IBS/IBD = Low Vitamin D ? A first Study that Links low Levels of Vitamin D to IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

What I have been suspecting for years observing patients with IBS, has been finally proven by a scientific study! The Molecular Gastroenterology Research Group of the University of Sheffield discovered that out of 51 patients with IBS, 82% had low levels of vitamin D.
Researchers “suggest that vitamin D testing and supplementation could help many patients.”

In my own practice, I have been recommending vitamin D supplements to my IBS and IBD patients for years. In fact, I recommend natural vitamin D supplements as an essential part of my IBS Healing System™ and IBD Healing System™.

Vitamin D is called an essential vitamin because you need to consume it regularly to build strong bones, robust immunity and a healthy gut. According to a study published in a leading international journal Gut “healthy levels of vitamin D are associated with reduced risk for colon cancer.”

Digestive disorders such as, IBS, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, are often associated with low levels of vitamin D. Therefore, people affected by these diseases should supplement their diets with extra dosages of high quality, easy to absorb vitamin D.

But before you will spend your hard earned money for a bottle of vitamin D, consider the following facts:

• Vitamin D is actually a hormone manufactured by your skin when you are exposed to sunlight. So, go outside and expose your skin (without the sunscreen) for at least 30 minutes a day.
• You are probably thinking: well, it’s winter time and we are wearing coats, hats, long pants and spend most of our day indoors. Thus, we don’t get much of vitamin D this time of the year. So, you next best choice is to get Vitamin D from foods and supplements.
• One of the best food sources of Vitamin D is wild caught salmon. Just 3.5  oz serving has about 1ooo IU (international units) of vitamin D, which is over 60% more than RDA requirement of 600 IU. Don’t waste your money on a farmed salmon because it has only 245 IU of vitamin D plus it’s often contaminated with antibiotics and toxins like dioxin, PCBs, etc.
• If you have both severe vitamin D deficiency and a chronic digestive disease, I recommend this easy to absorb liquid form of  Vitamin D (5 drops X 2 times daily).
• You should check you blood level for vitamin D before you start taking supplements.
• To identify Vitamin D Deficiency, I suggest to my patients to do a test called 25 (OH)D or Vitamin D 25-Hydroxy Blood Test.
• Your doctor can order this test or you can order the test online from walkinlab
• The optimum level of vitamin D in your blood is 50-70 ng/ml.

References:

http://www.worldhealth.net/news/vitamin-d-key-ibs/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25591978

https://www.vitalchoice.com/article/wild-salmon-affirmed-as-top-vitamin-d-source