Register

Paul McNally@paul_mcnally_TikTok

We also supplement vitamin D due to not seeing sunlight for months.

original sound — @paul_mcnally_

what it claims

Extreme, prolonged sun deprivation — like months aboard a nuclear submarine — is exactly the scenario where routine vitamin D supplementation makes real sense: several studies on submarine crews (Royal Navy, US Navy) show levels drop markedly within weeks without it.

holds up

Source: several published studies on submarine crews (Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, Royal Navy; a 1988 US Navy research report; Occupational & Environmental Medicine).

noli's read

Source: several published studies on submarine crews (Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, Royal Navy; a 1988 US Navy research report; Occupational & Environmental Medicine). Evidence type: controlled trials with blood testing before and after patrol. These converge on the same picture: without supplementation, vitamin D levels drop 17-40% over a 2-3 month patrol with no natural light, while daily supplementation (1000-2400 IU/day across studies) markedly blunts or prevents that decline. This is one of the cleanest examples of a population with genuinely zero sun exposure over an extended period, unlike most sweeping claims that "everyone is low on vitamin D." The post, anecdotal in form (a submariner's life story rather than health content), lands on a solidly documented point. Direction: causal, controlled trials with direct blood measurement.

the sources

Claimed by Paul McNally. Noli grades the claim, never the person.

Decoded by Noli · August 3, 2026 · the original post

What the graded evidence says

Effect: CVD/cancer prevention in replete adults (VITAL) — no significant reduction
Measured on: VITAL: 25,871 adults

Great for correcting a deficiency; weak as a general preventive if you're already replete.

Paul McNally in the Register1 claims gradedSee their record →

Others on this

The buzz from a Monster Energy comes almost entirely from its caffeine (and the sugar riding along with it) — the taurine and the B-vitamin megadoses on the can don't add a proven benefit beyond that.

mixedscience.snitch

For women in their 20s: four basics are enough — omega-3, vitamin D3, magnesium glycinate, and a quality probiotic — rather than 15 supplements.

mixedThebiohackingrn

Vitamin C is a well-documented, essential cofactor for collagen synthesis (it activates the enzymes that stabilize its structure); gelatin supplies the basic amino acids (glycine, proline, hydroxyproline). The biochemistry behind this recipe holds up — what isn't directly measured is the visible effect on 'skin glow.'

mixedAnton Closmain

Noli has read similar claims

Other advice in the Register that leans on the same research.

For women in their 20s: four basics are enough — omega-3, vitamin D3, magnesium glycinate, and a quality probiotic — rather than 15 supplements.

mixedThebiohackingrn

Dr. Gominak's theory — that low vitamin D disrupts the gut microbiome, which then stops making enough B vitamins, which then breaks sleep — comes from a single practitioner who herself acknowledges the mechanism hasn't been confirmed by other research teams: an interesting lead, not (yet) established evidence.

not provenThe Diary Of A CEO

The idea that you'd need 8895 IU of vitamin D per day comes from a real paper (Veugelers & Ekwaru, 2014) that did spot a statistical error in the official calculation — but its own authors present that number as an extrapolation to read with caution, not a dose to follow: it far exceeds the 4000 IU/day safety ceiling that every body which re-examined the question still upholds.

overstatedDr. Eric Berg DC

Noli, a firefly holding its lantern, at rest

Seen something like this? Send it to Noli.

Paste any health post from TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or X — or the advice itself, if someone just told you. About ten seconds, no account needed.