In a study published in today's issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, university researchers found that 93 percent of 150 participants who complained of nonspecific body aches were vitamin D deficient.
The study also suggests the problem may be even more widespread among younger Americans and members of certain racial and ethnic groups.
Every one of the African-American, East African, Hispanic and American Indian participants in the study were vitamin D deficient. All participants younger than 30, regardless of nationality, also were found to be deficient. Of those, more than half were severely deficient. Finally, five participants, who had been told by their doctors that their pain was "all in their head," had no vitamin D at all, according to the study.
Sunlight is one of the best sources of vitamin D. Twenty to 30 minutes of sun exposure two to three times per week is adequate.
These foods also are good sources: butter, cream, oily fish (sardines, herring, salmon, and tuna) egg yolks and liver. Try to avoid drinking milk. It is fortified with synthetic vitamin D, which is known to enhance lead, inorganic nickel, strontium and cadmium absorbtion- all of which very toxic.
Vitamin D itself is toxic in high doses. The New England Journal of Medicine found “that the amount of synthetic vitamin D listed on the containers of milk was very frequently nowhere near the amount actually found in milk samples. An analysis of the dairy’s vitamin D fortified milk showed concentrations of vitamin D-3 ranged from undetectable to as high as 232,565 IU’s per quart - when it should have been 400 IU’s per quart." More on toxicity in my book
