Vitamin D

Vitamin D has had an increased amount of attention in the media over the past few weeks, due to its importance in the growth and development of our muscles and bones. Doctors have been looking at its role in proper functioning in the immune system, especially in new born babies.

Vitamin D has several important functions, it helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These substances are needed to keep bones and teeth healthy. Experts have suggested that due to lack of Vitamin D throughout pregnancy new born babies are being born with bone deficiency's in particular Rickets. Rickets is a childhood bone disorder where bone soften and become prone to fractures and deformity. Although the main cause of Rickets is a lack of Vitamin D, a lack of calcium in ones diet is another.

Recent studies have shown that 1 in 4 toddlers are found to be lacking in vitamin D, and even more worryingly senior paediatric pathologists have discovered vitamin D deficiency in a significant number of children who have died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. A study conducted by Dr Cohen found that 75% of babies who had died of natural causes were deficient in Vitamin D.

There are also fears such deficiencies may have lead to children being taken away from their parents, when it is in fact rickets that are responsible for the deaths and injuries that are thought to be suspicious. In 2009 rickets were discovered by Dr Schoenberg, in a 4 month old baby whose parents had been accused of shaking him to death.

Although most people get enough Vitamin D from sunlight and food the Department of Health recommends all pregnant and breastfeeding women, children aged six months to five years and people aged 65 and over should take daily vitamin D supplements.

It is not essential that you need Vitamin D in your diet every day, because any of the vitamin your body does not need immediately is stored for future use. However The Department of Health advises those who take Vitamin D supplements can safely take up to 25 micrograms (0.25mg) a day.

Many Vitamin D supplements are already in pregnancy tablets such as, the Viridian Pregnancy Complex which contains Vitamin D2 (Ergocalicferol) which is plant derived. 

Vitamin D - Obesity Link

One vitamin that's been making the news a lot lately is Vitamin D. Yes, that's the one we are supposedly getting our fill of from sun exposure and fortified milk. Vitamin D, which regulates bone metabolism, is mostly obtained through exposure of the skin to direct sunlight but as it turns out that many, and I mean, many of us, are deficient in this very essential vitamin. Even USA Today is reporting that testing for vitamin D levels, once uncommon, has skyrocketed as medical studies raise awareness about vitamin D deficiencies.

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with some infectious diseases, cancers, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders, and now, brace yourselves: obesity. A recent study found that among 90 young women living in (sunny) southern California, those with insufficient levels of vitamin D were significantly heavier and had greater body mass than their counterparts with sufficient levels of vitamin D.

Compared with the vitamin D sufficient women, same-age counterparts with insufficient vitamin D levels were heavier by about 16.3 pounds on average. The vitamin D insufficient group also averaged 3.4 points higher in body mass measurements.

The investigators also say they found an "unexplained and intriguing" positive link between height and vitamin D status and call for further investigation into this, as well as correlations between vitamin D levels, bone growth, and obesity. The study also indicates that vitamin D insufficiency is extremely common in young women living in a sun-rich area of the United States. So what do we do about all of this news?

First of all, get out in the sun a bit without sunscreen for 15 minutes minimum, a day.

It would be wise to ask your doctor to order a Vitamin D blood level to check your status. If you are below 20, ng/mL, consider a supplement. Remember, you'll need to take your vitamin D with a fatty food and you'll need to take high doses, most likely (the 400 IU RDA will likely do nothing to change your levels). As your doctor how much is right for you. (from the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, January 2009)



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Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

Vitamin D is a vitamin soluble in fat and is crucial for the growth of powerful and healthy bones. Vitamin D can be found in numerous food sources such as eggs, fish, fortified milk, milk products and fish liver oil. Vitamin D is also formed in our skin due to exposure to the sunlight. Nearly 30 minutes of exposure to sunlight will produce sufficient amounts of vitamin D in the skin for your daily requirements. Vitamin D deficiency can cause variety of symptoms and here are list of them.

List of vitamin D deficiency symptoms:

- Eyesight problems
- Daytime lethargy
- Dizzying weakness
- Weight loss
- Excessive thirst
- Eye discomfort and hypersensitivity
- Muscle pain
- Heart diseases
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Stroke
- Parkinson’s disease
- Low blood calcium levels

Vitamin D deficiency is for the most part caused because of weak exposure to sunlight.

Diseases related to kidneys, livers or certain genetic disorders can also lead to vitamin D deficiency. Leading symptoms of lacking the vitamin D are bone problems. Lack of vitamin D causes rickets in children, osteomalacia in adults and osteoporosis in seniors. Rickets are softening of bones in children which can lead to fractures and deformities. Osteomalacia is softening of bones due to lack of vitamin D in adults and osteoporosis is a disorder that leads to increased risk of fracture which mainly affect elder people.

Particular food sources are very fertile in vitamin D.

Some of them are sardines, salmon, cat fish, tuna, mackerel, milk, bread, breakfast cereals, fish liver oil, orange juice, egg, and liver.

Vitamin D deficiency can be prevented on one of the following ways:

- Eat food rich in vitamin D

- Expose yourself at least 20 minutes daily to the sunlight
- Ask prescription from your doctor for taking vitamin D supplements

Here you can find more about vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D deficiency symtoms.

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Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

Vitamin D (Calciferol) is a vitamin that dissolves in fats. We bring it into our body through exposure to the sun rays, as well as nutrition and supplements. In the organism it is found in several different forms and each form of vitamin D has a different activity. Some forms are relatively inactive in the body and have limited ability to function as vitamins, liver and kidneys convert vitamin D into its active form.
Vitamin D deficiency has been, in the recent times, more often associated with many diseases and disorders, some of them can be very serious, and more often studies have shown a great lack of vitamin D effect on the occurrence of heart attack, stroke and even some forms of cancer.

Possible symptoms od Vitamin D deficiency are the occurance of:

? Ricketts
? Osteomalacia
? Diabetes
? Osteoporosis
? Arthritis
? Multiple sclerosis
? Cancers

The role of vitamin D
The main biological role of vitamin D is to maintain normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood.

Vitamin D helps the absorption of calcium which is essential for strong bones. Vitamin D affects the incidence of influenza and respiratory infections, impaired parathyroid gland and seasonal depression which are the consequences of lack of sunlight, as well as many other disorders. Vitamin D deficiency rarely occurs with healthy people and usually manifests itself as rickets in children and with older people through developing osteoporosis. Recent studies have found that it is strongly correlated with the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.

Foods rich in vitamin D
Vitamin D is soluble in fats, present in oily fish (tuna, salmon, sardines.), eggs and milk.

This vitamin is otherwise formed in the skin under the influence of solar radiation and the liver and kidneys are responsible for the transformation of vitamin D from food into an active form that exerts effects in the body. Vitamin D is more found in the cod liver oil, butters (fortified) margarine, herring, kippers, salmon (canned), mackerel, pilchards (canned), roe, breakfast cereal (fortified), …
If a sufficient amount of vitamin D is not introduced through food, vitamin D should be taken through supplements.

Sufficient daily intake of vitamin D
Vitamin D is produced in the skin under the influence of ultraviolet rays, but skin color and complexion determine the extent to which the vitamin will be produced. For brighter-skinned people it is enough to expose their faces and hands to strong sunlight for 20 minutes a day to produce enough vitamin D, while people with darker skin should spend slightly longer period of time on the sunlight for the same absorption of vitamin D.
Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol) is used in daily doses of 50-1000IU in the form of multivitamin or calcium preparations (preparations for strengthing of bones ) to ensure its absorption . The recommended daily dose for healthy adults is 200-400i. In the treatment of condition caused by lack of vitamin D much higher doses are used. With liver damages or kidney failure vitamin D should be taken in the form of calcitriol (active form of vitamin D).

Here you can find more about vitamin D deficiency symptoms and vitamin D deficiency causes.

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