In this episode, Dr. Ravi Kumar uncovers the powerful, misunderstood role of vitamin D in your health—and why nearly half the world is deficient. Far more than a bone vitamin, vitamin D acts as a hormone that regulates over 1,000 genes and plays a role in everything from immune function and mood to metabolism, muscle strength, and even cancer prevention.
Dr. Kumar shares stories from his family, travels, and medical practice—including a powerful transformation in his grandmother’s health—to reveal the often-overlooked symptoms of deficiency and how to fix them. You’ll learn about testing, dosing, and a simple immune-boosting protocol used in his own household, along with the vital connection between vitamin D and sunlight, inflammation, and modern life.
And this is just the beginning. At the end, Dr. Kumar teases the next episode on Vitamin K2, the critical cofactor that ensures vitamin D works where you need it—and not where you don’t.
🔍What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- Why vitamin D is both a nutrient and a hormone
- How vitamin D deficiency became a modern epidemic
- The story of Tiny Tim and rickets in 19th-century cities
- The science of how sunlight creates vitamin D in the skin
- Why elderly individuals often go undiagnosed with deficiency
- How low vitamin D levels affect bones, muscles, brain function, and mood
- What lab test to ask for and what levels to aim for
- A household protocol Dr. Kumar uses at the first sign of illness
- Why inflammation can block vitamin D activation—even with sun exposure
- The optimal blood levels based on ancestral health data
- Why vitamin D alone isn’t enough for bone health without vitamin K2
🧪 Key Studies and References
Explore the research behind this episode:
- The Impact of Vitamin D on Health and Disease - Comprehensive review of vitamin D’s role in immunity, bone health, and chronic disease.
- Vitamin D: A Global Perspective - Highlights global deficiency rates and the need for public health strategies.
- Muscle Strength and Falls in the Elderly - Study showing 72% lower fall risk in elderly patients supplemented with vitamin D.
- Cardiovascular Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation - Explores vitamin D’s influence on blood pressure and vascular health.
- Women’s Health Initiative Calcium + D Trial - Landmark study examining vitamin D, calcium, and fracture outcomes.
- RECORD Trial on Fracture Prevention - Randomized trial evaluating calcium and vitamin D in older adults.
- Vitamin D and Cancer Risk - Investigates associations between low vitamin D and increased cancer risk.
- The Role of Vitamin D in Autoimmune Disease - Discusses links between vitamin D levels and autoimmune conditions like MS.
- Vitamin D and Type 1 Diabetes Prevention - Large Finnish study showing 80% reduced risk of type 1 diabetes with early supplementation.
- Vitamin D and Immune System Regulation - Recent research on vitamin D’s role in innate immunity.
- Vitamin D and Cognitive Health - Links between low vitamin D, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline.
- Vitamin D in Alzheimer’s and Dementia - Investigates protective effects of vitamin D on brain aging.
- Vitamin D and Mitochondrial Function - Shows how vitamin D boosts cellular energy production.
- Vitamin D in Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome - Highlights how vitamin D affects glucose metabolism and insulin resistance.
- Vitamin D Supplementation in Children - Examines outcomes of high-dose supplementation in pediatric populations.
- Vitamin D and Flu Prevention - Supports the idea of using vitamin D to prevent respiratory infections.
- Vitamin D and the Immune System – Frontiers - Open-access review on the immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D.
- Vitamin D and Public Health Policy – Frontiers - Policy-focused article on addressing vitamin D deficiency through food fortification and supplementation.
- The Role of Vitamin D in Health – A Review - Explores comprehensive biological functions and therapeutic potential.
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