/is_n4_v22/ai_13228867

  • Anonymous

    2/22/2007 6:20:00 PM |

    I am an RN with an interest in nutrition and heart dx. One of my son's has CAD, with blockage in LAD and was recently cardioverted due to persistant a.flutter 4:1 block.  Even though he is on statins, niacin, does exercise, has lost weight,takes fish oil, his HDL has only come up to 37.  

    I am going to suggest that he add the Vit D and maybe that will help.  Thank you for this information.

  • neil

    2/22/2007 11:54:00 PM |

    Hi Dr. Davis,

    It will be interesting to see if these results hold true for other patients, please keep us updated. It certainly sounds hopeful for those of us that struggle to keep our HDL up to a level of 60, and our HDL2 sub-fractions high as well.

    I ran across an article that shows perhaps a vitamin D pill treatment for cancer might be patentable!

    http://tinyurl.com/36dvb8

    Neil

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    11/2/2010 9:16:08 PM |

    Not everybody's response is this dramatic. I see more typical rises of 5 to 10 mg/dl every day. I'm uncertain of why the response is inconsistent, though people who begin with lower vitamin D levels seem to experience a larger HDL increase. I wonder if the partial normalization of insulin and glucose responses is at work, or some anti-inflammatory effect.

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