By Russell Eaton
All the recent research is continuing to show a strong link between Vitamin D and positive health issues ranging from new asthma treatments and lung health to the prevention of colon and breast cancer. For instance, research is showing that a daily intake of 1,000 units of Vitamin D greatly reduces the odds of getting colon cancer by about half, and the chances of breast and ovarian cancer by about one third.
It is a well known fact that regular, sensible exposure to ultraviolet sunlight helps the body produce Vitamin D and that you cannot "overdose" on Vitamin D that is produced through UV exposure (although you might get sunburn!). What is less well known is that vitamin D supplements can be very harmful if not taken correctly.
Vitamin D has many important functions, one of which is the absorption of calcium. This vitamin greatly increases absorption of calcium (from the food you eat) and puts it into the blood stream so that it can be used by the body.
The danger here is that if vitamin D supplements are taken on the same day that dairy milk is consumed, the bloodstream becomes overwhelmed with calcium. This can cause harmful calcification in many parts of the body. Harmful calcification is at the root of a whole variety of diseases such as stroke, cancer and heart disease.
When dairy milk is consumed, the casein protein in milk makes the bloodstream go acidic. This happens before all the calcium in milk gets to the bloodstream. The body reacts by pulling calcium from the bones into the bloodstream (calcium is very alkaline and this helps to neutralize the blood).
Following this, calcium from the milk enters the bloodstream more gradually. As this happens, too much calcium builds up in the blood. In a "knee-jerk" reaction the body gets rid of the excess calcium in the bloodstream by dumping it in different parts of the body, leading to harmful calcification and disease.
When milk is consumed on days that vitamin D supplements are taken, this compounds the problem by increasing further the excess calcium in the bloodstream. Excess calcium in the bloodstream is referred to by doctors as hypercalcemia, a condition that can cause serious illness. For this reason it is important to avoid all kinds of dairy milk on days that vitamin D supplements are taken.
To protect your health you should avoid taking vitamin D supplements on days that dairy milk is consumed (or vice-versa). Better still, switch to non-dairy milk which is far more nutritious and delicious than cow's milk. If non-dairy milk is difficult to obtain, you can easily make your own milk from ingredients that can be stored at home.