BENEFITS OF VITAMIN D

My extensive blood test results proved I was really lacking in the benefits of Vitamin D, after the full radical hysterctomy in March 2003. To correct this imbalance, I was instructed to add vitamin rich food sources and get the proper amount of sunlight daily, NOT TAKE SUPPLEMENTS!

To better understand the benefits of Vitamin D, let's look first to the definition:

*****DEFINITION

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble prohormones, the two major forms of which are:

*****Vitamin D2 (or ergocalciferol made from ergosterol) is produced by invertebrates, fungus and plants in response to UV irradiation; it is not produced by vertebrates. Ergosterol can more efficiently absorb the ultraviolet radiation that can damage DNA, RNA and protein. It's suggested that ergosterol serves as a sunscreening system that protects organisms from damaging high energy ultraviolet radiation.

*****Vitamin D3 (or cholecalciferol) can be made in the skin, and with prolonged exposure to UVB rays an equilibrium is achieved in the skin, and excess vitamin D simply degrades as fast as it is generated. So it is not stored in the body, but needs to be replenished daily.

Vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements is biologically inert and must undergo two reactions to be activated in the body.

See Wikipedia Definition

*****HISTORY

In 1923 Alfred Fabian Hess showed that "light equals vitamin D". It was established that when D3 is produced photochemically in the skin from 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-dehydrocholesterol is produced in relatively large quantities in the skin of most vertebrate animals, including humans), a form of a fat-soluble vitamin is produced.

*****DOSAGE

Up until 51 years of age, 50 micrograms is proven to be an adequate intake of vitamin D to maintain bone health and normal calcium metabolism in healthy people, assuming no addition of synthesis by exposure to sunlight. Up tp 250 micrograms per day is the published upper safety limit. BUT, you can avoid taking supplements and still get the benefits of vitamin D, if healthy, simply by getting some sun exposure.

Full body exposure for 20 minutes has been calculated to equal approximately 250 micrograms of Vitamin D.

*****FUNCTION OF VITAMIN D

Calcitriol (1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol) is the active form of vitamin D found in the body and comprises both D2 and D3. Calcitriol plays an important role in the maintenance of several organ systems. However, its major role is to:

*****Increase the flow of calcium to the bloodstream
*****Promote absorption of calcium and phosphorus from food in the intestines
*****Reabsorption of calcium in the kidneys
*****Enable normal mineralization of bone and prevent electrolyte disturbance or "tetany"
*****Necessary for bone growth and bone remodeling.
*****Inhibition of "calcitonin" release from the thyroid gland
*****VDR ligands have been shown to increase the activity of natural killer cells

*****TOXICITY OF VITAMIN D

In healthy adults, sustained intake of 1250 micrograms per day of supplements can produce toxicity within months. And those with certain medical conditions are far more sensitive to vitamin D. The body seems to store the supplement form.

Interestingly, exposure to sunlight for extended periods of time does not normally cause vitamin D toxicity. So my take is that a natural source is almost always better than a supplement. Just get some sun.

*****DEFICIENCY

Deficiency can cause rickets, a childhood disease characterized by impeded growth, and deformity, of the long bones which can be caused by calcium or phosphorus deficiency as well as a lack of vitamin D.

To a void a deficiency, supplementation with the benefits of vitamin D by adding no more than 250 micrograms per day, which is recommended, or full body exposure to sunlight for 20 minutes (which has been calculated to equal approximately 250 micrograms of Vitamin D).

*****FOOD SOURCES

In the USA such foods as milk, yogurt, margarine, oil spreads, breakfast cereal, pastries, and bread are fortified with the benefits of vitamin D. Just read the package labels.

Fortified milk, 1 cup (8 oz) provides 100 IU/ 2.5 mcg
Herring, 85 g (3 oz) provides 1383 IU/ 34.6 micrograms (mcg)
Catfish, 85 g (3 oz) provides 425 IU/ 10.6 mcg
Salmon, cooked, 100 g (3.5 oz) provides 360 IU/ 9 mcg
Mackerel, cooked, 100 g (3.5 oz), 345 IU/ 8.6 mcg
Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 50 g (1.75 oz), 250 IU/ 6.25 mcg
Tuna, canned in oil, 85 g (3 oz), 200 IU/ 5 mcg
Eel, cooked, 100 g (3.5 oz), 200 IU/ 5 mcg
Fish liver oils, such as cod liver oil, 1 Tbs. (15 ml) provides 1,360 IU/ 34 mcg
A whole egg, provides 20 IU/ .5 mcg
Beef liver, cooked, 100 g (3.5 oz), provides 15 IU/.4 mcg
Mushrooms (after UV light exposure)

ADEQUATE INTACT OF VITAMIN D BY FNB

*****Age---------Amount per day
Birth-13 years-----5 mcg (200 IU)
14-18 years--------5 mcg (200 IU)
19-50 years--------5 mcg (200 IU)
51-70 years-------10 mcg (400 IU)
71+ years---------15 mcg (600 IU)

USA typical diets provide about 100 IU/day, the NIH (National Institutes of Health) has set the safe upper limit at 2000 IU/day.

So you can see by this list that by changing my daily diet to include fish, it boosted my Vitamin D intake. The benefits of Vitamin D are naturally produced by the human body when exposed to direct sunlight, which was my other source.

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