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Health Activist Says Simple Supplementation With Vitamin D3 Could Have Amazing Effects
Backs up claims by offering U.S. government 50,000 bottles free of charge
By Jack Phillips
In a recent letter to President Bush, William Faloon, co-founder of the Life Extension Foundation in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., stated that hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars in healthcare expense can be saved each year by the simple expedient of having all Americans add at least 1,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D-3 per day to their diets.
Research indicates that the present RDA of 400 IU is completely inadequate. His suggestion is supported by authors of an article published in
the New England Journal of Medicine’s July18, 2007 issue. They calculated the following benefits:
• 78% reduction in diabetes in children taking 2000 IU per day in their first year of life
• 33% reduction in type II diabetes in those taking 800 IU per day plus calcium
• 72% reduction of falls in the elderly taking higher doses of D3
• 42% reduction in multiple sclerosis in women taking over 400 IU per day of D3
They documented increased incidences of autoimmune 
These numbers should be of particular interest to people who live to the north of Boston like citizens of Saranac Lake. In these latitudes the winter sun does not provide the frequencies of ultraviolet radiation needed to convert cholesterol in the skin to vitamin D3.
It is important to note that this vitamin can turn on an antimicrobial peptide gene which activates immune systems of mammals and provides a rapid response to infectious agents. It probably acts synergistically with vitamin C. Therefore it is particularly valuable to sick people. It has been suggested that lack of exposure to sunlight and insufficient vitamin D3 supplementation
has substantial negative effects on the well being of hospital patients.
The Life Extension Foundation has offered to supply 50,000 bottles containing 365 (1000 IU) capsules of vitamin D3 to the federal government, free of charge, to give to Americans unable to afford it. Mr. Faloon also suggested that anyone eligible to file a claim with Medicare or Medicaid should be required to take 1000 IU of this vitamin daily in order to reduce the costs of medical care.
(Issue #38 & 39, September 17 & 24, 2007)
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