http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/vitamin-d-and-h1n1-swine-flu.shtml

I did something else of interest. Last November, to reduce my omega-6 fatty acid intake I stopped eating peanut butter. It was peanut butter sandwiches for lunch almost daily since 1972. A presentation by Dr. Bill Lands entitled “Why Omega-6 Fat Matters For Your Health” alerted me to the problem.

And it was a problem. I’ve been gradually losing mobility over the past decade due to chronic pain in my leg muscles. Now, four months after giving up peanut butter, I can run and jump and get up from a sitting position without effort. Excess omega-6 is likely a problem for many if they are too fond of nuts in general and peanuts in particular. Other sources of omega-6 are mayonnaise, salad dressings, baked goods, and commercially prepared fried foods of all sorts.

http://trusted.md/blog/vreni_gurd/2010/02/28/how_good_are_you_at_choosing_healthier_fats
http://180degreehealth.blogspot.com/2010/02/omega-6-content-of-common-foods.html

I agree with your assessment that we have to be more investigative, before arbitrarily jumping on the suppliment train.

Let me just say that the D2 form of vitamin D is a natural immune suppressive on the Vitamin D Receptors (VDR). D3 is the active form that the body needs to attack infectious organisms. It is broken down by an enzyme if we have too much. Organisms such as L-Form Bacteria (biofilms) can create immune suppressive substances which displaces D3 off the Vitamin D Receptors (VDR) in the immune system. Therefore, D2, D3 and the Bacteria are all competing for spots on the VDR. D3 is the big looser. It apprears that having too much D3 overwelms the enzyme that breaks it down. D3 has an affinity for attaching to the T-cell receptors blocking the normal action of T-cells.

Basically a negative chain reaction in the immune sytem happens when we have too much D3 in our systems. To protect us from this potential damage and to have a reserve of D3, the body stores this excess D3 in the fat cells and the liver.

Now enter a suppliment of D3 to the mix and eventually the body has no place to put all this D3 and fails to break it down. The excess D3 shuts down our T-Cell immune system and disease (chronic and undefinable) is the result.

You should know that current big pharma medicative theory has a love affair with immune suppressive drugs. There is a drug out for MS. In europe, it is being flagged because it is causing brain infections and killing patients. It is doing this because it is an immune suppressive drug.

Immune suppressants seem to work because patients feel better and the symptoms seem to go away, but the root cause is never addressed. If the patient is lucky (or unlucky) the disease goes into “remission”. Notice that they never say cure, because the disease is still active and will come back with a vegence. There is no more immune system left to block, therefore there is no immune suppressive drug that will work. The end result is bleak for the poor patient.

Regarding the assertion that vitamin D3 may inhibit immune response, the major modulators of immune response appear to be sugar http://www.communicationagents.com/sepp/2008/07/23/vitamin_a_and_d_synergy_and_balance.htm and Omega-6 fatty acids http://omega-6-omega-3-balance.omegaoptimize.com/.

The important question is not whether vitamin D3 supplementation is harmful or helpful but in what nutritional context is supplementation of benefit?

And as far as pathogens are concerned, the same sort of sugar/omega-6 oil laced diet that promotes an imbalance of gut flora may also set up an internal environment where vitamin D3 supplementation does more harm than good.

In my own personal experiment with vitamin D3 supplementation I am taking 5,000 IU this year. Last year the dose was 2,000 IU and I experienced one cold and one bout with influenza. In my younger years when I was not supplementing with anything I never developed flu symptoms and experienced a cold about once every five years.

I’m not sure what you mean.