Dr. Davis,
As cholesterol in the skin is a precurser to Vitamin D, it makes sense that there'd be a seasonal fluctuation in circulating cholesterol.  In summer months, with skin exposure, the cholesterol in the skin is being converted and "used" and more has to come from the rest of the body to take it's place. Couldn't that naturally draw down the serum choesterol levels?

Zuleika's Vitamin D Experiment shows data from http://www.anaboliclabs.com/company_main/PDFS/Vit%20D%20telecon%20-%20Jan%202007.pdf

January 2007

Deficiency <50 nmol/L
Insufficiency 50-80 nmol/L
Optimal 80-250 nmol/L
Excess/Tox: >250 nmol/L

Great thought. It would make sense.

I'm uncertain if the quantity of cholesterol taken for conversion of inactive to active vitamin D in the skin is sufficient impact on blood levels. It will be interesting to see how this argument unfolds as the vitamin D experience grows worldwide.

Perhaps vitamin D raises HDL by improving glucose metabolism. There are vitamin D receptors in pancreatic beta cells, and vitamin D deficiency has been shown to impair insulin synthesis and secretion in humans and in animal models [1]. Vitamin D supplementation in women with type 2 diabetes increased first phase insulin secretion, and also reduced insulin resistance, though not significantly [2].

1. Mathieu C, Gysemans C, Giulietti A, Bouillon R. Vitamin D and diabetes. Diabetologia. 2005 Jul;48(7):1247-57. Epub 2005 Jun 22.

2. Borissova AM, Tankova T, Kirilov G, Dakovska L, Kovacheva R. The effect of vitamin D3 on insulin secretion and peripheral insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients. Int J Clin Pract. 2003 May;57(4):258-61.

I'm going to a new doc soon and want to have my vit d levels checked. I've been taking supplements and want to find out my level.

What test do I ask for? Is it just a blood level? or is there more to it?

I also am going to ask for CRP, hemocystine and ferritin in addition to all the normal labs for a 53 yr old woman.

I'm also concerned about the cholesterol testing. My levels are high, and I reacted badly to statins. What's the best thing to ask for with the cholesterol tests. I'm in the Duke system, so I'm sure almost everything is available, but can't afford anything that insurance won't cover.

Cindy--
Ask for a 25-OH-vitamin D3 level. Be certain it is NOT a 1,25-diOH-vitamin D3. They sound and look the same but are very different. The second is a measure of kidney function. Only the 25-OH form serves as a measure of vitamin D.

We suggest an NMR lipoprotein profile with lipoprotein(a), C-reactive protein, glucose, insulin, homocysteine (though you'll get some resistance on this one).

Dr. Davis

What about the seasonal differences of diet and physical activity on total cholesterol? Our winter and fall diets are heavier with foods that raise cholesterol whereas in the warmer spring and summer we tend to eat lighter and maybe more salads and fruits.  And the warmer weather of spring and summer also makes us more active, going outdoors for walks, working on our yards, going to the beach, etc.

I’ve seen it happen over and over. It doens't occur in everybody but occurs with such frequency that it’s hard to ignore or attribute to something else. What I’m not clear about is whether this effect only occurs in the presence of the other strategies we use to raise HDL, a “facilitating” effect, or whether this is an independent benefit of HDL that would occur regardless of whatever else you do. Time will help clarify.

Wonderful!  

Unless they have some particular questions, I suspect that many regular readers of your blog wouldn't need a consultation with you, as they're already pretty well-informed and/or in good health.

However, I can see that someone's less-informed mother, father, friend, or whatnot might benefit hugely from such a consultation.  It might make a great gift for Mother's Day or Father's Day!

you should also give your email ID and some weekly diet plan to be sent through email

The Video Teleconference is not meant to replace the opinion of your doctor, nor diagnose or treat any condition. It is simply meant to provide additional discussion about your health issues that should be discussed further with your healthcare provider. Prescriptions cannot be provided.

I's a good ideea.

But, can't we get ample vit.D3 from sun exposure? I'm nursing my second infant, and rather than supplemetning her with vit D, since breastmilk doesn't contain vit d, I expose her to sunlight often, for a few minutes at a time to prevent rickets. Why does anyone need vit D supplements in our food etc when it can be gotten for free in the sun?

Less than 1 in 20 people have sufficient vitamin D blood levels when they are checked in Wisconsin and other northern climates. Studies suggest that between 30-50% are deficient in southern or tropical climates, such as Florida and Hawaii. There are many racial and other reasons for this, but mostly it has to do with wearing clothes and living indoors. The only way to be certain is to have a blood level checked.

Soundhunter...breastmilk isn't deficient in vitamin d per se, it's deficient if the mother is deficient - so it's important you consume enough vitamin d in your diet (or supplements) and/or get enough exposure to sunlight.  One good source in the winter months is cod liver oil....vitamin d is also found in natural cheeses (with higher amounts in grass-fed, alpine cheese), eggs (in the yolk) and tuna in oil (as well as other fatty fish).

And what happen with people who are allergic to lactose there are substitutes for that?Generic Viagra  Buy Viagra

You'll note that the only naturally-occurring food sources of vitamin D are the modest quantities in fish, egg yolks, and liver. All the other vitamin D-containing foods like cereal, milk, and other dairy products have vitamin D only because humans add it.

Maybe Monsato knows what causes it.

This is similar to what happened to me, although it took a lot longer.  I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis and had pain in almost every joint.  Removing gluten from my diet and in about a year my AS went into remission and I am feeling so much better.

Scratch that.  Amazingly wheat is one of the few product "monsanto" doesn't touch.

After cutting way, way back on the carbs (and eliminating wheat), my little aches and pains, sinus headaches and fatigue disappeared. My skin is better, too. Oh, and I'm back to what I weighed in high school. I'm so happy with my new diet that it's hard not to proselytize.

It's interesting how little attention is paid to gluten intolerance, and more generally grain intolerances, in humans.

In contrast, it is quite easy to find statistics on the amount of the world's population that is lactose intolerant and which populations are most susceptible.

Quite the eye-opening post.

I have a story that is somewhat similar. I've had chronic neck and back pain for years. Nothing debilitating but it was "there" every day, sometimes for many hours. I was taking way too much ibuprofen to manage the discomfort.

Anyways, I read an article in the news somewhere about how "we" all sit in chairs too much, that the human body wasn't meant to do that kind of thing, and that doing so could lead to chronic neck and back pain! The suggestion was to use a standing desk.

Being a bit of a cheapskate, I setup a shelving unit about two weeks ago, put my computer and so forth up on the shelf, and gave it a shot.

Literally, the next day my back and neck pain was gone. Just gone. Hasn't come back. In addition, my weight loss efforts seem to be doing a little better. Hey, its not much exercise, but its certainly a better "workout" than sitting on my duff all day.

Granted, I've only been at this for two weeks and its too early to tell whether any of the affects are real or just coincidental. Still, though, I'd recommend to just about anybody that they give a shot at standing up throughout their workday instead of sitting down. It can't hurt anything, I think, and its worth a try.

Mike

Apparently, nobody cares about wheat. It's been this way for 15 years. It's like trying to convince people that earth is round rather than flat. We have a long way to go. Frustrating when we have Federal Government promoting low fat, high carbs diet.

I believe it. Most of my aches and pains went away when I eliminated wheat also. I used to almost have to crawl out of bed in the morning, which I attributed to "getting old". Yet not one single doctor ever once suggested my diet could have anything to do with the problem.

Bill -

You should send this story to Oprah!

Not surprising at all! :0  It's going to become more and more common to see results like this - and yes - I agree with your point about the problem being SO MUCH more to do with the gluten issue - it's more about the over commercialized, genetically modified wheat that has entered our diet which is probably causing the problem.

Hi, Fred!

I was so impressed when I heard you talk that you mentioned the grain-rheumatoid arthritis connection. That's a pretty obscure relationship, but one I, too, am convinced is real.

This type of case must be very rewarding for a doctor.

Not only did you save this person's life with your advice, his quality of life improved dramatically.

I also was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis when I was 20 years old. I'm now 42 and have had both of my hips replaced. I read another article about the dangers of gluten:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/gluten-what-you-dont-know_b_379089.html

I've been off wheat now for about 4 months and the inflammation is almost completely gone. When I started I could only walk about 3 blocks but I'm up to a mile now and without the extreme pain in my joints. I still have a lot of therapy to do but I'm actually hopeful about my health for the first time in years.

Thanks for getting this info out to people!

My knee pain was the first thing that disappeared when I stopped eating gluten. That was 7 yrs ago and still doing well. I wake up in the morning with no joint pain. Not bad for 67 yrs.

Yup, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis back in the '70s.  I convinced her to give up wheat a year ago and all her pains went away.  

I'm convinced many "diseases" are actually symptoms of various food intolerances, with wheat being the most likely suspect.

Are you claiming that everyone should eliminate wheat from their diet?

What about the recent attacks on sodium from the UN in the form of Codex Alimentarius? Personally, I think it's more about control as I documented here

"I'm convinced many "diseases" are actually symptoms of various food intolerances, with wheat being the most likely suspect."

More specifically gluten, so we need to include rye, barley, tritcale, spelt, kamut, in that.  Also dairy #2.  If it does not bother your individual body, it does not.  But for so many one or both of there are disasters.

The hardest part, second after the addiction/cultural promotion of them as good, healthy foods, is that it can take many days of zero intake before improvement is really noticeable.  People are so emotionally attached to what they eat they fight tooth and nail against giving something up for that long "just to see." That is of course, unless/until they are truly desperate!

At this link you will find the free full text of an interesting well illustrated review article.
Resolution of Adipose Tissue Inflammation

Dr Dr Davis
I think I may have mistakenly posted a link to an review on Resolution of Adipose Tissue Inflammation that I intended as a reply to a different blog.
Although it's an interesting paper confirming the importance of the role of omega 3, it is off topic for this particular thread. I'd be pleased if you could delete it.Many thanks Ted

I used to have severe menstrual cramps from the time I hit menarche. And miraculously they went away last year after I gave up wheat.

MB

Loren Cordain has written a paper on the role of dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis:

http://www.thepaleodiet.com/articles/Arthritis%20PDF.pdf

How convenient - this brand new Cordain's Paleo newsletter has some information on the subject as well:



Q: Could you suggest recent scientific articles on the topic of dietary lectins and rheumatoid arthritis?

Many thanks,
Allena

A: Dear Allena,

To my knowledge, there are no recent studies addressing the role of a paleolithic diet and its implications in rheumatoid arthritis, except from that of Dr. Cordain. On his DVD How to Treat Multiple Sclerosis with Diet, Dr. Cordain thoroughly explains the dietary mechanisms of autoimmunity in MS which are almost the same for all autoimmune diseases, including RA. These include: increased intestinal permeability, increased passage of luminal antigens into peripheral circulation, molecular mimicry and genetic susceptibility (genes encoding for the HLA system), among other factors.

In recent years, new substances have been discovered which might be responsible for increased intestinal permeability - namely saponins - found in legumes, potatoes, soya, quinoa, amaranth, alfalfa sprouts or tomatoes. If you've seen Dr. Cordain's scientific paper entitled "Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis", I am sure you are aware of the role lectins play in autoimmunity.

Adjuvants are used by immunologists in order to boost the immune system and induce immune response. It turns out that certain foods possess bioactive compounds that have adjuvant-like activity. This is the case for tomatoes or quillaja (a foaming agent used in beers and soft drinks).

Gliadin is a prolamine found in wheat which has been shown to increase intestinal permeability, and hence the risk of suffering from an autoimmune disease. While several clinical trials conducted have shown promising results, unfortunately they have used a gluten-free diet or vegan diet instead of a whole paleolithic diet, which we think is superior.

In the vegan diets, authors often claim that the benefits cited might be due to the lack of meat, but we think the positive effect relies on the lack of diary proteins and gluten. Meat has historically been seen as the "bad guy" of inflammation, but the data to support that notion is not sufficiently compelling.

Listed below are some references that may be helpful.

Cordially,
Maelán Fontes

References:

1: Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis. Cordain L, Toohey L, Smith MJ, Hickey MS. Brit J Nutr 2000, 83:207-217.

2: Gluten-free vegan diet induces decreased LDL and oxidized LDL levels and raised atheroprotective natural antibodies against phosphorylcholine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized study. Elkan AC, Sjöberg B, Kolsrud B, Ringertz B, Hafström I, Frostegård J. Arthritis Res Ther. 2008;10(2):R34. Epub 2008 Mar 18.

3:A vegan diet free of gluten improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: the effects on arthritis correlate with a reduction in antibodies to food antigens. Hafström I, Ringertz B, Spångberg A, von Zweigbergk L, Brannemark S, Nylander I, Rönnelid J, Laasonen L, Klareskog L. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2001 Oct;40(10):1175-9.


So gliadin in wheat seems to be an important bad guy, eh ?


PS: Thank you so much Dr Davis for bringing information on wheat havoc  to the masses. It's very much appreciated!

Dr. Davis,
I hope you don't mind that I have (kind of) translated this post into German and published it on my Blog. You can find it on http://www.urgeschmack.de/schmerzfrei-getreideverzicht/

With a few exceptions, I have found those who comment on this blog to be very well informed, adding wonderful references, insights and experiences to the conversation.

@Professor Tom; even a rudimentary glance of Dr. Davis' blog would reveal that he does not think EVERYONE should stop eating wheat, but for his heart patients, patients with pain and inflammation, patients with neurological disorders, and patients with weight, blood sugar and hormonal imbalances, or other serious and chronic health conditions he advises them to TRY 4 weeks of completely avoiding all wheat/gluten and see if it makes a difference, and in 70% of people it does.  

It is not some kind of mind control conspiracy theory to make us into docile sheep.  It is the opposite in fact.  He is helping people regain their health by bucking convention; opting out of the wheat based culture and freeing ourselves from dependence on pharmaceuticals.  

I have seen miraculous health results of going totally grain free for 3 members of my family.  Personally, I only experienced weight loss and increased immunity but that is still worth it.

Carrie,

I've had a different impression. I understand that Dr Davis does not consider wheat to be human food at all and as a paleo scholar, I completely agree.

I also acknowledge that all wheat is not equal - here in Finland I think wheat elimination alone will not show as dramatic effects as in US. Different genome, in both humans and wheat itself.

In energy versus nutrient equations wheat loses anyway and added salt further unbalances the essential sodium/potassium ratio that is very important in BP control and kidney health. Antinutrient in wheat are a great way to weaken your micronutrient status. The greens and berries own wheat every time.

IMHO, playing risk game with not-yet-sick people with catastrophe food like wheat is simply stupid. When wheat derived autoimmune disease starts to take it's toll, it may not be reversed anymore. As for sdLDL, it may not cause symptoms at all before the first MI. Then you're dead or in the risk risk of sudden death for the rest of your life. Not fun.

That is amazing if you could detect something so smoothly and it worked...it's like a miracle or a magic.Why is gluten bad and for all joint pains?

I would not say that gluten is bad!  What is bad or damaging is many individuals (NOT all) physiological reaction to it.  If you are reactive to gluten, then it is systemically inflammatory.  If you have poor blood sugar regulation, then wheat (maybe its the gluten?) can dramatically raise blood sugar and elevated blood sugar is also inflammatory.

Very informative article.  Thank you for this posting. I better keep remembering to take my fish oil every morning!

Diane Michel
Founder GlobalMedicalResearch.org

So much for the little boy with the loaves and the fishes, huh? I did not know that reduction of triglycerides involved the elimination of wheat products. I am not sure I am up to doing that part. I may just have to die.

Is DHA more favorable than EPA in lowering triglycerides?

Dr. Davis, my triglycerides are really low at 33 (and yes, I take fish oil). They are so slow that they are below the lab reference range.

Is there such a thing as too low?

Makoss--

To my knowledge, there are no data exploring the differential effect of DHA vs. EPA strictly for triglyceride reduction. Remember also that most data exploring cardiovascular risk reduction involve both, except for JELIS which showed event reduction with EPA alone.

Hi, Ellen--

In fact, your triglyceride level is what I believe to be the physiologically perfect level. So, no, not too low.

How do you respond to this Dr Davis.

Q: Are fish oils good for you?

Some of the unsaturated fats in fish are definitely less toxic than those in corn oil or soy oil, but that doesn't mean they are safe. Fifty years ago, it was found that a large amount of cod liver oil in dogs' diet increased their death rate from cancer by 20 times, from the usual 5% to 100%. A diet rich in fish oil causes intense production of toxic lipid peroxides, and has been observed to reduce a man's sperm count to zero. [H. Sinclair, Prog. Lipid Res. 25, 667, 1989.] Source:http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/unsaturated-oils.shtml

Another link:

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/fishoil.shtml

Of all lipoproteins, chylomicrons (the large particle formed through intestinal absorption of fatty acids and transported to the liver via the lymph system) and VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein, very low-density because they are mostly fat and little protein) particles are richest in triglycerides. Thus, we would expect that omega-3s exert their triglyceride-reducing effect via reductions in either chylomicrons or VLDL.

my heart skipped a beat! these are soooo beautiful! they aren't my fave style, but what you did with them is incredible. you are seriously talented, and never undervalue yourself just to make sales- know your worth in this world! the right customers always do come along, given time. and don't you want your pieces to go to the right people who will LOVE them and appreciate them like you do? of course ya do.