Sunny Holy Trinity - Vitamin D, Cholesterol and Sulfate

Vitamin D, Cholesterol and Sulfate

Vitamin D is not really a vitamin. It is a steroid hormone which turns genes on and off. It is the main indicator of our relationship with the sun. If you visit “The Vitamin D Society” website you might get the feeling that you’ll stay there reading for the rest of your life. The information is so much, and so intriguing - the news keep coming and now we link Vitamin D to almost all of our health problems.
Michael F. Holick, Ph. D., M.D. points out that optimizing vitamin D levels to 125 nmol/L( 50 ng/ml ) will lead to significant health benefits and disease prevention as follows:

• Rickets, reduced by 100%
  
• Osteomalacia, reduced by 100%
  
• Cancers, all combined, reduced by 75%
  
• Breast Cancer, reduced by 50%
  
• Ovarian Cancer, reduced by 25%
  
• Colon Cancer, reduced by 67%
  
• Non-Hodgkins, reduced by 30%
  
• Kidney Cancer, reduced by 67%
  
• Endometrial Cancer, reduced by 35%
  
• Type 1 Diabetes, reduced by 80%
  
• Type 2 Diabetes, reduced by 50%
  
• Fractures, all combined, reduced by 50%
  
• Falls, women reduced by 72%
  
• Multiple Sclerosis, reduced by 50%
  
• Heart Attack, men, reduced by 50%
  
• Peripheral Vascular Disease, reduced by 80%
  
• preeclampsia reduced by 50%
  
• Cesarean Section, reduced by 75%
  

And we keep finding more…
We evolved as humans under the sun and spent most of our time around the equator in the horn of Africa. It is no surprise that sunlight is essential. It is a surprise that we hardly realize that. We separated from the sun during the industrial revolution. And even today we still consider vitamin D not an indicator of the lost connection but a magic pill which is going to fix us all. I can’t believe we want to put billions of years of evolution in a tablet and expect to find back our place in nature. I think such an approach is bad news. I think there is a lot more to sun than just Vitamin D.

What is vitamin D?

We often call it a vitamin because we can’t produce it on our own. We need sunshine. It happens in our skin. The skin gets sulfur dioxide ( S² ) from the air and converts it into sulfate ( S0₄ ^-2 ). Sulfate converts the sun energy into chemical energy by picking up four oxygen molecules. The result gets fixated by attaching the sulfate to cholesterol forming cholesterol sulfate. Along the way cholesterol also goes through transformation turning into various oxysterols ( forms of cholesterol with attached hydroxyl groups ). Cholesterol sulfate eventually gets oxidized while protecting against the intense UVB radiation and transforms into vitamin D3 sulfate.
The vitamin carries numerous messages, managing gene expressions and cellular behavior and its active form is called 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.

What happens once vitamin D is formed in the skin?

Nobody really knows. I am kidding. After many years of research we have developed some idea. First it gets transported to the liver where vitamin D is converted into 25-Vitamin D ( 25-hydroxyvitamin D ), which then goes to the kidneys to be activated. Notice that up to this point 25-vitamin D is not active. It turns on when it becomes 1,25-Vitamin D  ( 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D ) in the kidneys. Until recently science thought that kidneys were the only place where Vitamin D was activated but now we know it can happen throughout the body including the immune system cells, prostate, breast, colon, lung, brain, skin etc. Unlike the kidneys, which activate and release vitamin D into the bloodstream for everybody to have, the rest of the cells activate, use and self destroy their own stash of D which never leaves the premises. This is a decision of a genius -  to give the freedom to the cell to govern its own “sun” and at the same time to keep a base level of it in the bloodstream for insurance. This is also the reason why you shouldn't test for activated vitamin D ( 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D ). More truthful and the only test accepted by today’s vitamin D experts is the circulating inactive form of 25 hydroxy D. So if you need to test be sure to order serum 25 (OH) D in case your doctor doesn't know what to do.
The optimal range of 25 hydroxy D according to one of the greatest experts Dr. Hollick is as follows:

Maximum level: 100 ng/ml ( toxic above 150 ng/ml )
Optimal: 50 to 70 ng/ml
Deficient: less than 50 ng/ml

Before I wrap up this section I need to make a distinction between vitamin D3 sulfate and vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 sulfate is created in the skin upon sun exposure. The sulfate group attached to the vitamin makes it a sophisticated water soluble and fat soluble traveler meaning that it doesn’t need the transportation services of the LDL container unlike the non-sulfated Vitamin D3 version coming from a supplement or food.
Another significant distinction of vitamin D sulfate is that it does not participate in calcium metabolism until it unloads its sulfate. It is interesting that getting rid of the sulfate can not be reversed which means that sulfation happens first when sulfate connects to cholesterol and then it converts into cholecalciferol ( Vitamin D3 ). This means that none of the supplemental D3 will get sulfated!

What is the difference between D2 and D3?

Vitamin D2 is the plant form. It works quite similar to D3 with respect of calcium metabolism, but it too can not be sulfated. D2 is the cheap version that we stick in the milk after we have destroyed its natural, raw vitamin D3 sulfate through processing. So not only we smash the good stuff  but we also put in a synthetic version to occupy the VDR cell receptors and to prevent us from hearing what the sun has to say. That’s right - vitamin D2 is out of context and I believe that this is worse than harmless.

UVB - the light that gives birth to Sunny D ?

When doing science we usually separate, label, observe, and analyze. This is exactly what we did with sunlight. We split the energy into wavelengths from the longest and least energetic, called infrared, to the shortest and most energetic called ultraviolet ( UV ). The Ultraviolet radiation we labeled A, B, and C. UVA is 320 to 400 nanometers long, UVB is 290 to 319 nanometers and UVC is the shortest ( 200 to 280 ) and is absorbed by the ozone layer. UVA reaches the surface of the earth the most and is the one blamed to be harmful if overdosed. UVA to UVB ratio is around 100:1. UVB is shorter, more intense, and is absorbed to a greater degree in the atmosphere. Being longer, UVA can penetrate deeper, reaching cells’ DNA, and when too much is accumulated, the risk of replication grows together with the probability for mistakes and mutation. In other words UVA is the one that can cause melanomas ( aggressive skin cancer ), wrinkles and other serious damage. UVB is shorter and less penetrating which doesn't make it so destructive. This is not to inform you over and over again that anything in excess will kill you, it is to tell you that putting on a dumb sunscreen on your skin will trick you. It will remove the strongest evolutionary protection against radiation - vitamin D.
That’s right, UVB light is the one that generates vitamin D in your skin and as it turns out it is a powerful protector against cancer, free radicals, and cell dysfunction. It hurts me to say it but until recently most sunscreens blocked exclusively UVB leaving you exposed longer to UVA with no Vitamin D to warn you about the danger. What a perfect suicidal idea - to put a toxic blocker on your skin ( full of aluminum ) and wipe billions of years of evolution in an instant. So the body doesn’t have the slightest chance to adapt. It amazes me how stupid we have become in such a short period of time.

UVB exposure factors

Time of the day - Sun radiation and its intensity varies in relation with the angle through which it penetrates the atmosphere. The bigger the angle, the more it travels and the less UV reaches the surface. This is why you can’t  make Vitamin D in early morning or late afternoon - the ozone layer and air pollution absorb almost all UVB. So the best time is at noon when the sun is close to vertical and the travel distance is the shortest. A good marker is your shadow - if it is equal or shorter than your height than it is more likely to generate Vitamin D ( 10 am to 2 pm ).
Time of the year - The angle also changes with the season. The sun is at its highest in the summer.
Latitude - The sun is more direct at the equator as the angle grows towards the poles. Canadians for instance can not make Vitamin D for about six to seven months of the year.
Altitude - The higher the altitude the more UV penetration ( less atmosphere ) the more Vitamin D can be made.
Clouds - UV radiation can go through clouds and increases if there are reflective surfaces such as sand, snow or water.
Pollution - It saturates the atmosphere with particles which absorb UV and lessen its intensity.
Skin - People at the equator have evolved forming dark skin as a protection ( more melanin ). The further away from the equator our ancestors have moved the paler their skin has become in order to sensitize and capture more sun.
Dminder is the app that will tell you based on your location how much vitamin D you are making.

Vitamin D sources

The best source is and will always be the Sun. The UVB harnessed from the sun varies  based on the factors we mentioned above but it is safe to say that you'll get between 10,000 - 20,000 IU per day in the summer if you get exposed sometime between 10am - 2pm for half an hour. The Norwegian Institute for Air Research has created a handy calculator which can serve as a guideline. I’ll tell you right now -  get as much sun as possible. Do it gradually. Practice critical thinking and be aware of your skin response. Burning means you've gone too far.
Second best, especially in the winter, is alternative light such as safe tanning bed or UVB lamp. Safe tanning beds have two primary concerns:
1. UV dose or how much radiation you are going to get from a single session before your skin starts to pink. This is only relevant if you believe in average calculations because skin varies from the Equator to the Pole.
2. EMF exposure - most devices use magnetic ballasts which create strong electromagnetic fields known to interfere with normal cell vibration. This could lead to various mutations and cancer. Especially vulnerable to these EMFs is the blood. So it is not the best idea to get locked in a machine which uses magnetic ballast system. The better and safer choice is a tanning bed with electronic ballasts.
I personally don’t use a tanning bed. I have a poor man solution which involves light bulbs designed to help desert reptiles get  their UVB. I've mounted two reptile UVB200 high output bulbs to a normal light stand and use them for 15 -20 min to extract UVB energy during winter seasons. If you go this route you need to pay attention not to look at the light because you’ll damage your eyes. Don’t even expose your face. The ratio between UVA ( visible ) and UVB ( invisible ) is altered so the eye can not protect itself by squinting.
Of course if you live somewhere close to the equator or you have built a good tan during the summer you might not need artificial light at all.
Third source of vitamin D3 is food. Fresh wild salmon has 400 - 1000 IU for 3.5 oz portion. You get a good amount from cod liver oil, shellfish and other oily fish. The only source I know that has the sulfated form of vitamin D3 is raw milk and fresh colostrum.
Fourth source - supplementation in tablets or liquid.

What do I think?

Ok, let me be honest. I mean this isn't the mainstream news, is it?
I don’t believe in supplementing with Vitamin D. I don’t believe we know what is going on between us and the sun. I don’t even believe that vitamin D is the most important molecule in this relationship. This is just what we see. In fact, recently we've seen more than "D" but we can’t describe it so “it doesn't matter”.
Vitamin D3 sulfate is a result of our defense against the high intensity Sun. Cholesterol and sulfate get together activated by the full spectrum of light and when the radiation starts to hit hard, the molecule of cholesterol sulfate springs into defense. It gets oxidized and turns into Vitamin D. We may look at it as a crippled version of cholesterol sulfate but it is not really,  because it carries valuable message from the sun. So evolutionary vitamin D transformed from a biochemical weakness into an informational strength.
This transformation occurs not only in our skin but everywhere in nature. Vitamin D became a transformer. It is used by nature to shape life - literally - it takes care of calcium metabolism which creates numerous sizes and shapes. But don’t you find it odd that only a certain part of the sun energy matters ( like UVB ) and the rest is just fluff?
I would go into a lot more free style thinking but I’ll lose credibility completely, so let me come back to science and add just a bit of imagination perhaps.

Cholesterol Sulfate -  The Real Deal

I heard about Cholesterol Sulfate from Dr. Stephanie Seneff -  a Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Her work made a colossal impression on me because she went into the same direction I subconsciously wanted to go and she did so in an intelligent and sense making way. I am fascinated about all of her findings and I give her all the credit for this particular article since it is based on her research and analysis.
Dr. Seneff suggests quite convincingly that cholesterol sulfate supplies oxygen, sulfur, cholesterol, energy and negative charge to the tissues. And that sulfate is synthesized from sulfide in our skin and bloodstream capturing the energy from sunlight and protecting from UV damage and microbes. She also explains how Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase (eNOS) makes it all happen.
To give you a richer taste of the significance of the “Cholesterol Sulfate” molecule I’ll look at its components separately.
Before I do I would like to repeat my usual: life is based on communication. When communication doesn't work I call it inflammation ( talking about health ) which is the base of all disease.

Cholesterol

From a philosophical perspective in order to communicate we need duality. We need to be separated from the whole. From a biological perspective in order to communicate we need a membrane. And cholesterol is what makes the membrane do its job of separating one water from another. Cholesterol defines the permeability ( fluidity ) of the membrane so the cell maintains its resting potential and the ability to handle signals. If you account for this accumulative effect you may also say that cholesterol defines gut permeability, skin permeability and the integrity of any other barrier. It is the glue that holds stuff together. For instance, it keeps the membranes of lysosomes tight so the garbage doesn't spill. Cholesterol is the essence of  communication.
Cholesterol is the chief substance in the myelin sheath that insulates the nervous system so there are no short circuits. It is directly related to thinking, learning and remembering.
Cholesterol is key for digestion - it is a precursor to bile acids ( emulsifying agents mixing fats and water together ).
Cholesterol is the mother of all steroid hormones, including glucocorticosteroids, mineralocorticoids and sex hormones. It helps in managing blood sugar, blood pressure, mineral balance and everything steroid hormones do ( and they do a lot ).
Cholesterol creates receptor sites on the membrane so the conversations are loud and clear.
Cholesterol is a powerful protector against invaders - bacteria, protozoa, fungi, worms, viruses etc. First by creating a shield in the skin, in the gut, in the membrane. Second as a part of a trojan horse system known as HDL ( high density lipoprotein ), third as an antioxidant.
Cholesterol handles glucose by building safe entrance points in the membrane called caveolae where the glucose can enter without interacting with important proteins ( damaging process known as glycation ).
So cholesterol is what you need to move, think and live.
The only problem - transportation. How is it going to be delivered to the proper place without getting damaged on the way? How is it going to swim through our waters when it is not water soluble?

Transportation

Ok, the conventional explanation of cholesterol metabolism is so illogical that it makes it hard for me to sleep. It bugs me to accept that after “Nature” understood that cholesterol is vital and invested in expensive equipment and ability of each cell in our body to produce it on its own, all of a sudden, decided to cancel independence and made the cell rely on a secondary bloodstream supply. Why?
One reason of course is that it is economical to get it from food. Yes, and this is not what I am wondering about because cholesterol could have been utilized a lot easier, a lot more like what the chylomicron does - deliver directly to the organs that need it the most ( heart, muscle and fat cells ). Why when we don’t get it from food we still produce and manage the bulk of it in the liver. Why be centralized when we can do it locally in the cell ( ER - endoplasmic reticulum produces cholesterol in the cell ) - it will save on traveling expenses and transportation infrastructure. The cell wouldn't need complicated calculations for what’s produced inside the cell and what needs to come from the bloodstream. There would be no risks or losses. And finally why the body produces extra amounts in certain cells like the fibroblasts ( cells in the skin ) and exports their cholesterol ( through HDL A1 ) to the liver in order to give it back to other cells which already have the equipment and are perfectly capable of producing it on their own.
Well,  “Nature” is a genius. I really believe this. Nature has chosen “Cholesterol Sulfate” to be the one to capture energy directly from the Sun. It does so in the most elegant way - it connects sulfate ( sulfur is the atom S and sulfate is the energy loaded molecule SO₄^-2 ) to cholesterol to bring in electrons, oxygen, water structure and membrane integrity all at the same time. If sun didn't exist and life didn't need an outside source of energy then this cholesterol governing would not make any sense.
I said nature is a genius so let me tell you how She plays.
The challenge is that cholesterol has to travel through water and it is not water soluble. So the body puts it in different floating containers (particles) to get it moving through the bloodstream and deliver it to the cells. While traveling, these containers get hit by microbes, free radicals, toxins, glucose.
Let’s have a look.
You've probably heard about LDL ( low density lipoprotein or LPP ) and HDL ( high density LPP ) and that it is good for you to have high HDL and low LDL. And that this is just a generic overview of a complicated delivery system.
Here are the main players from the biggest in size to the smallest:
Chylomicron is the biggest particle. It is produced in the gut. It holds digested fat and cholesterol and delivers them to the tissues ( mainly heart, liver and muscles ).
VLDL (very low density lipoprotein ) is produced in the liver and it carries fat, cholesterol, fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidants.
IDL is a bit smaller than VLDL and carries similar to VLDL goods in smaller amounts.
LDL  is remnant after VLDL has delivered most of its content. This is what is called “bad cholesterol “ because it is easy to attack.
oxLDL - this is LDL after being attacked and oxidized - the real  “bad guy”.
HDL - this is the smallest particle, which is very robust and reliable. It helps saving the cholesterol from the damaged oxLDL. It also destroys pathogens by setting up a trojan horse mechanism - inviting the intruder to eat it and then destroying it from inside. It is the “good guy”.
HDL - A1 - cells in the skin are major producers of cholesterol sulfate and major suppliers of cholesterol to HDL - A1. So this is the guy who loads the goods stuff and brings it to the liver so it can be further distributed.
B - HDL - this one is going specifically to the brain.
The thing to be noticed is that LDL is the fragile container that can be intercepted, rubbed and oxidized quite easily especially if there is a lot of glucose floating around.

How can we minimize the need of this carrier and transport cholesterol directly?

First that comes to mind is to increase dietary supply. The majority of the digested cholesterol goes through the chylomicron directly to the heart entering the bloodstream at the subclavian vein.
A second good idea is to control aggressive pathogens and excess sugar in order to minimize glycation, and inflammation.
Whatever we do if too much LDL particles start floating around there will be damage. “Too much LDL” means that the system can't deliver.

What happens when LDL is attacked and can’t go to the liver to recycle cholesterol?

Plaque is what happens. Dr. Seneff shows an interesting angle on what plaque really does. She describes it as an attempt from the immune system to save the cholesterol, refurbish it and send it to the heart. Yes, it might sound new to you but atherosclerosis is a protective mechanism.  Macrophages come to clear the garbage and salvage what’s left from the cholesterol then pass it on to the HDL which is thought to be the good guy because it brings cholesterol back to the liver but according to Dr. Seneff it is good because it delivers it to the platelets ( thrombocytes ). And as long as they have enough sulfate they will  turn the cholesterol into cholesterol sulfate which is desperately needed from the heart.  Macrophages die along the way which causes plaque. So in a way plaque is a survival strategy sacrificing the immune system soldiers, using inflammation to extract sulfate from homocysteine ( a marker of inflammation ) in order create cholesterol sulfate. A very bitter survival strategy indeed.

Why Cholesterol sulfate?

Get a load of this. Attaching sulfate to cholesterol creates a molecule which is both water soluble and fat soluble. And bang! All the cholesterol transportation problems are solved with one shot. No more excessive lipoproteins, no more high LDL, no more plaque, no more oxidation. The molecule travels like a ghost with no barriers - fast and effective. Once it gets inside the cell, it splits again - cholesterol goes to do its magic in the membranes and sulfate goes to the cytoplasm playing its part. No more glycation, no more inflammation, and no more oxygen leakage. The glucose metabolism runs smooth, cell energy is restored and sun is shining.
And all you need is Sun.
That’s right, you need sunlight to create Cholesterol Sulfate in the skin. By the way if you look at the molecule of Cholesterol Sulfate and Vitamin D3 Sulfate on paper, it will be very hard for you to tell the difference. Cholesterol Sulfate is the better looking guy in my opinion.
But wait, I haven’t told you the most interesting part yet!

Sulfate - the most important of them all!

Sulfur is the core element of the Iron-sulfur world theory which is a set of proposals for the origin of life, basically saying that sulfur made it possible to convert inorganic into organic matter, before photosynthesis was available. Sulfur is also a core element in the Gaia Theory which looks at earth as a single living, self-regulating system. Sulfur is the eighth most common element by mass in the human body and comes from the core of the Earth. The source of sulfur is volcanic rock. It is considered that we evolved in the African rift region, where volcanic eruptions were regular and sulfur was all over the place. So we've got a lot of sulfur background.
It is in the air, in the water, in the soil, in our food - or at least it is supposed to be. Problem is, we messed it up. We purified the air, filtered the water, depleted the soil, and processed the food. We further blocked sulfur absorption through chemicals and heavy metals such as the active ingredient in Monsanto's roundup - glyphosate; or aluminum - present in vaccines , sunscreens, antiperspirants, antacids; or mercury from mouth fillings to food and water. And now we look at sulfur as a healing mineral that kills pain and inflammation and we take it as a supplement (MSM and DMSO will be discussed in an upcoming article ).  
Sulfur is a very flexible molecule. It can go through a variety of oxidative states, it can play with a wide range of electrons - from +6 in the sulfate to - 2 in hydrogen sulfide. And as I described in my earthing series the flow of electrons is the most critical marker of communication and energy flow. In this respect I find that the sulfate radical ( + 6 ) can do a lot of good against inflammation. It can be used by the body to counteract the negative glycation effects from the glucose and to normalize the entire glucose metabolism. It keeps the negative charge in the blood ( zeta potential ) which creates a perfect blood fluidity. It captures free electrons from the environment and manages oxygen. It builds healthy blood vessel walls and the extracellular matrix of all cells. It takes sun energy directly and puts it to work. And if this isn't a miracle, I don’t know what is.

How do we make Sulfate?

We need sulfur as an energy receiver and SUNLIGHT as an energy generator. The sulfur - sunlight interaction creates Sulfate (SO₄^-2 ) in the skin which contains four oxygen molecules. It then distributes the energy throughout the body. So in a way our skin acts as a solar panel capturing solar energy through sulfate.

Remember when I said that cholesterol keeps our membranes healthy so we can communicate. Well, sulfate does the same. It structures water in a very delicate way. It jells it so it can store electrons and create a water matrix. ( In his book  "The fourth phase of water" prof. Gerald Pollock talks about “exclusion zones” in which sulfate helps protect the cell walls from leaking ). Imagine your cell was liquid instead of a cytoplasmic jello. Imagine you don’t get enough cholesterol and your membranes start leaking. You are going to leak all out! That’s why we’ve got sulfate.
You may say that cholesterol draws the borders and sulfate fixates the stuff around them.
This is what makes it so difficult. Similar to cholesterol, sulfate can’t travel by itself. If it does it is going to jell your blood ( sort of what glyphosate does - the active ingredient  in “Roundup” ). Sulfate, like cholesterol needs transportation. It needs Cholesterol Sulfate. It mounts the sulfate on the back of cholesterol and kills two birds with one stone. It is the most successful biochemical marriage I have seen.
It is not the only one though. Sulfate connects to numerous other biomolecules such as sulfated glycosaminoglycans (  chondroitin - 6 - sulfate, keratan sulfate, heparan sulfate, heparin ), steroid sulfates, phenol sulfates, tyrosine ( tyrosine sulfation ), bilirubin sulfate, arylamine sulfates, choline sulfate ( in lichens, fungi, and marine algae ), sulfolipids.
Here is a thought out of the blue: I think that blood represents life perfectly. It is the most dynamic, ever changing system. And if you look at its acid–base balance you’ll see that the body is using everybody else to keep its blood in range ( ph 7.35 - 7.45 ). It is the primary organ. To be able to flow and carry oxygen safely, the blood needs sulfate. It uses sulfate to keep its negative charge and to build the glycocalyx. Glycocalyx is the thick layer of attached glycosaminoglycans that line along the artery wall keeping the blood from seeping into the tissues. Sulfate pairs with sodium in the bloodstream to stabilize the blood. The blood ( especially the red blood cells RBC ) hand off cholesterol sulfate to the tissues through the capillaries. Muscles and neurons then are able to process glucose in the caveolae of the their membranes, using ferrous sulfate in order to convert glucose to pyruvate. To transport glucose to the mitochondria the cell uses insulin but its message would not go through to call GLUT4 unless we have hydrogen peroxide which gets its electrons from sulfate. This way sulfate protects the cell’s proteins from glycation damage. Sulfate also gives oxygen to the myoglobin in the muscle cells ( or alpha-synuclein in neurons ), which passes electrons to the mitochondria ( so there is no oxygen leakage ). When there isn’t enough cholesterol sulfate to support this process the muscle cells become insulin resistant.
Giving away the oxygen in the caveolae converts sulfate into hydrogen sulfide which is then readily taken by the mitochondria to produce ATP and create thiosulfate as a result. To complete the cycle the thiosulfate is taken by eNOS and converted into two free sulfate molecules. So to simplify the circle - hydrogen sulfide is oxidized to sulfate in the skin upon sun exposure and then is reduced back to sulfide in the caveolae of the muscles and neurons by the glucose.
So when sulfate is deficient the blood grabs it from elsewhere - heart, brain, liver, joints ( causing atherosclerosis, autism, Alzheimers, arthritis...).
Deficiency occurs not only when we don’t have enough sulfur or cholesterol but  when we can’t transport them. It happens when we don’t get enough sunlight. If we lack all three components, the body switches to a weaker nitrogen-based oxygen transport system - nitric oxide. NO gives only two electrons instead of eight, but it doesn’t rely on cholesterol. When nitrogen gets depleted the body switches to carbon dioxide and develops serious illnesses ( I will follow this thought in an upcoming article ).

Food sources of sulfur

It is interesting how well nature has combined cholesterol rich foods with sulfur. All animal products contain plenty of methionine and cysteine which are the two sulfur containing amino acids. The best sources are eggs, liver, fish, shellfish, inner organs. The only source I know that contains cholesterol sulfate ( the already activated combination ) is raw milk ( pasteurization kills the sulfate ). Important nutritional elements taking part in sulfate formation are also present in all of these foods - zinc, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, cobalt and iron.
Fish and shellfish contain the most taurine. Taurine is the only sulfonated amino acid and it is indeed a storage of sulfate. It is not essential and it doesn’t participate in protein molecules ( exists mainly in free form ) but it seems that our body uses it extensively in times of stress and intoxication. It stores huge amounts of it in the heart, the brain and the liver. Taurine unfortunately does not exist in any plant food which is bad news for the vegans.
Vegan’s best choice is garlic, onions, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts ( the whole cruciferous family ) and their fermented variations ( especially sauerkraut ). All of them have plenty of sulfane sulfur which can be turned into sulfate by the blood ( please note that the problem with insufficient dietary cholesterol supply remains ).
You might be delighted to learn that beer and especially homebrewed or craft beer ( properly fermented with no masking agents, pasteurization and preservatives ) is a wonderful source of sulfur containing compounds. Another top contender is the bone broth. When cooked gently it becomes a rich sulfate symphony, including chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine sulfate.
The best way to deliver sulfate, in my opinion, is through the skin. Even more so when your gut is inflamed. Sulfur hot springs is who I am voting for. If you find this inconvenient, don’t worry, Epsom Salts ( Magnesium Sulfate ) is a low cost smart alternative. I use Epsom Salts everyday to help recover from heavy training. I spray them over my skin after I take a shower (mix a couple of spoons in a bottle of water and put a sprayer on ). This way I get sulfate together with magnesium directly to my tissues.

The bottom line

This is a story about the Sun, Sulfur and Cholesterol. A story I call “Sunny Holy Trinity” because of its profound healing power. I believe that the “Trinity” deficiency is the primary reason for inflammation and chronic disease.
The good news is that the cure is simple - eat your cholesterol and sulfur rich foods, minimize sugar intake, and get outside no matter what day it is. If the sun can’t go through your skin it will find its way through your eyes.