What
is Vitamin D and Why is It Important?
Vitamins
are nutrients that the body needs that it can't make on its own.
Vitamin D3 is unique, because the body has the ability to produce the
nutrient naturally, but most people still don't get enough of it.
The human
body can produce its own Vitamin D using two primary ingredients:
Cholesterol and Sunlight. Vitamin D is actually a steroid hormone, in
the same category as other hormones such as Testosterone, Cortisol,
and Estrogen. Vitamin D is important because it protects the body
from a number of medical conditions, and it also has a strong impact
on our genetic expression. Vitamin D is incredibly important for the
body to function properly, encouraging optimal health and wellness.
Vitamin
D Deficiency Common Throughout the World
Scientists
have understood the importance of Vitamin D for decades, but new
research continues to unearth new benefits, showing that the nutrient
is vitally important for both preventing premature aging and
softening the effects of the aging process itself. Even though our
body does have the capacity to create its own Vitamin D, there are
millions upon millions across the world that experience negative
effects directly as a result of Vitamin D Deficiency.
This isn't
just a 3rd world problem either, Vitamin D Deficiency is a major
problem in America and across the world. Medical research has shown
than if everyone on earth got the Vitamin D that they needed
throughout their lives, the risk of various forms of cancers would
drop by 50%!
How
Does Sunlight Produce Vitamin D?
Like the
vast majority of mammals, humans can produce their own Vitamin D3 as
long as they expose themselves to sufficient sunlight. This is an
effective way for most people to get sufficient Vitamin D, at least
until around the fifties. The problem with this method is that too
much exposure to ultraviolet light can lead to an increased incidence
of skin cancer, and it also prematurely ages the skin. Because of
these two reasons, most medical professionals and nutritionists
advise against getting Vitamin D primarily through sunlight, and
recommend Vitamin D supplements as a safer and healthier alternative.
When
was Vitamin D Discovered?
The
scientific name for Vitamin D3 is Cholecalciferol, and it is
undeniably important for optimal health. Like most complex nutrients,
Vitamin D was not discovered until just over one hundred years ago,
when physicians were attempting to discover a useful medical
treatment for rickets, which is a dangerous bone disease that
commonly affected pediatric patients.
Vitamin
D and Rickets
The
disease began to reach epidemic levels in the 19th century, in the
heart of the Industrial Revolution. During this period, agricultural
economies across the western world quickly converted from farming
work to factory work, and everyone, even children, began to work in
dark factories, away from sunlight. These factories were poorly lit
and dirty, and major industrial cities quickly became highly
polluted, diminishing the influence of sunshine, even outdoors.
Medical
scientists discovered that men, women, and children that lived and
worked in sunshine were at significantly less risk of rickets than
those that lived in industrial cities or cloudy cities further north.
Using this demographic evidence, doctors were able to deduce that
rickets was caused by a lack of sunlight, and they also found that a
prescription of cod liver oil could safeguard the patient completely
from the disease. Via this cure, physicians were able to prove that
Vitamin D deficiency was a condition of deficiency, rather than a
disease caused by a bacterium or virus. Although it would be years
before researchers discovered Vitamin D, effective treatment via
supplementation was already discovered.
How
Common is Vitamin D Deficiency?
Even
today, Vitamin D deficiency is still remarkably common. A French
study demonstrated that fourteen percent of adults were suffering
from exceptionally low Vitamin D levels. In another piece of
research, it was discovered that more than forty percent of
physicians that did not take Vitamin D supplements had clinically low
levels of Vitamin D by the last days of winter. Physicians that did
supplement their natural Vitamin D production over the course of the
winter only experienced Vitamin D Deficiency at a rate of around ten
percent.
Vitamin
D Deficiency Easily Prevented
Based on
the history of Vitamin D, it is crystal clear that Vitamin D
Deficiency is a significant medical condition. Even though this
condition is highly preventable, there are millions across America
that don't get the Vitamin D that they need. Rickets may be the most
obvious symptom of Vitamin D Deficiency, but there are many other
issues related to the condition as well. As mentioned earlier,
Vitamin D Deficiency can cause the body to age more quickly.
The
vitamin also has significant anti-inflammatory benefits as well, and
the nutrient also impacts psychological health and can reduce the
effects of depression. There is even strong evidence that Vitamin D
can enhance the human lifespan and even increase the longevity of the
neurons in the nervous system and the brain.
Vitamin
D Benefits
The
following is just a short list of the benefits of Vitamin D3:
Osteoporosis
is one of the most life-changing issues faced by aging women, which
significantly increases frailty and the danger of experiencing bone
fractures and breaks. The most dangerous of these breaks is hip
fracture, which severely increases mortality among aging patients.
In one piece of research, financed by the Women's Health Initiative,
it was discovered that older female patients taking both calcium
carbonate and Vitamin D3 supplements experienced twelve percent
fewer fractures of the hip than patients in the control group. The
dose which produced these benefits was 800 IU daily.
Vitamin
D3 is an integral nutrient which protects the health of the immune
system, and helps the body ward off a wide variety of diseases. Each
of the active cells of your immune system have receptors for Vitamin
D, and there is clear evidence that Vitamin D deficiency impairs the
body's resistance to infection and boosts the chances of symptoms of
a number of autoimmune disorders.
In
particular, Vitamin D is effective and protecting the respiratory
system from viral infection. Patients with Vitamin D Deficiency are
more likely to come down with the flu, and are also more likely to
become a victim of tuberculosis. Deficiency also impacts the
severity of both diseases.
There
is a growing body of evidence that suggests that Vitamin D has the
ability to prevent cancer cells from proliferating. Although it is
true that excessive exposure to sunlight increases the chances of
experiencing skin cancer, there are many types of cancer that are
mitigated by sunlight therapy which enhances Vitamin D synthesis.
Among the types of cancer which sunlight therapy proves beneficial
include cancers of the kidneys, pancreas, and small intestine, as
well as myeloma and Hodgkin's lymphoma. Vitamin D Supplementation
and sun exposure are also valid aspects of the treatment of
prostate, rectal, stomach, uterine, bladder, colon, and cancer of
the vulva.
Vitamin
D Supplementation also reduces the risk of both Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's Disease, although the connection is not yet fully
understood. In one survey, fifty-five percent of patients with
Parkinson's Disease experienced Vitamin D Deficiency, and over forty
percent of Alzheimer's patients experienced a similar deficiency.
Vitamin
D supplements also prove beneficial for patients with Multiple
Sclerosis. Patients treated with Vitamin D were more able to walk
and engage in daily activities. They also had fewer lesions.
Patients with Vitamin D Deficiency are also more likely to
experience Multiple Sclerosis relapses. There is demographic
evidence that people that live closer to the equator are less likely
to experience Multiple Sclerosis, which also suggests a strong
connection between Vitamin D and the condition itself.
How to
Get Enough Vitamin D
The most
obvious way to make sure you get sufficient Vitamin D is to make sure
you get a reasonable amount of sunlight each day. It's important to
be cautious when utilizing this natural method, however. Spend no
more than fifteen minutes in unscreened, direct sunlight. More has
been shown to increase the risk of experiencing skin cancer.
We
recommend getting in direct sunlight around 5-10 minutes three times
per week. You don't have to walk around with your shirt off, however.
Sunlight exposure to your face, hands, and arms should be sufficient
to provide for optimal Vitamin D Synthesis.
Vitamin
D Boosting Foods
You can
also increase your body's capacity for Vitamin D if you consume
particular foods. Fatty fish are some of the best options, and they
include sardines, mackerel, salmon, tuna, catfish, and eel. If you
don't eat meat, some of the best sources include egg yolks and
fortified foods such as milk, cheese, and cereal.
How
Much Vitamin D Do I Need?
Different
groups have different recommendations for optimal Vitamin D
supplementation. The International Osteoporosis Foundation suggests
800-1000 IU of Vitamin D per day, and the U.S. Institute of Medicine
suggests 600 IU of Vitamin D for individuals up to seventy years of
age, and 800 IU for older men and women.
It's in
your best interest to take the maximum daily recommendation that you
find from a respected source, because Vitamin D has a very low
toxicity. It is considered dangerous to take 10,000 IU daily for
three months, or 300,000 IU in a single day, far above any
recommended dose. When taking any supplement, it's important to
understand that too much of even the most beneficial medication can
be harmful to your health.
Vitamin
D: An Easy Way to Safeguard Your Health and Enhance Longevity!
Unlike
pharmaceuticals, Vitamin D is a natural nutrient. It's absolutely
vital to your health, and you have the ability to make it on your own
in the presence of sunlight. We need the vitamin all throughout our
lives, and our need for supplementation grows as our body becomes
less efficient at naturally producing the nutrient. Luckily, it's
cheap and easy to get all the Vitamin D you need to maximize your
vitality and minimize the associated health risks!
References
Aranow, C. "Vitamin D and the immune system." Journal of
Investigative Medicine. 2011 Aug;59(6):881-6
Evatt, M.L., et al. "Prevalence of Vitamin D Insufficiency in
Patients With Parkinson Disease and Alzheimer Disease." Archives of
Neurology 2008; 65(10):1348-1352
Holick, M.F. "Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention
of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease."
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2004 December; 80(6
Supplement):1678S-88S
Jackson RD, et al. "Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and the
risk of fractures." New England Journal of Medicine.
2006;354:669-83
Mohr, S.B. "A brief history of vitamin D and cancer prevention."
Annals Epidemio. 2009 Feb; 19(2):79-83.
Regulska M, et al. "Involvement of PI3-K in neuroprotective effects
of the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 analogue - PRI-2191." Pharmacology
Reports. 2006 Nov; 58:6,900-907
Rejnmark, L., et al. "Vitamin D with Calcium Reduces Mortality:
Patient Level Pooled Analysis of 70,528 Patients from Eight Major
Vitamin D Trials." Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and
Metabolism. 2012 May 17
Schleithoff S.S., et al. "Vitamin D supplementation improves
cytokine profiles in patients with congestive heart failure: a
double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial." American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2006 Apr; 83:4, 754-759
Tangpricha V, Pearce EN, et al. "Vitamin D insufficiency among
free-living healthy young adults." American Journal of Medicine
2002; 112:659-62
Vitamin D Council, "Am I getting too much Vitamin D?",
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/am-i-getting-too-much-vitamin-d/,
retrieved 22 March, 2014
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