Do you realize that over 90% of all diseases could be prevented with four things? These four include exercise, stress management, a healthy diet/nutrition program and sunlight. Vitamin D is produced endogenously when our skin is exposed to ultraviolet rays from sunlight. Vitamin D is a true steroid with first order, mass action kinetics. It’s more than just a “vitamin.” Its metabolic product, called calcitriol, is a secosteroid hormone that impacts over 2,000 genes in your body, according to the Vitamin D Council.
We’re consistently told to stay out of the sun, to wear hats and cover ourselves with sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. By following this advice, our levels of vitamin D are significantly reduced causing vitamin D deficiency. Millions of people are, and will develop serious diseases because their vitamin D levels are too low.
Although sunlight is important to vitamin D synthesis, it’s important to limit excessive exposure of your skin to sunlight because UV radiation is a carcinogen when in excess can cause skin cancer and melanoma. Exposure to small amounts of sunlight, 20-30 minutes daily, is essential for optimal health.
Did you know? According to a study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, 70% of Caucasian and 97% of African-Americans in the U.S. have insufficient blood levels of vitamin D.
In the journal Anticancer Research, scientists have reported that most people need a much higher intake of vitamin D. Doing so could decrease your risk of serious illness, including cancer, by 50 percent!
- There is a direct association between skin aging and vitamin D 25(OH)D levels.
- A study in the March 2010 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed a link between vitamin D levels and the accumulation of fat in muscle tissue, which is important for muscle strength.
- The New England Journal of Medicine states that 50% of critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are deficient in vitamin D.
- 1 of every 7 teenagers in the U.S. is deficient in vitamin D. Overweight teens are 2x as likely to be deficient as teenagers of healthy weight. Girls had twice the risk of boys.
- Low vitamin D levels reduce muscle power and force in adolescent girls.
- During pregnancy, vitamin D deficiency may increase chances of elevated blood pressure and diabetes in mothers and weakened bones in their offspring.
- Vitamin D deficiency is a serious problem among the elderly in the U.S Americans aged 50 and older are at increased risk of developing vitamin D insufficiency. As people age, their skin cannot synthesize vitamin D as efficiently and the kidneys are less able to convert vitamin D to its active hormone form.
- Older women who skimp on vitamin D rich foods (fatty fish) are more likely to develop breast cancer, according to Frank Garland, Ph.D. of the Department of Community and Family Medicine at UCSD.
- Higher serum 25-OH Vitamin D levels are associated with LONGER WBC telomere length and lower C-reactive protein levels in women. The exact mechanism of action is unknown, but it is thought that vitamin D's ability to attenuate the pro-inflammatory response helps prevent telomere attrition. Longer telomere length may delay the onset of age-related chronic disease.
- Vitamin D helps to increase testosterone levels according to a study published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.
- People with the lowest blood levels of vitamin D have more colds and cases of the flu.
- Vitamin D levels are inversely associated with depression in women aged 50 and older
Why is Vitamin D so important?
- Immune system regulator - the higher your vitamin D level, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu, and other respiratory tract infections. We often think of vitamin C for colds, however low vitamin D levels are associated with decreased immune function and an increase in mortality.
- Do you want to protect yourself from getting the flu? Instead of a toxic flu shot, be consistent with Bio D Mulsion Forte, zinc and 600 mg. N-acetyl cysteine 2x/day.
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- Reduce your risk of Cancer. Vitamin D can reduce 78% of all cancers! It was found to significantly decrease PSA levels in 20% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
- Vitamin D is important for the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous, which is required for healthy bones and prevention of osteoporosis. Vitamin D is a synergist to calcium and magnesium.
- Optimal vitamin D levels reduce your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, Multiple sclerosis and cancer. Deficiency is particularly common in those with inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.
- Research from the Medical College of Georgia revealed that vitamin D is linked to maintaining a healthy body weight and helps prevent obesity.
- Vitamin D helps the body control calcium levels. When the body is deficient in either vitamin D or calcium, there is an increase in the enzyme, fatty acid synthase, which converts calories into fat. Lack of vitamin D causes more calories to be stored as body fat, particularly in the abdominal region.
- Vitamin D plays a key role in brain function later in life.
Risks and conditions that cause vitamin D deficiency:
- Being of African-American decent; people with dark skin
- Cloud cover or living farther away from the equator
- Digestive dysfunction that limits absorption – some people’s digestive tract cannot absorb vitamin D due to medical problems such as Celiac disease, cystic fibrosis and Crohn’s disease.
- Inadequate sunlight exposure and sunscreen use. Your body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed (without sunscreen) to sunlight. Our ability to absorb vitamin D from the sunlight diminishes as we age.
- Insufficient intake from foods and/or supplements. This especially applies to those following a strict vegetarian diet because vitamin D is highest in egg yolks, beef liver, wild fish and Bio D Mulsion Forte.
- Kidney, liver and gallbladder dysfunction/disorders
- Medications: prednisone, cholesterol-lowering drugs, seizure meds. Several drugs increase the risk for and severity of vitamin D insufficiency including:
- Allopurinol (gout) – Results in lowered levels of vitamin D.
- Anticonvulsants – Increased risk for vitamin D deficiency with resulting increased risk for osteoporosis.
- Cimetidine – Reduces the conjugation of vitamin D.
- Oral corticosteroids – Reduced calcium absorption and inhibited vitamin D formation in the liver.
- Heparin – Interferes with vitamin D function and increases the risk for osteoporosis and osteomalacia.
- Avoid Mineral oil – Interferes with vitamin D absorption.
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- Obesity
- Older adults – As people age their kidneys are less able to convert vitamin D to its active form.
- Smog
Conditions and symptoms associated with vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D has an effect on over 2,000 genes in your body, and has a major influence on many diseases and health conditions including:
| Aging | Colds & Flu | Tuberculosis |
| Asthma | Cystic fibrosis | Migraines |
| Athletic performance | Macular degeneration | Fertility |
| Autism | Obesity | Rheumatoid arthritis |
| Cancer | Hypertension | Heart disease |
| Depression | Alzheimer’s disease | Schizophrenia |
| Type 1 & 2 Diabetes | Multiple Sclerosis | Crohn"s disease |
| Eczema & Psoriasis | Insomnia | Hearing loss |
| Muscle pain | Seizures | Periodontal disease |
Related Articles
Part 2 – How to Optimize Your Vitamin D - Autoimmune Disease – What you Should Know
- Want Strong Bones?
- Osteoporosis Risk Factors
Copyright © Paula Owens
Sources for Part 1 & Part 2: 2009 WebMD; 2009 IAACN Symposim. Understanding Life One Cell at a Time. Mitchell Ghen, DO, PhD.; Journal Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Feb;94(2):559-63.; Richard, J. Higher Serum Vitamin D concentrations associated with longer leukocyte telomere length in women. Amer J Clinical Nutrition; Wolpowitz D, Gilchrest BA. The vitamin D questions: how much do you need and how should you get it? J Am Acad Dermatol 2006;54:301-17.; Thomas E. Newsom-Davis, Laura M. Kenny, Sarah Ngan, Judith King* and Jonathan Waxman. The promiscuous receptor. BJU Inter. 2009; Volume 104; issue 9; Holick MF. Vitamin D: the underappreciated D-lightful hormone that is important for skeletal and cellular health. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes 2002;9:87-98.; Compston JE, Horton LW. Oral 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in treatment of osteomalacia associated with ileal resection and cholestyramine therapy. Gastroenterology 1978;74:900-2.; Am J Hypertens.1995 Sep;8(9):894-901.Am. J. Pub. Health. 1997;87:992-7. Am. J. Epidem. 1994:139;493. Am J Clin Nutr, 2011 Oct; 94(4): 1104-1112
