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Just How Important Is Vitamin D?Scott Kustes on 13 Nov 2008 11:00 am

Today, were going to discuss vitamin D and its importance in the body.

What Is Vitamin D?Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Because the body can create its own vitamin D, it istechnically not a vitamin, but a pro-hormone, a precursor to the hormones the body needsto function. Vitamin D has no active role in the body other than to be converted to usablehormones by the liver and kidneys.This vitamin (well stick with vitamin since thats how its known commonly) is responsiblefor maintaining blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, growing bone, and shoring up theimmune system. Lets have a look at a few of the issues that are caused by a vitamin Ddeficiency.

What If I Dont Get Enough Vitamin D?Extreme deficiency of vitamin D during childhood results in a diseaseknown as rickets. However, the importance of vitamin D in bone healthdoesnt end in childhood. In adulthood, the bone softening

diseasesosteomalacia and osteoporosis have been associated with lowvitamin D status. In fact, the Nurses Health Study found that vitaminD did more for bone health than did calcium.But aside from the bones, how does vitamin D protect your health?Well, for starters, it appears to protect the brain againstboth Parkinsons andAlzheimers.

These data support a possible role of vitamin D insufficiency inPD [Parkinson's Disease]. Further studies are needed todetermine the factors contributing to these differences andelucidate the potential role of vitamin D in pathogenesis and clinical course of PD.

The results showed that vitamin D elicited a two-fold increase in nerve growth factormRNA in both the hippocampus and cortex, suggesting a possible role in thetreatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimers disease.

It looks like it also helps protect against some skin infections:

A study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School ofMedicine suggests that use of oral Vitamin D supplements bolsters production of aprotective chemical normally found in the skin, and may help prevent skin infectionsthat are a common result of atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema.

Rheumatoid Arthritis? Yeah, it handles that too.

Both dietary and supplemental vitamin D intake were inversely linked withrheumatoid arthritis risk, the authors found. High dietary (at least 290 IU/day) andsupplemental (at least 400 IU/day) intake were associated with 28 percent and 34percent reductions, respectively, in the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

Hows this for irony? Vitamin D protects against skin cancer.

The results of the current study demonstrate that much of the geographic variation in

cancer mortality rates in the U.S. can be attributed to variations in solar UV-Bradiation exposure. Thus, many lives could be extended through increased carefulexposure to solar UV-B radiation and more safely, vitamin D3 supplementation,especially in nonsummer months.

And heres an interesting finding: Vitamin D may be protective against radiation.

Writing in the International Journal of Low Radiation, Hayes explains that calcitriol,the active form of vitamin D, may protect us from background radiation and could beused as a safe protective agent before or after a low-level nuclear incident.

http://www.modernforager.com/blog/2008/11/13/just-how-important-is-vitamin-d/http://www.modernforager.com/blog/author/admin/http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000376.htmhttp://www.channing.harvard.edu/nhs/newsletters/pdfs/n2004.pdfhttp://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/65/10/1348http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2003/apr2003_report_vitd_02.htmlhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006130503.htmhttp://arthritis.battlingforhealth.com/2008/01/vitamin-d-against-rheumatoid-arthritis/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/91016211/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081107143847.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081107143847.htmhttp://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/91016211/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0http://arthritis.battlingforhealth.com/2008/01/vitamin-d-against-rheumatoid-arthritis/http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006130503.htmhttp://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2003/apr2003_report_vitd_02.htmlhttp://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/65/10/1348http://www.channing.harvard.edu/nhs/newsletters/pdfs/n2004.pdfhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000376.htmhttp://www.modernforager.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/rickets.jpghttp://www.modernforager.com/blog/author/admin/http://www.modernforager.com/blog/2008/11/13/just-how-important-is-vitamin-d/

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This is all just the tip of the iceberg too. Congestive heart failure, numerous cancers,Multiple Sclerosis, Type I Diabetes, and high blood pressure have also been linked to lowlevels of vitamin D.

Where Can I Find Vitamin D?For humans, there are two ways of getting vitamin D. The body cancreate vitamin D in the skin when it is hit with UVB radiation. Orthe body can get vitamin D from dietary sources. Ultimatelyhowever, all vitamin D in the food-chain begins with some action ofan organism with sunlight. So obviously, the first place you canturn to get some vitamin D action going on is the source of the UVBrays that help the plant and animal kingdoms make the vitamin inthe first place. A little sunlight isnt going to cause skin cancer. Recall above that vitamin Ddeficiency actually predisposes one to skin cancer. Of course, thats not freedom to gosunbathe for hours on end.Dietary Vitamin D Sources

So if you are either scared of the sun or live much above the sub-tropical zones, its goingto be hard to get enough vitamin D from the sun. Luckily, there are some rich sources ofthe vitamin that fit perfectly into a lifestyle ofeating real foods.

Cod liver oil - 1tsp, 450IU

Salmon, cooked, 3 1/2 oz: 360 IU

Mackerel, cooked, 3 1/2 oz: 345 IU

Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 3 1/2 oz: 270 IU

Pork lard, 1 tbsp - 140IU

Beef Liver, cooked, 3.5oz - 30IU

Whole Egg - 25IU

An important thing to note on the fish though is that farmed fish is less likely to have thoselevels of vitamin D. Wild fish live on algae and other fish, which at the base of the food

chain live on algae. Farmed fish live on grains and other such unnatural food.Of course, I dont typically advocate focusing on a single vitamin at the expense of others,and this one is no exception. But if youre eating real foods and getting some sunlight inyour life, you probably have little to worry about. Notice that a single teaspoon of cod liveroil gets you the recommended amount of vitamin D for two days. So its really not that hardto meet your vitamin needs when you eat foods that are naturally rich in vitamins.

How Much Vitamin D Do I Need?There is technically no RDA for vitamin D as there is insufficientevidence to establish one. However, there are guidelines to give anAdequate Intake. They are:

Ages 19-50: 200 International Units (IU)

Ages 51-69: 400 IU Age 70 and older: 600 IU

Its theoretically possible to overdose on vitamin D, but with natural sources of the vitamin,its unlikely. In the winter months, adding a teaspoon of cod liver oil to your diet can ensurethat your sunless existence doesnt lower your vitamin D intake.EDIT: I want to add more information about optimal vitamin D intake. The above amountsare basically the RDA, which we all know are extreme low-level amounts to merely avoid

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gross deficiency. Much, much higher amounts can be taken to ensure vitamin D status ismaintained at a sufficient level.In his post How Much Vitamin D Should I Take?, Dr. William Davis recommends a bloodlevel of D3 of 60-70 ng/ml and recommends getting as much D3 as is required to achievesuch a level. That means getting out in the sun and letting the body make its own vitamin Das it is designed to do. Of course, to understand your current vitamin D level, you must

have an inexpensive test run by your doctor. Here is part of Annas comment below to helpyou understand what test to get:

The test for the amount of Vit D3 stored in the body is called 25 (OH) D. It isincreasingly common to have it ordered by primary care physicians (not the 1,25(OH) D test; it isnt the right level to test. Even if your doctor doesnt offer Vit Dtesting, you may find they will order it without a problem if you ask; mine did. Its asimple blood test.

Given all of the issues resulting from a lack of vitamin D, does it seem a good idea toslather every inch of your skin with sunscreen before walking to your car?http://www.modernforager.com/blog/2008/11/13/just-how-important-is-vitamin-d/

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