Episode
Bonus: Vitamin D Part 1 with commentary
- Published
- Dec 29, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 4989
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Summary
While we’re on a short break between seasons, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes from Season 1. This week, we’re re-releasing our deep dive into vitamin D and the origins of the so-called deficiency epidemic, with added commentary. Is America really facing an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency? While this claim is widely believed, the story behind it is packed with twists, turns, and some pesky statistical cockroaches. In this episode, we’ll dive into a study on Hawaiian surfers, expose how shifting goalposts can create an epidemic, tackle dueling medical guidelines, and flex our statistical sleuthing skills. By the end, you might wonder if the real deficiency lies in the data. Statistical topics conflicts of interest cut points and thresholds dichotomization incentives in science measurement and classification normal distribution researcher biases standard deviation statistical sleuthing Methodologic morals “Arbitrary thresholds make for arbitrary diseases.” “Statistical errors are like cockroaches: Where there’s one, there’s many.” Note that all blood vitamin D levels discussed in the podcast are 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels given in units of ng/ml. To convert from ng/ml to nmol/L, use the formula: nmol/L=2.5*ng/ml. For example, a vitamin D level of 30 ng/mL corresponds to 75 nmol/L. Citations Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity . Huberman Lab Podcast . May 1, 2022 Noh CK, Lee MJ, Kim BK, et al. A Case of Nutritional Osteomalacia in Young Adult Male . J Bone Metab . 2013; 20:51-55. Binkley N, Novotny R, Krueger D, et al. Low vitamin D status despite abundant sun exposure . J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 2007;92:2130-5. Malabanan A, Veronikis IE, Holick MF. Redefining Vitamin D Insufficiency . Lancet . 1998;351:805-6. Dawson-Hughes B, Hean…