Academy of Chiropractic Nutrition

    Liquid sunshine (strawberry flavoured)

    This is all about our new vitamin D product, now some of you might be thinking blah blah blah vitamin D, heard it all before.

    So, try the quiz below and lets see if you are a good as you think you are.

    Have a go, then you can read the rest of the email, answers at the end, be honest with yourself.

    1: Normal calcium levels rule out a vitamin D deficiency? True/false

    2: Which months have the potential for vitamin D production from skin exposure?

    • Feb-Nov
    • Jan-Dec (12 months)
    • April – Sept
    • May – Aug

    3: If your patient exposes themselves to sunlight at 6PM in August can they make vitamin D? Yes/No

    4: 30 mins of strong sun (without lotion) on bare skin can generate up to how much vitamin D?

    • 200 iu (5 mcg)
    • 2000 iu (50 mcg)
    • 5000 iu (125 mcg)
    • 20,000 iu (250 mcg)

    5: Weekly dosing is a safe, effective way to ensure compliance in children.

    True/False

    6: Vitamin D supplementation over 5000 iu (125 mcg) daily is a risk factor for kidney stones? True/False

    7: Which mineral is needed for conversion of D3 into 25(OH)D3 and for activation of 25(OH)D3 into active 1,25(OH)D3:

    • Zinc
    • Iron
    • Magnesium
    • Potassium

    8: Which auto-immune lung condition is a contraindication to vitamin D supplementation?

    9: Vitamin D in the range of 50-85 nmol/L is considered by functional practitioners (and those that read the literature) to be:

    • Deficient
    • Insufficient
    • Normal
    • Optimal

    Answers at the end.

    Liquid sunshine in a bottle, with a strawberry twist, that is what our new product is.

    A D3 & K2 liquid with sweetness and a flavour that tastes good.

    Here is the issue with D3/K2 liquids, they are based in MCT oil, and both D3 and K2 are fats.

    So, all in all, pretty fatty.

    And they do tend to have a certain taste……

    So, while kids love our tropical sweeties aka sublingual D3/K2 tablets, we do have requests for liquid D3/K2 in clinic.

    And up until now, we have been using another brand, with quite mixed responses, most kids are not too keen, they will tolerate it, but that is about it.

    Plus they only use MK7, with no MK4, which is not ideal.

    So, we sweetened the deal, with some stevia and then we added some stawberry flavour.

    Now, taste testing new products for kids is a challenge because, well, I am 46 years old, not 4.

    So we left it to the kids to tell us what worked and what didn’t, because for me it is pretty sweet !!

    But kids have a sweet tooth, so it is down to them, and they say yes.

    The fat/MCT taste, in reality, is still there.

    We cannot hide it completely, that is just reality.

    So they get an instant sweet taste, then some fat, then it leaves you with a strawberry after taste.

    REALLY IMPORTANT: Patients MUST SHAKE the bottle before then squeezing the end to draw up some liquid. If you don’t then it will taste a bit odd.

    It is so important we put it on the front of the bottle:

    Per 3 drops you 1000 iu D3 and 35 mcg of K2 in a 50/50 split between MK4 and MK7.

    Remember MK4 is the only form that makes it through the placenta, the one all other forms convert into MK4, and it is the one involved in sex hormones and cancer.

    Plus, MK7 in a supporting role, working as a slow release form, converting into MK4.

    If all other forms of vitamin K are able to be converted into MK4, it is the form found in breast milk and crosses the placenta.

    This really tells us something about the importance of MK4 vs the rest.

    You will not find any other brands in the UK this superior, research informed, blend of K2.

    If you are using another D3/K2 liquid I dare to check and prove me wrong, I double dare you.

    Who cannot take this?

    Anyone on warfarin, but happily, other blood thinner works independtly of the K2 cycle and are OK, such as apixaban and clopidogrel.

    And anyone with sarcoidosis, who should avoid D3 products due to a risk of hyper-calcemia.

    Dosing for kids, it is all about size, not age per se as there are some sodding massive teenagers around. Plus consider if they are taking a multi or oega 3 that contains D3, and adjust accordingly.

    Remember if they are non-caucasian (darker skin tone), they will need year round dosing.

    Below we have the 4 videos from the IN Health education section.

    Part 1 – Blood levels and symptoms (10 mins)
    https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/751710149

    Part 2 – natural production from the sun (5 mins)
    https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/751712706

    Part 3 – Prevalence, risk factors and dosing (7 mins)
    https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/751710767

    Part 4 – Safety (2 mins)
    https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/751712779

    If you want the low down on K2 and why MK4 is the business, check the video (6 mins).

    https://vimeo.com/751695259

    Remember from the end of Sept until next April there is no vitamin D to be made from sun, no matter how bright it is.

    Patients do not understand this !!

    You need to teach them the simple shadow rule. If your shadow is longer than you, you cannot make any vitamin D.

    It is attached and can be printed for clinics.

    FUN FACT: Did you know the number one reason for lack of response to vitamin D supplements is obesity?

    It is true, vitamin D is a fat and so it is stored in your fat, and thus less in your blood for getting into your cells.

    Obese patients need 2-3 times the normal dose to get into the optimal levels.