Health & Fitness

In this interview, Dr. Chris Knobbe, an ophthalmologist, discusses some of the eye-opening information found in his book, “Ancestral Dietary Strategy to Prevent and Treat Macular Degeneration.”¹

Knobbe is the founder and president of the Cure AMD Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the No. 1 cause of blindness among the elderly. His book is a comprehensive treatise on the historical progression of AMD and provides compelling evidence that this is a disease caused by processed foods.

“It is manmade, processed, nutrient-deficient and toxic foods that are driving all the chronic diseases,” he says. “They're driving heart disease, stroke, hypertension, cancer, metabolic syndrome, obesity [and] macular degeneration …

When I say processed, manmade, nutrient-deficient, toxic, or processed foods, that is really just four things. It's really fairly simple. It's the nutrient-deficient foods which are refined: Wheat flour, refined added sugars, polyunsaturated vegetable oils and trans fats.”

Although we did not discuss these dietary issues and its connection to COVID-19 risk because the interview was done before March, it is still very relevant. We now know that eating processed foods, especially vegetable oils, will increase insulin resistance and metabolic inflexibility, which is one of the two largest risk factors for COVID-19, the other being vitamin D insufficiency.

Vegetable Oils Responsible for Emergence of Heart Disease

Refined flour, sugar, trans fats and vegetable oils are relatively recent additions to our food supply. Refined sugar has been around for a few hundred years, but it was consumed in really low amounts until the late 19th century. Vegetable oils emerged after the American Civil War. Refined white wheat flour came about in 1880 and trans fats in 1911.

“Those foods are what is driving almost all of our chronic metabolic and degenerative diseases,” Knobbe says. “Over the past year or two, I really dug into the history of most of these chronic diseases. For example, heart disease was an extreme medical rarity in the 19th century.

We have data from a paper by Jones and colleagues [published] in 2011. What they showed was that in the town of Boston in 1811, there were no known heart attacks.

Only 2.6% of that population in Boston died of sudden death. So even if we thought every single one of those was heart disease, which they weren't, but even if you wanted to say that they were, it's only 2.6% …

Sir William Osler, a famed physician, was one of the founding members of Johns Hopkins Medical Center. In 1897, he published a paper in which he reviewed his previous 21 years of hospital experience, and he noted maybe around a half a dozen cases of angina — chest pain that might be related to heart disease — but not a single myocardial infarction, not a single heart attack.

Some 13 years later, in 1910, he recounted 208 additional cases of angina, which he attributed to the stress of modern day life. In 1900, from the Jones paper, heart disease accounted for 12.5% of deaths, but that was known not to be coronary artery disease … That was cardiac valvular disease, which is driven by infectious diseases like rheumatic fever, syphilis and endocarditis. It wasn't heart attacks.

In fact, 1912, James Herrick published a paper on the first known heart attack in the United States with documented autopsy evidence. What's staggering is that 30 years later, in the 1930s, heart disease became the leading cause of death. It was virtually unknown in 1900. Nobody knew what a heart attack was in 1900. Nobody had seen one …

By 2010, 32.3% of people in the United States are dying of heart disease. But if you go back, what we're going to notice is that vegetable oils and trans fats, margarines, those things were replacing animal fats. That is the major driver of this, I believe.”

Diet Has Increased Cancer and Diabetes

Knobbe also reviews the historical data on cancer. Of the 942 people who died during 1811 in Boston, only five died of cancer. That’s 1 in 188 deaths. By 1900, cancer killed 1 in 17 people. Today, cancer accounts for 31.2% of deaths in the U.S., or nearly 1 in 3.

The same exponential growth can be seen in Type 2 diabetes. In the 19th century, any form of diabetes was extremely rare. One of the first studies on diabetes was published in 1935. In 1935-1936, 0.37% of Americans had diabetes. By 2015, that rate had risen to 9.4%. That's a 25-fold increase in 80 years.

The situation may actually be even worse than that, though, as the 9.4% rate refers to documented full-blown clinical diabetes. If you add in prediabetes and insulin resistance, then nearly 9 in 10 Americans are affected. According to recent NHANES data,² 87.8% of Americans are unhealthy based on five parameters of metabolic health, so virtually the entire population is at risk for and headed toward Type 2 diabetes.

Shocking Rise in AMD Prevalence

Macular degeneration became discoverable following the invention of the ophthalmoscope in 1851. The ophthalmoscope was in broad use by 1880. By 1900, there was 140 versions available. By 1914, there was over 200 versions of ophthalmoscope in use around the world.

Yet, between 1851 and 1930, there were no more than 50 cases of AMD reported in all the world's medical literature. It was virtually unknown. Prevalence began to increase in the 1930s, and by 1975, an estimated 4.5 million Americans suddenly had macular degeneration. By 1994, 15 million had it, and as of 2020, estimates put worldwide prevalence at 196 million. In 20 more years, it’s expected to hit 288 million.

“I've done the same thing with metabolic syndrome and with myopia, nearsightedness. They all track essentially the same. We see all of these go from rarity in the 19th century and early 20th century to staggering numbers today, and the prevalence continues to increase,” Knobbe says.

Metabolic Dysfunction Is Common Denominator

The common denominator that all of these diseases share is mitochondrial dysfunction caused by processed foods. Hopefully, knowing this will inspire and motivate you to change your eating habits. Once you realize what these foods are doing to you at the molecular level, you’ll be more excited about healthy choices.

“As I mentioned, what's happened is we have replaced nutrient-dense, healthy, safe, organic foods with nutrient-deficient, toxic, dangerous ultra-processed foods. As of 2009, 63% of the American diet was made up of those four foods — added sugars, refined white wheat flour, vegetable oils and trans fats …

In the year 1900, when everybody was healthy, 99% of added fats in the diet were animal fat — lard, butter and beef tallow. But by 2005, 105 years later, 86% of the added fats in the diet of Americans are vegetable oil-derived. They include vegetable oils, margarine [and] butter substitutes. Ultimately, all of those come from these dangerous vegetable oils that don't provide healthy fat-soluble vitamins, and are extraordinarily toxic.

What we now understand is that it is mitochondrial dysfunction that ties together all of these chronic diseases — heart disease, cancer, stroke, hypertension, obesity, metabolic syndrome, macular degeneration …

When you consume a whole lot of these edible seed oils, vegetable oils or omega-6 — that's all the same thing — then those oils, those omega-6s, oxidize and break down into toxic aldehydes. So, when we try to metabolize these, when we try to burn these for fuel, or we store them, what happens is they create a catastrophic peroxidation cascade.

They cause oxidation in fats, proteins [and] carbohydrates in your cells and cellular membranes everywhere. Ultimately, what this does is it damages a molecule called cardiolipin … a phospholipid in your mitochondria. It's a scaffold upon which the electron transport chain of your mitochondria depends. When cardiolipin is altered … it damages it.

What happens is that the mitochondria are no longer able to hold a proton gradient. They lose that proton gradient, and this causes loss of energy. The mitochondria then become sick; they’re not producing energy properly. Well, without energy, everything begins to fail. One of the first things that happen is that you can't properly burn fats for fuel, and you become more carbohydrate-dependent.”

The cardiolipin is only found in the inner mitochondrial membrane. In the lecture above, Knobbe illustrates the chain of events that result in mitochondrial dysfunction.

High-PUFA Diet Triggers Catastrophic Peroxidation Cascade

Paradoxically, the cardiolipin molecule depends on linoleic acid, and linoleic acid is the primary omega-6 in our diets. However, in a high-linoleic acid diet, the linoleic acid in the cardiolipin molecule ends up being destroyed. So, what gives? Knobbe explains:

“When you're consuming a high-PUFA diet, it's like having a house full of little tiny papers, and when you're welding or something, sparks are flying. You're going to catch the house on fire when you consume all these vegetable oils because you're going to be filling up your fat cells, tissues and membranes with linoleic acid, these omega-6s, and they're very fragile.

You're going to start this catastrophic peroxidation cascade, and you're also going to destroy the linoleic acid in the cardiolipin molecules where it is critical. Subsequently, you lose energy in your mitochondria, make your mitochondria sick, and then you become sick. This is how we become tired, fatigued, and we're gaining weight all at the same time.

I think most people are interested in how to lose weight. But by far, a million times more important is to be healthy, and this is how we get healthy. The same things that make you healthy also make you leaner.”

Another important variable here is the influence of carnosine, a dipeptide — two amino acids put together — made up of beta-alanine and histidine. Carnosine is only found animal products. It serves as a scavenger or sink for reactive carbonyl groups, intermediaries that go on to form advanced lipoxidation end-products and emulsification end-products.

If you can grab these carbonyls before they attack proteins and fats, you can essentially stop the vicious cycle resulting in catastrophic peroxidation. This is yet another reason why I do not recommend diets that exclude animal products and meat, as they will lower your carnosine level, and carnosine is a really important nutrient to limit the damage from oxidation products. It's also important for mitochondrial function.

Toxic Aldehydes

Knobbe has been studying the toxic aldehydes that result from these omega-6 fats. When you consume an omega-6 fat, it first reacts with a hydroxyl radical or peroxide radical, producing a lipid hydroperoxide. This lipid hydroperoxide then rapidly degenerates into toxic aldehydes, of which there are many.

Examples include 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as oxidized linoleic acid metabolites such as 9-HODE, 13-HODE, carboxyethylpyrrole and acrolein.

“Most of my research in terms of what these do is focused on what's going on in the eye,” Knobbe says, “but these are extraordinarily dangerous molecules. For example, HNE has been tied to virtually every single chronic disease there is, including heart disease, atherosclerotic disease, Alzheimer's, macular degeneration, obesity, Type 2 diabetes.

All of those have been connected to HNE, and it’s been called a causal factor. It is that powerful. These are extraordinarily dangerous molecules at very low concentrations. MDA is an extreme toxin. It’s cytotoxic. It is mutagenic. It's carcinogenic.

The oxidized linoleic acid metabolites, like the 9- and 13-HODE, they are driving oxidized LDL, for example, which is a huge player in atherosclerosis. Carboxyethylpyrrole, in the eye, induces autoantibodies … They attack the retina directly. We see these more than double the numbers in people with macular degeneration. So, we have a major driver there.

Acrolein is the toxic aldehyde that is in cigarette smoke and vegetable oils. To give you an idea, an average cigarette produces 18 to 98 micrograms of acrolein when you smoke it. A large french fries, roughly, 154 grams of french fries from a fast food restaurant … produce 1 to 1.5 milligrams of acrolein.

So, let me put this in perspective. Eating a large french fries can give you the same amount of acrolein as smoking 17 to 26 average cigarettes or up to 83 cigarettes lowest in acrolein. Now, they both can cause lung cancer, for example.

Here we can see that you're getting a much larger dose of acrolein from eating french fries than you're ever going to get from even being near smoke.”

Knobbe also points out what you lose out on when eating vegetable oils, namely fat-soluble vitamins. Animal fats such as lard, butter and beef tallow provide not only healthy fats but also essential vitamins such as vitamins A, D and K2. “Let's face it, meat is the most densely nutritious food that most anybody in the United States ever gets,” Knobbe says.

One of the benefits of eating meat is that it is loaded with carnosine, which is a dipeptide consisting of beta-alanine and histidine. This is a terrific scavenging agent for advanced lipoxidation endproducts (ALEs) like the fats discussed above.

If you’re excluding meat from your diet and consume large amounts of industrial processed oils, you’re setting yourself up for metabolic disaster. Without a doubt, low carnosine and high aldehydes is a prescription for premature death from chronic disease. At the very least it would be wise to take a carnosine or beta-alanine supplement.

Your Body Can Recover

While the good news is that you can recover your health by eliminating these unhealthy omega-6-rich oils from your diet — essentially ditching processed foods — the bad news is they have a rather long half-life.

According to Knobbe, polyunsaturated fats from vegetable oils, seed oils and trans fats are mostly stored (opposed to being used for fuel), and have a half-life of 600 to 680 days. That means it will take quite a few years to empty your body stores of these damaging omega-6 fats.

“I quit consuming these fats in 2011,” Knobbe says, “and I think it was 2015 or 2016 before I started hitting a lot better health. But now, at age 59, I can weightlift, sprint, run stairs.

I do so many of the things I could do when I was in my 20s. I wasn't headed that way back in 2011. I was headed for absolute disaster. I mean, I may have not even been alive today if it weren't for beginning to understand all this and changing my diet.”

In the interview, Knobbe also discusses how his arthritis was traced back to oxalates, which are found exclusively in plants. Ironically, many of the plant foods that are praised for their healthiness have the highest amounts of oxalates and can wreak havoc on those with arthritis or other autoimmune conditions.

“Oxalates can precipitate out in your joints, tendons, muscles, perhaps arteries and drive all sorts of chronic inflammation, so arthritis, myalgias, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, all of these disorders may be driven by oxalates,” he says.

“In 2011, when I was 50 years old, my arthritis was so severe. I was in a devastated condition … [Dr. Mercola] referred me to Sally K. Norton, who is perhaps the world's expert in this area. I’m now … changing my diet to get lower in oxalates, and I'm doing better and better all the time. I really believe that it may not be long before I am arthritis-free …

I think I would eat 1 or 2 cups of spinach in salads three or four times a week. That’s massive doses [of oxalates]. Most people shouldn't get more than 150 milligrams of oxalates in a day. Many days, I would be getting 1 to 1.5 grams, so maybe about 10 times as much as what's recommended.

Over decades, you accumulate these [oxalates]. They're stored in your tissues. The good news is that they're water soluble, and they can leach back out, but it too can take years. So, I'm apparently on a slow recovery, kind of like getting rid of polyunsaturated oils in your body. It'll happen, but it's not going to happen overnight.”

Macular Degeneration Strongly Linked to Processed Food Diet

Aside from improving your overall health and avoiding chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, avoiding sugars, refined wheat flour, vegetable oils and trans fats is also crucial for the prevention of AMD. Knobbe reviews research showing the connections between a processed food diet and AMD.

In Southwestern rural Nigeria, 0.1% of the adult population over the age of 50 have macular degeneration. A mere 240 miles away in Onitsha, Nigeria, the prevalence is 3.2%. The difference between these two populations is their food supply.

The people in Southwestern rural Nigeria do not have access to processed foods. They live off native traditional foods. The people in Onitsha, Nigeria, do have access to processed foods, but at far lower amounts than what we get in the U.S.

Barbados, meanwhile, has a macular degeneration rate of 24.3% — 243 times higher than the Africans of Southwestern rural Nigeria. What stands out about Barbados is the fact that it’s known by nutrition researchers all around the world as a Mecca for processed food. They import almost all of their food.

“You and I know what that means. It means it's all sugar, refined flour and vegetable oils. That's what you can package up and send across continents, people can eat it months later, and it's still called food,” Knobbe says.

“That's what these people are eating, and they have a ‘world profile’ of metabolic disease in Barbados, metabolic syndrome, obesity, heart disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes and 24.3% macular degeneration prevalence — 243 times greater than the Africans of Southwestern rural Nigeria who can't get processed foods.

All three [populations have] the same West African heritage. How could we in any possible way conclude that that's about aging and genetics, which is the primary belief system about macular degeneration today?

… Similarly, in 1969, New Zealand’s macular degeneration prevalence for people over 50 was 1.3%. In 2014, macular degeneration prevalence in people over the age of 45 was 10.3%. That's an eight-fold increase …

Their vegetable oil [intake] in 1960 was less than 1 gram a day. By 1991 onward, it was around 20 grams a day. So again, we see a huge increase in vegetable oils, and we see a massive increase in macular degeneration prevalence.”

More Information

To learn more about how your diet influences your risk of AMD and other chronic diseases, be sure to pick up a copy of Knobbe’s book, “Ancestral Dietary Strategy to Prevent and Treat Macular Degeneration.” More information can also be found on CureAMD.org.

“If you want to reach out to me, you can go to the contact link for that and send me a message. I answer every single message,” Knobbe says. “I'm in this to help people, and I love it.”

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As noted by retired nursing teacher John Campbell¹ in the video above, vitamin D is "an important immunological molecule" that likely plays role in the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his video commentary, Campbell reviews a number of recent papers stressing the importance of vitamin D, starting with a press release² from the French National Academy of Medicine, dated May 22, 2020.

The press release correctly points out that vitamin D is a prohormone, meaning it acts as an endocrine hormone. As such, it has wide-ranging influence on health. There are vitamin D receptors throughout your body, in every tissue and organ. Campbell reviews some of the basics of where and how vitamin D is synthesized in the body.

In summary, vitamin D is synthesized in the dermis of your skin in response to ultraviolet light from the sun. From there, it is transported to your liver and kidneys, where it is converted into an active hormone that is then circulated throughout your body. People with liver or kidney problems may have a reduced ability to synthesize vitamin D. As noted by the French National Academy of Medicine, vitamin D:³

• Modulates (meaning it can upregulate and downregulate as needed) the function of your immune system by stimulating dendritic cells (which detect the presence of antigens such as viruses or bacteria) and macrophages (responsible for triggering immune responses and destroying pathogens)
• Regulates and suppresses the cytokine inflammatory response.⁴ The ability to downregulate the inflammatory response is particularly important for COVID-19, as out of control inflammation (cytokine storm) is a primary cause of death

Vitamin D — An Excellent Adjunct to Any Therapy

The French medical authority points out there's "a significant correlation between low serum vitamin D levels and mortality from COVID-19" — which one would expect considering its modulating and regulatory influence on immune function — and that "by mitigating the inflammatory storm and its consequences," vitamin D "could be considered as an adjunct to any form of therapy."

They cite research showing the inverse correlation between vitamin D and COVID-19 infection and mortality (the lower your vitamin D the greater your risk of infection and death) in European countries has a confidence value of 95.4%, meaning there's only a 4.6% chance that this correlation is due to chance alone.

The press release ends by recommending the French population take supplemental vitamin D, as it is a "simple and inexpensive measure." The French authority also recommends "rapid serum vitamin D testing in people over 60 years of age with COVID-19."

As noted by Campbell, this is "a remarkably good idea." In those who are found to be deficient in vitamin D, the French National Academy of Medicine recommends an initial bolus dose of 50,000 IUs to 100,000 IUs.

And, while vitamin D testing is not stressed for those under the age of 60, they do recommend that anyone under the age of 60 who receives a positive COVID-19 test start taking 800 IUs to 1,000 IUs of vitamin D per day anyway.

Prospective Vitamin D for COVID-19 Studies Are Underway

The French recommendations are in stark contrast to the U.S., where Big Pharma-controlled health authorities and media are still trying to frighten people away from vitamin D supplementation. One reason for this could be because a healthier population is less likely to line up for inoculation with a fast-tracked vaccine.

It's worth noting that while the French National Academy of Medicine and Campbell state there are no randomized controlled trials looking at vitamin D supplementation and COVID-19, this is not true. There are many such trials currently underway. They just haven't been completed and published yet, but you can find them (and may be able to enroll in them) by searching ClinicalTrials.gov.⁵

In the UK, there's the Covidence UK Study,⁶ an effort to collect data about how vitamin D deficiency impacts your COVID-19 risk. If you live in the U.K., you can sign up for the Covidence UK study here. According to Adrian Martineau, a professor of respiratory infection and immunity at Queen Mary University of London, who is leading the Covidence study:⁷

"Vitamin D could almost be thought of as a designer drug for helping the body to handle viral respiratory infections. It boosts the ability of cells to kill and resist viruses and simultaneously dampens down harmful inflammation, which is one of the big problems with Covid."

British Health Care Workers Get Free Vitamin D

Aside from the French, Scotland and the U.K. are also starting to take vitamin D optimization more seriously. For example, the British Frontline Immune Support Team is providing U.K. National Health Service workers with free liposomal vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc packs to bolster and regulate their immune function.⁸ As noted by The Frontline Immune Support Team, vitamin D:⁹

"… plays a critical role in your immune defense system, both in reducing flu-like days of illness if your blood level is sufficient, and in helping your immune system respond when under viral attack. It speeds up recovery from pneumonia.

Two in five adults have a level of vitamin D below 25nmol/l, especially in late winter months such as February and March, that is likely to almost double their risk of flu. A vitamin D level above 100 nmol/l correlates with the lowest numbers of flu-like days. The moral of the story is to get your level up as quickly as possible."

The British NHS is also assessing the evidence to determine whether vitamin D should be prescribed to hospitalized COVID-19 patients and as a prevention to high-risk groups.¹⁰

Scottish Government Recommends Daily Vitamin D Supplement

As of June 3, 2020, Scottish government COVID-19 guidance includes taking a daily vitamin D supplement. As reported by the Scotland Herald:¹¹

"Official Scottish Government guidance issued on June 3 states that everyone, including children, 'should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D.'

However, it is 'specifically recommended' to all pregnant and breastfeeding women; infants and children under five years old; people from minority ethnic groups with dark skin such as those of African, African-Caribbean and South Asian origin, who require more sun exposure to make as much vitamin D; and people who are confined indoors."

Data Support Role of Vitamin D in COVID-19

Several studies have noted the inverse relationship between low vitamin D and a higher risk for COVID-19-positive test results,¹² severity of infection^13,14 and mortality.¹⁵ These studies are correlation studies and do not confirm causation, but studies that will be able to prove causation are currently underway.

Examples of these correlation studies include The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA),^16,17 which suggests vitamin D deficiency could have serious implications for COVID-19. The researchers recommend adults over 50 take a vitamin D supplement year-round if they don't get enough sun exposure to optimize their levels.

Another Irish paper,¹⁸ "Vitamin D and Inflammation: Potential Implications for Severity of COVID-19," concluded there is "a strong plausible biological hypothesis and evolving epidemiological data supporting a role for vitamin D in COVID-19."

Some of those biological mechanisms have already been summarized above. Other mechanisms of action that can impact your risk of COVID-19 include the following:

SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus, which means it's more difficult for your immune system to identify and destroy it. However, higher vitamin D levels are inversely associated with infection by many other enveloped viruses, including dengue, hepatitis, herpes, HIV, rotavirus, respiratory syncytial virus and influenza.19,20 We'll have to wait and see if the same holds true for SARS-CoV-2, but chances are it will.

Vitamin D strengthens cellular junctions, thereby making it more difficult for viruses to gain entry through your eyes, ears, lungs and mucus membranes. This in turn makes the infection less likely to migrate down into your lungs.21

Vitamin D can reduce the risk of infection by lowering the rate at which the virus replicates and can reduce the pro-inflammatory cytokines that damage the lungs, leading to pneumonia. It also helps increase concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokines that may help protect the lungs. For these reasons, researchers suggest people who are at risk for COVID-19 should take:22 "… 10,000 IU/d of vitamin D3 for a few weeks to rapidly raise 25(OH)D concentrations, followed by 5000 IU/d. The goal should be to raise 25(OH)D concentrations above 40-60 ng/mL (100-150 nmol/L)."

Vitamin D is an important component in the prevention and treatment of influenza23 and upper respiratory tract infections.24 While vitamin D does not appear to have a direct effect on the virus itself, it strengthens immune function, thus allowing the host body to combat the virus more effectively.25 As detailed in "Vitamin D Prevents Infections," research shows high-dose vitamin D supplementation lowers the risk of respiratory illnesses and lung infections in the elderly by 40%. As noted by an author of that study, "Vitamin D can improve the immune system's ability to fight infections because it bolsters the first line of defense of the immune system." As mentioned earlier, vitamin D also suppresses inflammatory processes and inhibits excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines that give rise to a cytokine storm.26 Taken together, this might make vitamin D quite useful against COVID-19, because while robust immune function is required for your body to combat the virus, an overactivated immune system is also responsible for the cytokine storm we see in COVID-19 infection that can lead to death.

Vitamin D upregulates production of human cathelicidin, LL-37, which has antimicrobial and antiendotoxin activities.27

Vitamin D supplementation has been shown to protect against acute respiratory infections.28 Daily or weekly supplementation (opposed to infrequent bolus doses) of vitamin D had the greatest protective effect in those with the lowest vitamin D levels.29 In one study,30 those with severe vitamin D deficiency who took a daily or weekly supplement cut their respiratory infection risk in half, whereas the acute administration of high bolus doses of vitamin D had no significant impact on infection risk.

Data analysis31 by GrassrootsHealth shows people with a vitamin D level of at least 40 ng/mL reduced their risk of colds by 15% and flu by 41%, compared to those with a level below 20 ng/mL.

COVID-19-Specific Papers

In addition to the Irish papers cited above, several others have come to the same or similar conclusions. Additional examples include:

The vitamin D review paper32 "Evidence That Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Death," published in the journal Nutrients, April 2, 2020, which states that: "To reduce the risk of infection, it is recommended that people at risk of influenza and/or COVID-19 consider taking 10,000 IU/d of vitamin D3 for a few weeks to rapidly raise 25(OH)D concentrations, followed by 5000 IU/d. The goal should be to raise 25(OH)D concentrations above 40–60 ng/mL (100–150 nmol/L). For treatment of people who become infected with COVID-19, higher vitamin D3 doses might be useful."

A GrassrootsHealth review33 of an observational study involving 212 COVID-19 patients in Southeast Asia identified a correlation between vitamin D levels and disease severity. Those with the mildest disease had the highest vitamin D levels, and vice versa. In the initial study group of 212 patients (see Table 1 below), 55 had normal vitamin D levels, which was defined as greater than 30 ng/ml; 80 had insufficient levels of 21 to 29 ng/ml and 77 had deficient levels of less than 20 ng/ml. According to the research done by GrassrootsHealth, 40 ng/mL is the lower edge of optimal, with 60 ng/mL to 80 ng/mL being ideal for health and disease prevention. Despite that, the benefit of having a vitamin D level above 30 ng/mL was clear.

In a study34 that looked at data from 780 COVID-19 patients in Indonesia, those with a vitamin D level between 20 ng/mL and 30 ng/mL had a sevenfold higher risk of death than those with a level above 30 ng/mL. Having a level below 20 ng/mL was associated with a 12 times higher risk of death.

Research35,36 posted on the preprint server MedRxiv June 10, 2020, reports a combination of vitamin D3, B12 and magnesium inhibited the progression of COVID-19 in patients over the age of 50, resulting in "a significant reduction in proportion of patients with clinical deterioration requiring oxygen support and/or intensive care support."

"The Role of Vitamin D in the Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection and Mortality"37 — which looked at the average vitamin D levels and the number of COVID-19 cases and death rates in 20 European countries — found lower vitamin D levels correlated with higher caseloads and mortality. The authors concluded, "We believe that we can advise vitamin D supplementation to protect against SARS-CoV2 infection."

Northwestern University researchers report finding an inverse relationship between vitamin D and CRP, a marker for inflammation. Those with higher CRP had lower vitamin D and vice versa. According to the authors:38 "COVID-19 patient-level data shows a notable OR of 3.4 … for high CRP in severe COVID-19 patients. Given that CRP is a surrogate marker for cytokine storm and is associated with Vit D deficiency, based on retrospective data and indirect evidence we see a possible role of Vit D in reducing complications attributed to unregulated inflammation and cytokine storm. Further research is needed to account for other factors through direct measurement of Vit D levels in COVID-19 patients."

"The Possible Role of Vitamin D in Suppressing Cytokine Storm and Associated Mortality in COVID-19 Patients,"39,40 posted on the preprint portal medRxiv May 18, 2020, reports finding a strong correlation between severe vitamin D deficiency and higher mortality rates in countries across the globe. The researchers attribute this to a connection between low vitamin D and high risk for cytokine storms. The analysis suggests higher vitamin D levels among the general population could cut mortality in half by reducing complications.41

Now Is the Time to Optimize Your Vitamin D

Health experts are warning we're likely to see a second wave of COVID-19 this fall, as temperatures drop. This means the time to start optimizing your vitamin D is now.

Data from GrassrootsHealth's D*Action studies suggest the optimal level for health and disease prevention is between 60 ng/mL and 80 ng/mL, while the cutoff for sufficiency appears to be around 40 ng/mL. In Europe, the measurements you're looking for are 150 to 200 nmol/L and 100 nmol/L respectively.

I recently published a comprehensive vitamin D report in which I detail vitamin D's mechanisms of action and how to ensure optimal levels. I recommend downloading and sharing that report with everyone you know.

>>>>> Click Here <<<<<

A quick summary of the key steps is as follows:

The Importance of Testing Your Vitamin D Levels

A growing body of evidence shows that vitamin D plays a crucial role in disease prevention and maintaining optimal health. There are about 30,000 genes in your body, and vitamin D affects nearly 3,000 of them, as well as vitamin D receptors located throughout your body.

For a more detailed and comprehensive analysis of the connection of vitamin D and COVID-19, please review the report I created that could be used to address any health care professionals who would disagree with this recommendation. Also included is a shortened version of the document which will be better to educate those that you would like to convince of the importance of getting your vitamin D levels optimized.

>>>>> Click Here <<<<<

Vitamin D Helps Protect Against Cancer and Other Diseases

According to one large-scale study, having optimal vitamin D levels can slash your risk of cancer and can help prevent at least 16 different types of cancer, including pancreatic, lung, ovarian, prostate and skin cancers.

Vitamin D from sun exposure also radically decreases your risk of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and Type 1 diabetes. Sun exposure also helps prevent osteoporosis, which is a significant concern for women in particular.

Magnesium Is Necessary to Activate Vitamin D

Since over half the population does not get enough magnesium and far more are likely deficient, magnesium supplementation is recommended when taking vitamin D supplements. This is because magnesium helps to activate vitamin D, as the enzymes that metabolize vitamin D in your liver and kidneys require magnesium.

What GrassrootsHealth observed in testing and analyzing nutrient intakes from over 15,000 patients is that about half of those taking vitamin D supplements were unable to normalize their vitamin D levels until they started to take supplemental magnesium.

They also found that those who do not take supplemental magnesium need, on average, 146% more vitamin D per day to achieve a healthy blood level of 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L), compared to those who take at least 400 mg of magnesium along with their vitamin D supplement.

Omega-3 Fats Are Crucial to Your Well-Being

Meanwhile, recent research suggests high doses (4 grams) of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA may help improve healing after a heart attack. Other benefits of omega-3 fats include prevention of lupus and Parkinson’s disease, decreased anxiety, healthier and stronger bones, as well as fighting fats in the body.

However, you can’t tell by looking in a mirror if you are deficient in vitamin D, magnesium or omega-3s. The only real way to know if you are deficient in these nutrients is to get tested.

How Much Vitamin D Should You Take

If you know your vitamin D level you can use the calculator below to find the best dose to take.

If you are unable or unwilling to get a vitamin D test, they have found that the average dose to achieve a healthy vitamin D level of 40 ng/ml is about 8,000 units per day. If you are underweight you will want to reduce this dose to 6-7,000 units per day as heavier people tend to need more vitamin D.

How to Test Your Levels

I'm really pleased GrassrootsHealth Nutrient Research Institute has expanded its research projects to include a range of different tests, seeing how deficiency may be needlessly affecting the health of so many. Like its Vitamin D*action Project, the Magnesium*PLUS Focus Project will allow us all to take action on known science with a consensus of experts without waiting for institutional lethargy.

The Vitamin D*action Project has truly demonstrated the value measurement can have on public health, and there’s no doubt in my mind that the Magnesium*PLUS Focus Project will have the same impact. As in earlier projects, once the study of a community is completed, all that information can be used to push for public health recommendations that will benefit everyone.

You have the ability to participate in a variety of different tests, including:

• Vitamin D
• Vitamin D and Omega 3
• Vitamin D, Omega 3 and Magnesium
• Vitamin D, Magnesium & Omega 3 PLUS Elements. Remember, by participating in this public research project, you not only are identifying your own levels, but allowing yourself to make decisions about your diet and supplements to improve your health.

  Your data (which is anonymous) will also help GrassrootsHealth researchers to determine the ideal levels for the prevention of various diseases, and what kind of dose-response relationship exists among the general population.

With the data from this project, individuals will be able to see what works for them, and, researchers will be able to demonstrate just to what extent health care costs may be reduced simply by getting people into an optimal range.

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December 31, 2019, China reported a case of pneumonia from an unknown cause to the World Health Organization.¹ It wasn't long afterward that it became apparent that the "unknown cause" would create global havoc.

Immediately, scientists began scrambling to find ways to kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus, treat the infection and develop public health policies to contain the spread. Historically, scientists identified coronaviruses responsible for human infection in the mid-1960s.² By 2003 when SARS first appeared, researchers had only identified four subgroups of coronavirus that could infect humans.

But then, also in 2003, SARS-CoV appeared and joined the list. In 2012, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was identified in Saudi Arabia. And, finally, the most recent addition to this list is SARS-CoV-2.

When it comes to fighting them, one method of disinfecting bacteria and viruses, including coronaviruses, in hospitals has been ultraviolet light. This is one wavelength in the light spectrum that's found in light from the sun, which provides the primary means of killing pathogens in the environment through UV radiation.

In 2005, a team of researchers reviewed the estimated amount of time it took to inactivate viruses using exposure to UVA and UVB radiation from the sun.³ They developed a predictive model that they concluded "should be a useful step to understanding and eventually predicting the survival of viruses after their release in the environment."

Company Claims New Lightbulb Can Kill Coronavirus

In a recent development, one of the largest lighting companies in the world, Signify, says they have developed a new light bulb they believe can kill 96% of coronavirus in just three seconds.⁴ The organization partnered with Boston University to test the effectiveness of the lightbulb to inactivate the virus.

Eric Rondolat, CEO, spoke to CNBC, telling the reporter that after six seconds of exposure, the rate of pathogen death goes up to 99%.⁵ In a press release on Signify's website, Anthony Griffiths, Ph.D., from Boston University School of Medicine is cited:⁶

"Our test results show that above a specific dose of UV-C radiation, viruses were completely inactivated: in a matter of seconds we could no longer detect any virus. We're very excited about these findings and hope that this will accelerate the development of products that can help limit the spread of COVID-19."

Rondolat believes the light bulbs are a preventive measure that may be useful in all types of public places. The notice from Signify follows research from Columbia University, where researchers found low doses of far-UVC light "inactivated 99.9% of aerosolized alpha coronavirus 229E and beta coronavirus OC43."⁷

These scientists found that viral inactivation took approximately 25 minutes. They believe that by doubling the intensity, they may be able to cut the disinfection time in half and still maintain safety.

Researchers Using Far-UVC to Reduce Potential Damage

There are three major types of ultraviolet light: UVA, UVB and UVC. UVA and UVB penetrate the atmosphere and reach the Earth. UVA can penetrate the skin while high levels of exposure to UVB can damage the skin's DNA.⁸

UVC, however, is the most damaging. The wavelengths are between 100 and 290 nanometers, which are almost completely absorbed in the atmosphere.⁹ The wavelength is highly energized and effective as a decontaminant since it destroys the molecular bonds in bacterial and viral DNA.

In one study using UVC to decontaminate hospital rooms and surgical tools, Duke University researchers found that sanitizing a room with UVC light in addition to traditional cleaning reduced the transmission of drug-resistant bacteria by 30%.¹⁰

The danger in working with UVC light is that it not only kills bacteria and viruses, but also damages human DNA. Dan Arnold works for UV Light Technology providing UV disinfecting equipment in the U.K. He spoke with BBC about the potential for using UVC light to disinfect skin and clothing, saying, "You would literally be frying people."¹¹

A study from Columbia University, however, published in Scientific Reports in 2018, generated excitement about the potential for reducing the spread of influenza by using far-UVC.¹² Researchers used continuous low dose far-UVC light and found results which suggested that using this technique in public places may reduce the number impacted by flu, without penetrating human skin or eyes.¹³

Doorway Portal Douses Patrons in UVC Light

Before the results of the light tests from Boston University were published, one bakery announced plans to install far-UVC light bulbs in the stores and at a portal above the doorway. The New York Post reported that Magnolia Bakery "is installing futuristic-looking portals and purple-hued ceiling lights that will drench patrons and workers in potentially disease-destroying far-ultraviolet light."¹⁴ 

The chief baking officer called their store "experiential," saying their customers enjoy spending time in their shop in the Upper West Side. In an attempt to accommodate the needs of their customers and possibly reduce airborne SARS-CoV-2, they are also replacing the indoor lighting with far-UVC light bulbs.

This move has caught some experts by surprise. In March 2020, the Food and Drug Administration released guidelines on the use of disinfectant devices, sterilizers and air purifiers during the pandemic.¹⁵ Karl Linden, environmental engineer, spoke to a reporter at Discover Magazine, saying:¹⁶

"I was quite shocked to see this portal come out … my excitement [is] tempered with the concern that it could be an application that could have some dangerous side effects or direct effects."

It appears that far-UVC lights do not have the immediate and direct effects that regular UVC light has on mammal skin. David Brenner, Ph.D., from Columbia University is one of the scientists in the study showing that low dose far-UVC light inactivates human coronavirus. He spoke with a reporter from the New York Post about the safety of the lights.

Thus far they have tested far-UVC lights on hairless mice for eight months and have not seen any evidence of damage, he said.¹⁷ However, while concentrated forms of UVC are being used to clean city buses in China, hospital floors and even money,¹⁸ the long-term effects of far-UVC light on human skin may require a lengthier test period than just eight months. 

What About Sunlight?

Sunlight is used in developing countries to help sterilize water. The World Health Organization recommends using a process pioneered in the 1980s that involves the sun, a bottle and a black surface. A transparent bottle is placed horizontally for five hours.¹⁹

Field studies in China, Columbia, Bolivia and elsewhere show it helps kill pathogens and reduce the incidence of diarrhea. How long sunlight may take to disinfect surfaces or viruses suspended in the air is still under investigation, though.

During a press conference, William Bryan from the Department of Homeland Security presented results from a study evaluating how long sunlight might take to kill SARS-CoV-2, or if it could. It was found that under ordinary circumstances, when humidity was low at 20% and the temperature was 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, it took about an hour for the virus to be inactivated.²⁰

When sunlight was added to the experiment, it took about 1.5 minutes. The final results of this study have not been made public as yet, nor have they been peer reviewed. However, a report of the results was leaked and picked up by Yahoo! News.²¹ The briefing on the results was marked for "official use only." Yahoo! News reported:

"The study found that the risk of 'transmission from surfaces outdoors is lower during daylight' and under higher temperature and humidity conditions. 'Sunlight destroys the virus quickly,' reads the briefing."

The Department of Homeland Security did not answer a reporter's questions from Yahoo! News and cautioned the public against making a conclusion based on the data from the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, which is a lab that was developed to address bioterrorism after the 9/11 attack. A statement from the Department of Homeland Security read:²²

"The department is dedicated to the fight against COVID-19, and the health and safety of the American people is its top priority. As policy, the department does not comment on allegedly leaked documents. It would be irresponsible to speculate, draw conclusions, or to inadvertently try to influence the public based upon a document that has not yet been peer-reviewed or subjected to the rigorous scientific validation approach."

Vitamin D Level Must Reach 60ng/mL Before Fall

Sunlight is necessary to support optimal health. Scientists have now found those who are deficient in vitamin D, which your body makes with exposure to the sun, have a far higher risk of severe disease from SARS-CoV-2. There is also evidence that SARS-CoV-2 responds to humidity and temperature, causing different scientists to expect another wave of illness in the fall.²³

This means there is a "deadline" before which it is important to optimize your vitamin D levels. To improve your immune function and lower your risk of viral infections, I suggest raising your vitamin D to a level between 60 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) and 80 ng/mL by fall. In Europe, the measurements you're looking for are 150 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) and 200 nmol/L.

To determine if you need to use a supplement, it's important to test your vitamin D levels first. This easy-to-use, at-home vitamin D test kit from GrassrootsHealth can help identify if you need a supplement. I provide this kit as a convenience for my readers; I don't make any money from the sale of this kit.

As I've written before, low levels of vitamin D are commonly found in those with comorbid health conditions or dark skin. This raises the potential risk from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. To learn more and develop a plan to raise your vitamin D levels by fall, see "Your Vitamin D Level Must Reach 60ng/mL Before the Second Wave."

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Some people are better protected than others against urinary tract infections. This may be because their bodies produce more of a protein called uromodulin. An interdisciplinary research team has now found out exactly how this helper protein brings relief when nature calls and how this knowledge might benefit the treatment and prevention of these painful inflammations.

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Researchers have developed a new method to convert gaseous, low-weight hydrocarbons into more complex molecules by illuminating the hydrocarbons with light in the presence of a suitable catalyst.

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For the first time, scientists have shown that the bacterium that causes the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis interferes with tick gene expression for its survival inside cells and to spread to a new vertebrate host.

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