PN - Vitamin D = Good/Bad? Yes

The “K” in vitamin K comes from the German koagulation. Coagulation refers to the process of blood clot formation. This should hint to you that vitamin K plays a crucial role in the body’s blood clotting pathway.

Put simply, vitamin K allows the body to use calcium to perform its clotting function.

If vitamin K is low, the body can’t use calcium in this way, and therefore, cannot clot.

Besides its role in clotting, Vitamin K also helps to form and maintain our bones and teeth.

It does so by activating a specific protein called osteocalcin that helps the body use calcium and deposit it where it belongs.

In other words, there is a very potent calcium-vitamin K connection in that vitamin K helps the body use calcium properly. And if we’re deficient in vitamin K, calcium levels can build up and deposit themselves in our soft tissues.

People who are low in vitamin K are more likely to suffer from atherosclerosis, or calcification of the arteries.

And those with a high vitamin K intake (especially vitamin K2) seem to have less calcification of their arteries.

In fact, research in rats has shown that supplementing with vitamin K2 (but not K1) not only inhibits arterial calcification, it can also remove 30-50% of the calcium that has already been deposited.

Unfortunately, this magic effect has not been shown in humans as yet.

Hopefully by now, you can see the delicate dance that’s going on. Vitamin D increases calcium levels in the body. Vitamin K helps the body use calcium.

So if one were to supplement with high-dose vitamin D in the presence of vitamin K deficiency, the long-term results could be disastrous.

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/stop-vitamin-d

PN's conclusion: in the presence of other deficiencies, we should be careful of supplementation with vitamin D.

I think PN is right, because as the article explains, each of these micronutrients works in conjunction with each other.  D and K balance each other, in conjunction with magnesium and calcium and vitamin A.  Eat meat, vegetables, nuts and seeds, little fruit or starch, no sugar/wheat.

Sunlight Is Paleo

Several studies have already confirmed that appropriate sun exposure actually helps prevent skin cancer. In fact, melanoma occurrence has been found to decrease with greater sun exposure and can be increased by sunscreens. For example, an Italian study, published in the European Journal of Cancer,3 supported earlier studies showing improved survival rates in melanoma patients who were exposed to sunlight more frequently in the time before their melanoma was diagnosed. In Public Health Nutrition, researchers also listed a number of associations between sun exposure and melanoma found in the medical literature, such as:4

• Intermittent sun exposure and severe sunburn in childhood are associated with an increased risk of melanoma
• Occupational exposure, such as farmers and fishermen, and regular weekend sun exposure are associated with decreased risk of melanoma
• Sun exposure appears to protect against melanoma on skin sites notexposed to sun light, and melanoma occurring on skin with large UV exposure has the best prognosis
• Patients with the highest blood levels of vitamin D have thinner melanoma and better survival prognosis than those with the lowest vitamin D levels

The fact is, getting safe sun exposure every day is actually one of the bestthings you can do for your health. The point to remember is that once your skin turns the lightest shade of pink (if you're Caucasian), it's time to get out of the sun. Past this point of exposure your body will not produce any more vitamin D and you'll begin to have sun damage.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/26/misleading-sunscreen-propaganda.aspx?e_cid=20121226_DNL_art_1

This is an arena of mis-information in which the paleolithic model is informative.  There are those who would pretend to "know" that any amount of sun exposure is "damaging."  This is obviously true, to a degree.  All food has a degree of toxicity, which is injurious or nourishing based on the dose.  Too much water will kill you.

But the idea that we should avoid all sun exposure does not stand up to the test of the paleolithic model of nutrition.  Those people were not known to have cancers, but they had no sunscreen and they had no fear of daylight.  I suspect they were smart enough to avoid sunburn.

The one way the model breaks down is the problems that were created by our present ethnic dispersion, away from the locations for which our genetics were optimized.  Dark skinned people in northern climes will have problems making any vitamin D, and light skinned folks spending time close the equator are going to have problems with sun damage if they take any risk at all.

Use your number one survival adaptation, your brain, and get the right dose of sun just like you have to get the right dose of protein, fat, and carbs - none of which is natural in the neolithic world.

Green Pastures: Food Chain as Orgin of Vitamin D in Fish

I like this company, Green Pastures, very much.  We've used their fermented fish oil products for several years.  Interesting premise about vitamin D, and would explain why the Eskimo could get enough vitamin D even without much sun.

Food Chain as Orgin of Vitamin D in Fish "Here are a couple studies that show the prominence of vitamin D in the base of our food chain, grass and plankton. The study of the hormone we call vitamin D is in its infancy. The general conclusion of 'vitamin D is good for me' is a good conclusion but to draw deep meaning, or molecule counting like conclusion, is way too early.  (Related study; chytochrome 450, health of the thyroid, age etc..) "I recall many years ago when I was attempting to understand our products a lab ran a Vitamin D test on our High Vitamin Butter Oil. The results came back with the HPLC graph. Circled on the graph with a hand note from the technician was a notation something like ' very unusual, have never seen this in dairy. Have seen a couple times in different fish oils'. The same type reaction from technicians is noted when testing our FCLO for vitamin D.  Many unusual peaks within this graph that are not understood. The first  study on the pathway of  hormone D in fish was just completed a couple years ago.  We are many years away from understanding the foods we eat as it relates to hormone D and how the introduction of D in our diet affects our bodies/health."

Vitamin D - You Need More Until Proven Otherwise By Testing

This Mercola article is a great summary of the vitamin D link to cancer.

An optimal vitamin D level is critically important in minimizing your cancer risk; a study of menopausal women showed that maintaining vitamin D serum levels of 40ng/ml cut overall cancer risk by 77 percent.

GrassrootsHealth founder Carole Baggerly believes 90 percent of ordinary breast cancer is related to vitamin D deficiency; in fact, breast cancer has been described as a “vitamin D deficiency syndrome”.

Vitamin D can stop breast cancer cells from spreading by replenishing E-cadherin, one of the glue-like components giving structure to those cells.

In addition to being a strong cancer preventative, vitamin D is crucial for pregnant women and their babies, lowering risk for preterm birth, low birth weight, and C-section; 80 percent of pregnant women have inadequate vitamin D levels.

The most important factor is having your vitamin D serum level tested every 6 months, as people vary widely in their response to ultraviolet exposure or oral supplementation; your serum level should be kept between 50 and 70 ng/ml for optimal health.

Remember Your Vitamin D and Fish Oil - Or Forget It All

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130205131629.htm#.URJYFe127
The BLUF:
"A team of academic researchers has pinpointed how vitamin D3 and omega-3 fatty acids may enhance the immune system's ability to clear the brain of amyloid plaques, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease."

Another cut from the article:
"Our new study sheds further light on a possible role for nutritional substances such as vitamin D3 and omega-3 in boosting immunity to help fight Alzheimer's," said study author Dr. Milan Fiala, a researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

"For the study, scientists drew blood samples from both Alzheimer's patients and healthy controls, then isolated critical immune cells called macrophages from the blood. Macrophages are responsible for gobbling up amyloid-beta and other waste products in the brain and body."

Every advance in this research is good, but the first step in Alzheimer's defense is to avoid carbing yourself to death.  When your insulin degrading enzyme isn't busy working on insulin, it also gobbles of beta amyloid.  When your proteins aren't gummed up with excess glucose, they don't get wrapped in the amyloid plaques as speedily.  In other words, if you don't make your body into a glucose dumping ground, things work like they should.  

Vitamin D Study: More Study Warranted

This is an example of the appropriate use of the associations in epidemiological studies:
Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that regulates calcium and phosphate levels in the bloodstream and promotes healthy bone growth. Vitamin D deficiency is common throughout the world and results in abnormalities of calcium, phosphorus and bone metabolism which can lead to muscle weakness, osteomalacia, osteopenia and osteoporosis. While some observational studies have shown that benefits of vitamin D may extend beyond bone health, research findings remain inconsistent.
“The role of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and treatment of chronic non-skeletal diseases remains to be determined,” says Clifford Rosen, MD, of Tufts University School of Medicine and chair of the task force that authored the statement. “We need large randomized controlled trials and dose-response data to test the effects of vitamin D on chronic disease outcomes including autoimmunity, obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.”
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/589468/?sc=swhn

This is what you should see in the conclusions of other epidemiological based reviews.

In my experience, there's nothing I've tried as a supplement that was as palpable or as fast acting as vitamin D supplementation following a period of non-supplementation.  What I notice is associated to physical performance, specifically recovery, which is notably better.

Natural Vitamin D Levels

The Maasai are no longer hunter-gatherers but live, along with their cattle, either a settled or a semi-nomadic lifestyle. They wear sparse clothes, which mainly cover their upper legs and upper body, and attempt to avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day. They eat mainly milk and meat from their cattle, although recently they began to add corn porridge to their diet. Their mean 25(OH) vitamin D level was 48 ng/ml (119 nmol/L) and ranged from 23 to 67 ng/ml.
The Hadzabe are traditional hunter-gatherers. Their diet consists of meat, occasional fish, honey, fruits, and tubers. They have no personal possessions. They wear fewer clothes than the Maasai in that the men often wear nothing above the waist. Like the Maasai, they avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day. Their mean 25(OH)D was 44 ng/ml and ranged from 28 to 68 ng/ml.
http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f545cba30e1f9697fddbe8acb&id=a87d885548&e=22cbca9760

Had your vitamin D levels measured?  If no, assume you are deficient.  Most of us are.  If your skin is dark, the risk of deficiency is even greater.  If you don't supplement, start.

A Consideration For Northern "Hemisphere-ers"

A study of more than 81,000 women found those with the highest intake of vitamin D from food sources had a significantly lower prevalence of depressive symptoms.
The researchers suggested that vitamin D may affect the function of dopamine and norepinephrine.
These are neurotransmitters that are likely involved in depression, while also modulating the relationship between depression and inflammation.
This adds to growing evidence showing that if you're suffering from depression one of the best choices you can make is to spend as much time outdoors in the sun as possible.
Sun exposure is by far the best way to optimize your levels of vitamin D.
This is particularly useful to know as Daylight Savings Time is now over for most and will not having access to enough sunshine to make vitamin D until spring.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/13/vitamin-d-for-depression.aspx?e_cid=20111106_SNL_Art_1

Vitamin D, Asthema, Correlation

Children with severe therapy-resistant asthma (STRA) may have poorer lung function and worse symptoms compared to children with moderate asthma, due to lower levels of vitamin D in their blood, according to researchers in London. Lower levels of vitamin D may cause structural changes in the airway muscles of children with STRA, making breathing more difficult. The study provides important new evidence for possible treatments for the condition.
The findings were published online ahead of the print edition of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
“This study clearly demonstrates that low levels of vitamin D are associated with poorer lung function, increased use of medication, worse symptoms and an increase in the mass of airway smooth muscle in children with STRA,” said Atul Gupta, MRCPCH, M.D., a researcher from Royal Brompton Hospital and the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) at Imperial College and King’s College London. “It is therefore plausible that the link between airway smooth muscle mass and lung function in severe asthma may be partly explained by low levels of vitamin D.”
While most children with asthma can be successfully treated with low doses of corticosteroids, about 5 to 10 percent of asthmatic children do not respond to standard treatment. These children have severe therapy-resistant asthma, or STRA, experience more asthma episodes and asthma-related illnesses, and require more healthcare services, than their treatment-receptive peers.

The article concludes:
“The determination of the exact mechanism between low vitamin D and airway changes that occur in STRA will require intervention studies,” Dr. Gupta said. “Hopefully, the results of this and future studies will help determine a new course of therapy that will be effective in treating these children.”
Link to original article:  http://www.thoracic.org/media/press-releases/resources/blue-201107-1239oc.pdf
http://www.newswise.com/articles/vitamin-d-deficiency-linked-with-airway-changes-in-children-with-severe-asthma

This seems like another piece in the paleolithic perspective of human wellness.  Take an organism that adapted over a long, long time to the various climates of the planet, and drastically change that organism's living conditions in a relatively short period of time, and there will be consequences.  Since we generally don't get enough sun, it is estimated that 90% of us are vitamin D deficient. 

I did a summer experiment to see what my non-augmented D level will be after a summer's worth of exposure way down here in Tennessee.  Now that the sun's retreating and the days are short and my body will even more fully covered by clothese, it's time to supplement.

Downside of Vampiric Creativity

Interesting theory in that vitamin D deficiency would enable rapidly advancing cases of many of the other proposed causes of death.  As a bonus, written about a topic of interest to many.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/aug/22/mozart-death-sunlight-vitamin-d

Pilz and Grant explain: "Mozart did much of his composing at night, so would have slept during much of the day. At the latitude of Vienna, 48º N, it is impossible to make vitamin D from solar ultraviolet-B irradiance for about six months of the year. Mozart died on 5 December, 1791, two to three months into the vitamin D winter."

Fallon via Kresser: Cod Liver Oil

This conclusion is essentially the same as the conclusion reached by the Weston A. Price Foundation and the research of Chris Masterjohn; we have continually pointed out that vitamins A and D work together and that without vitamin D, vitamin A can be ineffective or even toxic. We do not recommend Nordic Naturals regular cod liver oil or any brand of cod liver oil that is low in vitamin D. But it is completely inappropriate to conclude from this 2004 study that cod liver oil is toxic because of its vitamin A content. Similar reviews could be put together showing the benefits of vitamin A and cod liver oil in numerous studies, including the studies from the 1930s. Obviously the solution is to use the type of cod liver oil that people took in the 1930s, which did not have most of the vitamin D removed by modern processing techniques.

http://chriskresser.com/separating-fact-from-fiction-on-cod-liver-oil
It's not that we recently discovered that humans eating a western diet need both fish oil and liver product supplementation - we rediscovered it.

Solar Powered Human?

Fascinating correlations between vitamin D and athletic performance, based on nearly 100 years of published work.
http://www.drbriffa.com/2011/05/04/solar-power-for-human-beings/

I began to supplement vitamin D in the fall, and found an immediate and palpable improvement in work capacity.  I do not think this is because vitamin D gelcaps are magic pills; it is because I was deficient.  My levels have improved to the 50s (ng/ml) over the last two years with supplementation and some natural exposure to sunlight.  There are arguments both ways about whether or not to supplement once vitamin D levels reach 30 ng/ml, but below that level should be considered pathological.

MERSA, bone disease, cancer, infectious disease - vitamin D is indicated in prevention and minimization of all of these.  There's just no way we could avoid getting vitamin D throughout most of human history, and now that we do avoid getting enough, there's a price.

Getting Started

So, you know you need to lose weight.  Your health may be at stake, your career might be at stake in some cases, and certainly your enjoyment of life is at stake.  It's decision time - you are ready to commit - what to do?

1.  First, eliminate high density carbohydrates - bread, pasta, any liquid calories (milk, gatorade, cola/dr. pepper/mt. dew), and most non-whole foods (potato chips, fries, food bars, and most anything in a wrapper, especially if the product boasts a "healthy" label).  Quinoa, rice, potatoes - for now, these too are out.  If I didn't mention cake and ice cream and such, I hope you would still realize those are not on the menu for now.  For now, fruit is also a 'no go'.  Beer?  Not if you want to get over your health/body fat/living well hurdle.  If proceeding without some form of booze for a month is not appealing, try Robb Wolf's NORCAL Margarita:  shot of tequila or gin, with a whole lemon or lime's worth of juice, over ice with a bit of carbonated water.

Bread is the enemy - if you are already overweight and starting to show the signs of metabolic syndrome, and can't get used to the idea that the industrial food product known as "bread" is not really suitable for human consumption, you will die fat and sick.  Sugar - same thing.

2.  Get some fish oil, and get a gram of DHA/EPA down the hatch daily.

3.  Supplement with 2-6000iu of vitamin d gel caps.  If you are in the sun routinely and have been for most of your life, you may still make vitamin d; 90% of us reportedly do not.  Make a guess where you fall on the "always sunbathing" to "never see the light of day scale" and supplement vitamin d accordingly.  There are few things that will make a more palpable impact on your health or how you feel than restoring normal vitamin d levels.

4.  Eat good veggies if you like them.  Broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, mushrooms, radish, peppers, spinach - what they used to call the "5% vegetables" for their low percentage of carbohydrate content.  Dress these veggies with butter, olive oil, vinegar, and/or real blue cheese dressing.  You don't need to be concerned with calories per se during this period.

5.  Make a plan to get 100g of protein (that's about 15 ounces of meat, but you can also use hard cheese) down the hatch per day.

6.  When you get hungry, you may add coconut oil, coconut cream, or coconut pieces to satiety.  You can also eat nuts, but don't get crazy with nuts - munch on two or three at a time, not handfuls.  Don't count the protein in the nuts as part of your 100g.  Macadamia nuts are primo - walnuts, pecans and almonds are ok.  Stay away from the cashews for now; they are high in starch.  Some folks also really enjoy pork rinds - just keep the water handy!  If you put stuff in your coffee - stop, and start using only heavy whipping cream.  Trust me, you'll thank me for this later.

7.  Additional supplementation to work into your program over the next week or two:
-Magnesium - not much.  You know you've had too much when you get the trots.  Start out with a tablet or a half spoonful of a powder like Natural Calm, and work your way up from there.
-Glutamine powder - available as a recovery powder at Wal Mart.  Helps in the 1-3 week adaptation period.
-ALA - alpha lipoic acid is a potent anti oxidant and worth experimenting with when you are putting yourself through the relative metabolic stress of shifting from being a sugar burner to being a fat burner.

In part 2, we'll switch from the what to the why.

Vitamin D Correlation With Parkinson's

"According to the featured article, the findings refute the previous belief that vitamin D deficiency is a symptom of Parkinson's and instead squarely implicates vitamin D deficiency as one of the causes of Parkinson's:

"Previous studies in Asian populations reported a higher prevalence of hypovitaminosis D (deficiency or insufficiency) in patients with more advanced disease, suggesting that long-term effects of Parkinson's disease may contribute to the development of insufficient vitamin D concentrations," the authors write.
"Contrary to our expectation that vitamin D levels [in Parkinson's patients] might decrease over time because of disease-related inactivity and reduced sun exposure, vitamin D levels increased over the study period.
These findings are consistent with the possibility that long-term insufficiency is present before the clinical manifestations of Parkinson's disease and may play a role in the pathogenesis of [Parkinson's]."

This isn't the first time that I've told you sub-clinical levels of vitamin D is a risk factor for Parkingson's. But now the Archives of Neurology is offering even further scientific proof that backs this claim up."

Mercola On D & Parkinson's

It stands the hair on my neck to hear the term "risk factor" because the impliction is that someone thinks they know enough about the disease to assign mathematical probabilities aka "risk factors" but they have not even proven causality.  So take this for what it is - people are getting Parkinson's ever younger, they seem to have lower levels of D on average than those who don't get Parkinson's, and no one really knows why. 

Since Parkinson's is observed to increase in frequency just like all the other diseases of the West, it is a good bet that the same dietary changes are the cause of each.  Most likely candidates:  excessive sugar/wheat intake, excessive omega-6 intake, low levels of vitamin D due to unnaturally low sun exposure and perhaps re-inforcement of the resulting metabolic and hormonal derrangement due to inadequate amounts and quality of sleep. 

Good news - remedying the above costs little, will make you feel better every day, and has no known side effects.

Green Pastures Blue Ice Royal - Gel

This stuff is fabulous!  The cinimon flavor makes it taste like a dessert.

Recommended by Tim Ferriss and Ramiel Nagel

Vampire Myths

The following is a study abstract, which you should read only if you like that sort of thing.  Vampire myth, by the way, is a reference to myths that "just won't die." 

The BLUF: post-menopausal women who ate a high protein, high-potential renal acid load diet, did not show markers via this study's methodology of bone demineralization (which may lead to osteoporosis over time). 

Why is that important?  It has been thought by many that a diet which has a high net acid load at the kidney (IOW, a diet with higher protein and grain intake) might serve to stimulate the body to lose calcium to bring things to a more neutral PH.  Learning how to describe this topic in detail isn't a mountain I've climbed yet.  What I have learned so far is that amongst all the possible causes of osteoporosis - diet, activity type and amount, and sun exposure - the folks that present the worst cases of osteoporosis, archeologically and in clinical practice, are those who eat a lot of grains.  As cardiologist William Davis notes in his practice (granted, that's not a scientifically valid way to establish my conjecture), those who have all the other symptoms of metabolic syndrome and heart disease also have osteoporosis, so the link is possible, and squares well with the Paleolithic model of nutrition. The study cited below at least casts doubt on the "net renal acid load" conjecture as a cause of osteoporosis.  While thed "net acid  load" issue has long been viewed as a significant reason to practice the version of the paleo diet advocated in Loren Cordain's book, it always left me wondering how we were supposed to know how much veg/fruit was "enough" to balance the acid load, and how animal eating hunter gatherers did either.  In other words, it sounded like another unmeasurable, unverifiable, unpracticeable myth like counting calories.  Admittedly, omega 3 supplementation is a similar problem, which is why don't chase some pretense of precision in fish oil supplementation (but one day, AA/EPA ratio testing will be as cheap and common as glucose testing now is, and we'll all be able to balance omega 3/6 with more than heart felt belief).

What's interesting is the obvious link between remineralization of teeth and diet, the concept of grains and gut irritation interfering with absorbtion of minerals, the near universal observations that hunter gatherers had much better bones that agriculturalists (see link above), and the possible link between osteoporosis and calcification (see link above and this).  In other words, the same patterns that correllate with all of the diseases of the West likely result from the SAD (standard American diet), inadequate sun exposure and/or inadequate physical activity.  It wouldn't suprise many if all three of these factors have created the "perfect storm" for osteoporosis.  Given how essential bone health is to the survival of the organism, I tend to think it takes a "perfect storm" of conditions to compromise the body's ability to sustain bone health.   

What to do?  Eat meat and vegetables, some nuts, seeds and fruit, little starch and no sugar/wheat, supplement DHA/EPA via fish oil to balance your omega 3/6 ratio, and supplement vitamin D to reach a minimum of 30 ng/ml. Exercise intensely, for limited duration, including weight bearing and weightlifting (bikes and pools won't get it done alone).  Get smart on how to get sun exposure while optimizing your cancer risks.  Lastly, you can measure the outcome of your science experiment on yourself through bone scans.
____________________________________________________________________________
Our objective in this study was to determine the effects of a high-protein and high-potential renal acid load (PRAL) diet on calcium (Ca) absorption and retention and markers of bone metabolism. In a randomized crossover design, 16 postmenopausal women consumed 2 diets: 1 with low protein and low PRAL (LPLP; total protein: 61 g/d; PRAL: −48 mEq/d) and 1 with high protein and high PRAL (HPHP; total protein: 118 g/d; PRAL: 33 mEq/d) for 7 wk each separated by a 1-wk break. Ca absorption was measured by whole body scintillation counting of radio-labeled ⁴⁷Ca. Compared with the LPLP diet, the HPHP diet increased participants’ serum IGF-I concentrations (P < 0.0001), decreased serum intact PTH concentrations (P < 0.001), and increased fractional ⁴⁷Ca absorption (mean ± pooled SD: 22.3 vs. 26.5 ± 5.4%; P < 0.05) and urinary Ca excretion (156 vs. 203 ± 63 mg/d; P = 0.005). The net difference between the amount of Ca absorbed and excreted in urine did not differ between 2 diet periods (55 vs. 28 ± 51 mg/d). The dietary treatments did not affect other markers of bone metabolism. In summary, a diet high in protein and PRAL increases the fractional absorption of dietary Ca, which partially compensates for increased urinary Ca, in postmenopausal women. The increased IGF-I and decreased PTH concentrations in serum, with no change in biomarkers of bone resorption or formation, indicate a high-protein diet has no adverse effects on bone health.
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/141/3/391.abstract
HT:  @DrEades

Protein Leaching

The most vocal proponents of the protein-causes-bone-loss theory are those who promote vegetarian and vegan diets. These commentators rail not just against protein, but specifically animal protein. Animal protein, they assure is, is a major cause of the high rates of osteoporosis seen in Western countries.

If this were correct, we would expect to see higher bone densities in vegetarian and vegan individuals. In fact, the opposite is true. Studies repeatedly show either no difference or lowerbone densities in those who follow vegetarian diets.

A recent meta-analysis encompassing nine studies of 2749 subjects (1880 women and 869 men) found that, overall, bone mineral density was 4 percent lower in vegetarians than in omnivores at both the femoral neck and the lumbar spine. The effect was more pronounced in vegans, who totally avoid animal products. While the researchers concluded “the effect size is unlikely to result in a clinically important increase in fracture risk”, the results do not even begin to support the incessant and rather shrill claims by vegetarian/vegan activists that meat and animal protein are harmful to bones[2].

http://anthonycolpo.com/?p=1117

BLUF:  The evidence does not support the thesis that "high protein" diets cause loss of bone minerals leading to osteoporosis, with the possible exception of those doing a very low carb, aka ketogenic diet,  for a long time.  This won't change what the vegans and vegetarians are saying, because the loud ones live in a world of fantasy anyway.  However, I hope it will change what folks like Loren Cordain say, unless he can find some evidence to support his conjecture that we should eat vegetables and fruits to balance the net acid load of proteins (and cereal grains if you are into that sort of thing).  

Aside from the lack of supporting evidence that "high" protein intakes present a risk to bone health through a high net acid load at the kidney, I have never thought it was smart to try and eat your way to a balanced acid load.  How one could possibly sort out how much veg was enough to balance all the acid sources was always a mystery to me.  For most diet inputs, if you don't have a way to measure the output, you are most likely just "whistling Dixie."  The one exception to this policy I practice is to eat about a gram a day of DHA/EPA in fish oil, but when the DHA/EPA tests become reasonably priced, I'll use those to inform my dosages, much like I will use my next test of vitamin D levels to set my dosage for next winter.

Lastly, Colpo's post is a good example of how hard it is to get a good scientific outcome in human trials.  Example:  Eskimo's are reported to have accelerated bone demineralization, despite otherwise great health, very low rates of the diseases of the West, and an active lifestyle.  It could be the high protein intake coupled with low plant intake that causes the bone loss, but it could also be low vitamin D from the long winters.  Further, what if you live on the ketogenic side of the spectrum (IOW, very low carb, say 30g/day), but have a FEAST day once per week in which you way over consume?  What if you are ketogenic but do a lot of strength work; will that overcompensation eliminate the bone loss?  Ditto if you are a hard training vegan - will the body find a way to pull more of the available minerals into the bones in response to the demands of hard training?  This is why application of even good studies, of which there are few, is problematic in real humans living in the variety of ways that we do, with multiple variables in diet, life style, age, gender, and other health factors like vitamin D levels, stress levels, sleep quantity and quality, etc etc etc.  

So keep working on your N=1 experiment on yourself.  And for that experiment, don't be overly fearful of your "high" protein intake.

Dr. Davis on Fat, and a Plan Summary

Fat is not the demon

"I rejected the 10% fat diet long ago after I became a type II diabetic, gained 30 lbs, and suffered miserable deterioration of my cholesterol values on this diet. I also witnessed similar results in many hundreds of people, all following a strict low-fat diet. In fact, elimination of wheat--whole, white, or otherwise--along with limitation or elimination of all other grains has been among the most powerful health strategies I have ever witnessed.
"The majority of people, in my experience, after an initial positive response to an Ornish-like low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet will either plateau (stay overweight, have low HDL, high triglycerides, plenty of small LDL, and high blood sugars) or deteriorate, much as I did.
"By the way, regardless of which diet you follow, it is, in my view, absurd to believe that diet alone will do it. What about vitamin D normalization, thyroid normalization (thyroid disease is incredibly common), omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, identification of hidden sources of risk (something that is unlikely in Ornish, since small LDL particles skyrocket on a low-fat diet), postprandial glucoses, etc., all the pieces we focus on to gain control over coronary plaque? Eating green peppers and barley soup alone is not going to do it."

Sun Equals D and Better Cancer Odds

This analysis is becoming more common now - sun is good for you.

Paltrow admits she took Dr. Lipman's advice and has now reversed her Vitamin D diagnosis, and she has called on the expert to offer readers tips on how to enjoy the summer sun's rays "sensibly."
He writes: "Numerous studies have shown that optimizing your Vitamin D levels may actually help prevent as many as 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers. And the best way to optimize Vitamin D levels is through safe, smart and limited sunscreen-free exposure to the sun."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/dailydish/detail?entry_id=66017#ixzz1ADAouiLy

More on D from Dr. Dowd

"Vitamin D replacement is suggested in patients with levels less than 30 ng/mL with a target of 40-65 ng/mL as would be found in wild primates and in life guards and non-mechanized farmers who work in the sun. Nobody is suggesting replacing vitamin D in people with normal levels. Based on data compiled by Dr. Reinhold Vieth, there are no credible reports of toxicity in adults with levels under 200 ng/mL. The safety window for vitamin D is seven times greater than the threshold of normal. We are vitamin D deficient because we spend no time outside in the sun unprotected by clothing or sun screen, like our Paleolithic ancestors. Moreover, we do not eat the wild animal protein, wild seafood, and particularly organ meat that we evolved on, which was high in vitamin D.
"Vitamin D supplementation is required by most Americans because we are rarely exposed to sun and our diets are filled with grain-based carbohydrates that are devoid of nutrition. Moreover, vitamin D is stored in fat and only liberated with moderate or intense exercise, something that most Americans do not do. Our lifestyle is a perfect storm for vitamin D deficiency."
http://www.thevitamindcure.com/blog/?p=151
Keep in mind that vitamin D supplementation is VERY inexpensive, but only gel caps will provide benefit; tablets can work, but require that you take them with a fat source.  Also, most tablets seem to give a very small dose in a relatively large tablet, so they are much harder to take, especially for children.
How much do you need?  Enough to get your measured blood levels where you want them, and there's really no shortcut here - you have to get measurements if you want to know how much you need.  6000 iu gets me to the low end of the desired range - I'm going to remeasure at the end of winter, and adjust my intake next winter accordingly.