The Great Protector: Vitamin D, Your Brain and Alzheimer’s

Introduction to Lab Testing and Vitamin D 0:00

Hi, it's Dr. Sklar with our tip of the week for your brain health and cognition. This week we're going to talk about lab testing. I would say one of most important lab tests to know your result of is vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for healthy brain function and really is important for about 400 different functions metabolically in our bodies.

Why Vitamin D Matters for Brain Health 0:24

One thing we know is that low vitamin D is associated with global cognitive impairment. That means the brain not working well in many, many ways. So I want to talk to you about what your vitamin B levels should be, how to get vitamin d levels raised if they're low, and what this means for your health. The laboratory will tell you that normal vitamin b levels are anywhere between 30 and 100. You'll want to ask your regular doctor to get a vitamin D level and ask to actually get the report because your doctor may say your level is normal, but it's the lab's version of normal which, like I said, is between 30 and 100. We would like to see your levels between 60 and 80 for optimal brain function.

Optimal Vitamin D Levels and How to Raise Them 1:14

And not only for optimum brain It's the level at which it reduces your risk of cancer and reduces the risk a cardiovascular disease. So ask to see your report and if your level is less than 60 either get supplementation or put yourself out in the sunlight for a brief time each day to raise that level. You can increase your vitamin D level by 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure of your face and the upper part of the body in the midday sun. If you're supplementing and your vitamin D is well below 60, if it's in 30 to 25 range, you will want to use 5,000 international units a day at least to get your Vitamin D levels up to a healthy point.

if you take Vitamin-D supplementation, You will also want take vitamin K2 along with it. somewhere around 150 micrograms a day. Now, why is this so important? Vitamin D has tremendous impact in the brain.

Supplementation, K2, and Brain Benefits 2:25

It increases a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which helps the transmission of information from one nerve to the other, particularly in a memory center of your brain In addition, vitamin D is anti-inflammatory and we know that Symptoms as mild as brain fog up to full cognitive difficulties and memory problems are often caused by inflammation in the brain. So things that you can do to lower brain inflammation are very, very potent treatments. And vitamin D protects the nerves in your brain against Alzheimer's disease.

So you will want to get your vitamin D level checked, get a copy of your actual lab report so that you can see with your own eyes whether you are between the optimal levels of 60 and 80. People often ask me if they can get vitamin d through foods, and the answer is it's very difficult.

Food Sources and Final Advice 3:28

There are some vitamin-D fortified foods like milk, But you would need to drink a lot of milk which for many people is not healthy. They either have lactose intolerance or we are trying to have them get off of dairy because it's inflammatory to your brain. And it contains only a very small amount of vitamin D. So other than cod liver oil which naturally has good amounts of Vitamin D, it is very difficult to get vitamin d through food products. Follow my directions. Find out where you stand and then do something about raising your levels.

Your mind will thank you and your body will think you. Here's until next time when we talk again. Bye now.