GULF BREEZE, FL – After launching a nationwide infomercial in select test markets, Bob Barefoot, known as “Mr. Coral Calcium” is seeing a tremendous response to his message and his offer for “Free Vitamin D for Life”.

Barefoot says that Vitamin D3 is a critical nutrient that the vast majority of us are not getting enough of.  He reports that after the medical industry (led mainly by Dermatologists) initiated a nationwide scare some 30-40 years ago, warning us to avoid the sun, we saw a major increase in Vitamin D deficiency.  Most of us know that Vitamin D helps build strong, healthy bones.  But Barefoot tells us that’s only a very small part of the story; explaining its role for cell function, brain development, and overall good health and disease prevention.

Recent studies conducted by top medical institutes as well as the US Government show that Vitamin D3 can actually help ward off a host of diseases.  In a recent article published on the US Government’s National Center for Biotechnology Information website states: “There is enough evidence that severe deficiency of vitamin D may lead to skeletal and nonskeletal disease. Both children and adolescents seem to be in high risk of low vitamin D status especially during winter. Having a diet higher in calcium and vitamin D as well as oral supplementation with vitamin D may be necessary for children and adolescents not only in the absence of sun exposure in winter time but also in preventing other diseases such as diabetes type 1, cancer and cardiovascular disease.”

Bob points out that when our skin is exposed to natural sunlight, the penetrating UVB rays generate huge amounts of vitamin D; as much as 50,000 international units (IU) in as little as 30 minutes.  But most of us do not get enough sunlight or exposure on a regular basis, to guarantee we’re producing enough Vitamin D3.  He also states that the vitamin D in our foods is usually Vitamin D2, which is not useable by our bodies.  So that leaves supplements to pick up the slack.

Bob Barefoot has been selling “coral calcium”, calcium derived from the coral reefs in Okinawa, Japan, and promoting its health benefits as well as researching the link between calcium and vitamin D for many years.  In the recent infomercial, where he’s interviewed by Kim Estes, he offer’s viewers bottles of “Barefoot Free Vitamin D3” with 90 tablets each containing 2000 IU of Vitamin D3.  The vitamin D is free and his callers pay only a very small shipping and handling charge.

Barefoot routed all the calls to his Navarre, Florida call center which is managed by BarefootAndHealthy.com.  Owner Brad Riley reported that the response to the infomercial was overwhelming and tells us:  “With the recent press and media concerning the importance of Vitamin D and calcium, I feel that we’re clearly in a position to help America become healthy again, and then help the world!”

Watch the Infomercial

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Asthma

Study Shows Asthmatic Kids With Vitamin D Insufficiency Have Poorer Lung Function

By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

March 3, 2010 (New Orleans) — Many children with asthma have low blood levels of vitamin D, and the insufficiency seems to place them at risk for more severe disease.

In a study of 99 kids with asthma, 47% had vitamin D insufficiency. Compared with children with normal levels of vitamin D levels, those with vitamin D insufficiency:

* Had poorer lung function
* Had higher levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), an immune system protein the body makes in response to allergens that tells you the likelihood that you’re allergic
* Were more likely to need inhaled and oral steroid medications to reduce airway inflammation and mucus production
* Were more likely to need long-acting beta-agonist drugs that relax muscles in the lung’s airways, improving a patient’s ability to breathe freely and reducing asthma symptoms.

Further studies in the lab showed that vitamin D has an anti-inflammatory effect on cells and enhances the activity of inhaled steroids.

About 21 million Americans suffer from asthma, which is caused by inflammation and swelling of the airways. The inflammation, in turn, can cause excessive mucus production and narrowing of the airways, resulting in asthma symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing.

The findings were presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology annual meeting.

The study doesn’t prove cause and effect. And it’s not clear whether low vitamin D causes more severe asthma that requires treatment or whether more severe asthma lowers vitamin D levels, says study researcher Daniel A. Searing, MD, of National Jewish Health in Denver.

Also still unknown is whether vitamin D supplements would improve asthma control and lower the need for medication, he tells WebMD.

Still, a number of studies now suggest that low vitamin D levels are associated with allergies and asthma, says James Gern, MD, vice chair of the committee that chose which studies to highlight at the meeting and professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

If a person has vitamin D insufficiency, “we need to correct it anyway. So it will be interesting to see if the supplements help improve asthma symptoms,” he tells WebMD. Gern was not involved with the work.

In the study, vitamin D insufficiency was defined as levels below 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood.

A daily dose of Bob’s Best Vitamin D3 (5000 iu) provides the human body with the positive benefits of exposure to natural sunlight, without the reported potential risk associated with exposure to UV Rays.