VITAMIN D

 Vitamin D is sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” because it’s produced in your skin
in response to sunlight.
 It’s a fat-soluble vitamin in a family of compounds that includes vitamins D-1, D-2, and D-
3.
 Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and maintains adequate serum
calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone and to
prevent hypocalcemic tetany.
 It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodeling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts.
Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen.

Functions of Vitamin D

1. Vitamin D fights disease

As proved by different researches, vitamin D may also play a role in:

 reducing your risk of multiple sclerosis (Hollis, Levin, Munger, et al., 2006)

 decreasing your chance of developing heart disease (Judd & Tangpricha, 2008)

 helping to reduce your likelihood of developing the flu (Ida, Kurihara, Okazaki, Segawa,
Urashima, & Wada, 2010)

2. Vitamin D reduces depression

Research has shown that vitamin D might play an important role in regulating mood and
warding off depression.

 The study of Figenschau, Jorde, Sneve, Svartberg, and Waterloo (2008) found that
people with depression who received vitamin D supplements noticed an improvement in
their symptoms.
 Researchers also found vitamin D deficiency was more common in those who were also
experiencing anxiety and depression in the study of people with fibromyalgia (Armstrong,
Bickle, Curran, Finch, Lee, & Meenagh, 2006).

3. Vitamin D boosts weight loss

 According to the study of Alarie, Dore, Major, & Tremblay (2008), people taking a daily
calcium and vitamin D supplement were able to lose more weight than subjects taking a
placebo supplement. The scientists said the extra calcium and vitamin D had an
appetite-suppressing effect.
 While in the study of Zitterman et al. (2009), overweight people who took a daily vitamin
D supplement improved their heart disease risk markers.
Types of Vitamin D

1. Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol)
- synthesized by plants and is not produced by the human body
- found in food and supplements
2. Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)
- made in large quantities in the skin when sunlight strikes bare skin but many
factors affect how much you can make
- can also be consumed via foods and most supplements

Sources of Vitamin D

Very few foods in nature contains vitamin D. For example, the flesh of fatty fish (such as
salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and fish liver oils are among the best sources. Other examples like
cheese, egg yolks, and beef liver have small amount of vitamin D. Also, milk is fortified with
vitamin D, as are many ready-to-eat cereals and some brands of yogurt and orange juice.

Food Sources:

1.) Fatty fishes

 Ocean grown fatty-fish are rich source of vitamin D. One problem is that fatty-fish
must be naturally raised and ocean-sourced. Most of the salmon and other
supermarket bought fish are farmed and don’t receive natural food sources.

2.) Beef Liver

 Organ meats are one of the rare food sources rich in vitamin D. They contain the
full range of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2 as well as B-vitamins, minerals,
and nutrients not found in other foods.

3.) Cod-liver oils

 Cod-liver oils are different to fish-oil supplements. It is a nutrient-dense source of

essential vitamins including vitamin D and vitamin A, as well as anti-inflammatory
omega-3 fatty acids.

4.) Egg yolks

 Grass raised chickens to produce eggs that contains vitamin D3. Forget the egg-
white omelets, vitamin D is only found in the yolk, contains roughly 50 IU per egg.

Importance of Vitamin D

 For humans:
There are studies that suggest that having enough Vitamin D in our body helps to
prevent colon, prostate and breast cancers. Some researchers also include that it helps
prevent and treat diabetes, heart diseases, and high blood pressure.
  For pregnant women:
Vitamin D deficiency is common during pregnancy. For the mother, vitamin D
deficiency causes a higher risk of pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes,
preterm birth, and high chances of having preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is often
precluded by gestational hypertension, which affects the unborn baby by impairing
kidney and liver function, blood clotting problems, pulmonary edema (fluid on the lungs),
seizures and, in severe forms or left untreated, maternal and infant death.
 For babies:
While breast milk is the best source of nutrients for babies, it likely won't provide
enough vitamin D. The baby needs vitamin D to absorb calcium and phosphorus. Too
little vitamin D can cause rickets, a softening and weakening of bones causing skeletal
deformities. Babies aging from 6 to 36 months are usually the ones at risk for this
disorder because vitamin D can be found in eggs, fishes, and meats, which aren't the
usual food that the babies eat. Pediatricians usually recommend sun exposure during
mornings, when the sun isn't harmful, because it's an important source of vitamin D to
prevent deficiency.

Other Benefits of Vitamin D

 Regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and facilitating normal immune
system function.
 Getting a sufficient amount of vitamin D is important for normal growth and development
of bones and teeth, as well as improved resistance against certain diseases.

Diseases Associated with Vitamin D Deficiency

If your body doesn’t get enough vitamin D, you’re at risk of developing bone
abnormalities such as:

 Soft bones (Osteomalacia)

- is the softening of the bones caused by decreased bone mineralization. Signs
and symptoms can includes diffuse body pains, muscle weakness and
fragility of the bones. The most common cause of osteomalacia is deficiency
of vitamin D.

 Fragile bones (Osteoporosis)

- also known as porous bone, is a disease characterized by low bone mass
and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an
increased risk of fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist.
 Rickets
- is a condition that causes children to have soft, weak bones. It usually occurs
when children do not get enough vitamin D, which helps growing bones
absorb important nutrients.
Other Illnesses Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency

 Dementia
- In the study of Annweiler et al., (2014), they found out that moderate and
severe vitamin D deficiency in older adults was associated with a doubled risk
for some forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
 Prostate Cancer
- Catalona et al., (2014) found a link between low blood levels of vitamin D and
aggressive prostate cancer in European-American and African-American
men.
 Severe Erectile Dysfunction
- A study by Barassi et al., (2014) discovered that men with severe erectile
dysfunction (ED) had significantly lower vitamin D levels than men with mild
ED.
 Risk of Schizophrenia
- Esmailzadeh, Saneei, and Valipour (2014) found that people who are vitamin
D deficient may be twice as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia
compared with people with sufficient vitamin D.
 Heart Disease
- Multiple studies have shown an association between low vitamin D blood
levels and heart disease and related complications (Norman & Powell, 2014).
- The review cites research that points to vitamin D levels as a potential culprit
for health problems related to heart disease such as atherosclerosis,
hypertension, diabetes, and stroke (George, 2017).
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