Does sugar affect vitamin D absorption?
Yes, he says. When he listed the signs that you are low in vitamin D, sugar came first.
Dr. Martin on why it tops his list:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 590If you eat a lot of carbs and a lot of sugars, you need to be suspicious that you're low in vitamin D. Why is that? Because when you eat a lot of sugar, you do not absorb vitamin D properly.
He named it number one out of the nine warning signs he gave that morning. In plain words, a diet heavy in sugar and carbs gets in the way of your body taking in vitamin D.
A listener named Jenny asked whether insulin resistance makes it harder to absorb vitamin D. His answer:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 934Look, as you get older, you, you absorb less vitamin D. If you are a sugar eater, you're going to hurt your levels of vitamin D, high fructose corn syrup, avoid all that kind of stuff, Jenny.
High fructose corn syrup is the cheap sweetener in soda and many packaged foods. He told Jenny she might need more vitamin D, depending on her own needs, and that a blood test is the best way to find out.
Hear him go through his list: YouTube, episode 590 at 17:16
Do you absorb less vitamin D as you get older?
Yes, he says, and that is before sugar comes into it.
He makes the same point about homes for the aging. The residents are older, he says, they are fed bread, pasta, rice, cereal and juice, and their blood sugars are high.
On whether those homes check vitamin D:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 590They're not testing vitamin D because if they did they'd find that 99% of folks, beautiful people, that are in these homes, they're extremely low in vitamin D.
Nobody checks, so nobody knows. Do not wait for a doctor to bring it up, he says. He would have your level tested once a year, even if you have to pay for it.
Do carbs like bread count as sugar?
Yes. Notice he said carbs and sugars together. Bread, cereal and juice go in the same pile.
On the foods most people think are fine:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 590And when you're eating bread, you're eating junk. When you're eating cereal, you're eating junk. When you're drinking orange juice, you're drinking junk.
He loves rice, he admits, and it goes on the same list. If toast or cereal is your breakfast, read where bread goes in your body. If giving up sweets feels impossible, start with why sugar cravings hit after 60.
Why are so many people low in vitamin D?
The way we eat is a big part of it, he says. His rule of thumb is to assume you are low, because most people are.
How common he thinks it is:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 590I'm telling you, 90% of North Americans are low in vitamin D. They do not have optimized levels of vitamin D so that their immune system would work properly.
He ties that number straight back to the plate. He would even add low vitamin D to the list for metabolic syndrome, the mix of high blood sugar, high blood pressure and belly fat that so many adults carry.
"If you're a bad eater, almost invariably you will be low in vitamin D."
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 590Are insulin and vitamin D connected?
In his view they travel together. Too many carbs lead to insulin resistance, he says, and the same eating leaves vitamin D low.
On the two things he would put in one book:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 590I guess I should write a new book, insulin and vitamin D. I mean, if you could take care of those two things, you're going to be pretty healthy. Take care of insulin and take care of vitamin D, it's the secret to your health.
You do not have to be diabetic to have trouble with insulin, he says. If your numbers are creeping up, see what a normal blood sugar is for a woman over 60 and the signs of insulin resistance.
What are the signs you are low in vitamin D?
A sugary diet is first on his list. The rest, from the same episode:
- Heavy sweating, especially in men. Night sweats in menopause are usually hormones, he says.
- Ongoing gut trouble, such as gas, bloating, Crohn's or colitis.
- High blood pressure.
- Seasonal depression.
- Poor immunity, catching colds all the time.
- Sore, achy muscles and bones.
- Burning easily in the sun.
- Dark skin, even in a sunny place.
High blood pressure gets extra attention from him, because he says it often means insulin trouble and low vitamin D at the same time. More in blood pressure in women over 60.
Can a vitamin D supplement make up for eating sugar?
No. He starts in the kitchen, even before vitamin D.
His rule, from an episode on new vitamin D research:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 995Do I love supplements? You bet your boots, I love supplements. But you never can out supplement a bad diet. You can't.
So cut the sugar and the crappy carbs first, and eat more eggs, meat and cheese. Then get your vitamin D in. The sun is his first choice: about 20 minutes on bare arms and legs, then cover up before you burn.
When you cannot get that sun, or you burn easily, he says to supplement. How much he takes, and when, is in vitamin D for women over 60.
Common questions
Does fruit juice count as sugar?
Yes, in his view. He puts orange juice and apple juice in the same pile as bread and cereal, and he does not buy the idea that you need juice for vitamin C. Episode 590.
Does your gut affect vitamin D absorption?
Yes. He says you need a good gut to absorb vitamin D, and people with chronic gut trouble such as Crohn's, colitis or constant bloating are usually low. Not enough good gut bacteria affects absorption too, he told Jenny. Episodes 590 and 934.
Is a normal vitamin D test good enough?
Not always. He says you can land in the normal range and still be low, because the ranges were worked out years ago for bones, not for your immune system. He wants your level optimized, not just normal. Episode 590.
Can you get enough vitamin D from the sun?
He says 20 minutes of sun on your arms and legs gives you about 10,000 IU. But many people cover up or stay inside, even in Florida, and if you burn easily he says you need to supplement. Episode 590.
Read next: Osteoporosis In Women Over 60: What Is Weakening The Bone, where sugar and low vitamin D both make his list.
Cut the sugar, then top up your vitamin D
Dr. Martin starts in the kitchen. For the days you cannot get your 20 minutes of sun, Martin Clinic's Liquid Vitamin D + K2 gives you vitamin D3 and 100 mcg of vitamin K2 (MK-7) in one liquid.
60-day money-back guarantee. A yearly vitamin D blood test tells you where you stand.
