risks
Madeline Daugherty, Jenna Shumar, Madison Schwerzler,
Madison DeBone, Samantha McKee, Abby Sekulich, Morgan
Ferguson
What do You Know About Vitamin D?
Take a minute and try the pretest to see what you know about
Vitamin D.
● What is it?
● Risks?
● Benefits?
● Sources?
What is vItamin D?
● Prohormone
● Referred to as calciferol,
the sunshine vitamin
● Required for musculoskeletal
health
● Two forms
○ D2- ergocalciferol
■ Man-made
○ D3- cholecalciferol
■ Synthesized in skin after
sunlight exposure, also
found in diet
Mechanisms of Vitamin D in the Body
● Vitamin D is obtained in two ways:
○ Sunlight
■ If in UVB range, will be absorbed
through skin
● Limitations
■ Triggers the conversion of 7-
dehydrocholesterol to Vitamin D3
■ Then absorbed into capillaries
■ Coupled with VDBP
○ Diet
■ Obtained as D2 or D3
■ Simple diffusion
■ Coupled in intestines with VDBP and
lipoproteins
Mechanism cont…
● After being obtained by either route:
○ Vitamin D is converted to Prohormone
25 (OH)D in liver
■ Circulating form of Vitamin D
that is bound to DBP
○ Distributed to placenta, kidney, or
into breast milk
○ After going to kidney..
■ Converted to calcitriol, active
metabolite
● Regulated by parathyroid
hormone
○ Once in active form, regulates
calcium and phosphorous levels
Vitamin D recommended intake
Where is the vitamin d in sunny d?
Sun intake
● UVB rays cause body to
produce Vitamin D3
Sulfate
■ Water soluble,
requires no carrier
● Limitations
○ Sunblock
○ Location
○ Clothing
● Tanning Beds
○ Do emit UVB light
○ Low pressure bed
○ Electronic ballast bed
Supplementation WITH D3
● Cholecalciferol
○ chemically similar to active form of
vitamin D in body
○ Isolated from cod liver oil and sheep
wool
■ Sheep wool is used more commonly
because of Vitamin A toxicity caused
by taking cod liver oil
○ Ingredients
■ Calcium carbonate, cellulose gel,
maltodextrin, stearic acid, acacia,
sugar, corn starch, magnesium
stearate
Supplementation with d2
● Ergocalciferol
● Isolated from yeast or
mushrooms after being
exposed to UV radiation
○ Ideal for vegans, as this is
plant based
● 10-24 hours before
metabolized by body
○ Differs from D3 in a double
bond and a methyl group
Centrum
Vitamin D Deficiency
● Symptoms
● What does it cause?
● For most adults this isn’t a concern,
however, people commonly at risk are people
who have inadequate sun exposure, limited
oral intake, or impaired intestinal
absorption.
Rickets
Causes:
● Vitamin D Deficiency
○ Sunlight
○ Food Sources
● Poor absorption of vitamin D
○ Celiac Disease
○ Inflammatory Bowel Disease
○ Cystic Fibrosis
○ Kidney Problems
Rickets
Risk Factors:
● Dark skin
● Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy
● Northern areas (less sunlight)
● Premature birth
● Medications
○ Antiseizure and antiretroviral medications alter body’s ability to
use vitamin D
● Exclusive Breast Feeding
Rickets
Symptoms:
● Skeletal deformities
○ Bowed legs or knock knees
○ Thickened wrist and ankle
bones
○ Breastbone projection
● Spine, pelvis, and leg
pain
● Muscle weakness
● Delayed growth
Rickets
Treatment
● Vitamin D3 Supplementation
Erectile Dysfunction
● 2014 study (Journal of Sexual Medicine) found men with
severe erectile dysfunction (ED) had significantly lower
vitamin D levels than men with mild ED
● Men with Vitamin D deficiency have 30% greater prevalence
of ED and 80% greater prevalence of severe ED compared to
men with optimal levels of Vitamin D (Erin D. Michos, MD,
of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)
○ Case study measuring 25(OH)D levels
○ Serum levels lower among men with ED than without
Erectile Dysfunction: Possible Correlation to Deficiency
● Several mechanisms related to relationship between
vitamin D deficiency and ED
○ Mediated glucose metabolism
○ Reduced synthesis of nitric oxide
Schizophrenia
● Those who are vitamin D deficient are twice as likely to
be diagnosed with schizophrenia than those with
sufficient vitamin D levels
● Unsure of exact mechanism correlated between
Schizophrenia and Vitamin D deficiency
○ Vitamin D’s action on regulation of inflammatory immunological
processes
Schizophrenia: Possible Correlation to Deficiency
● Season of birth
○ Winter months
○ Exposed to lower levels of UV rays in prenatal periods
● Latitude
○ Higher latitude, increased rate of schizophrenia
● Skin pigmentation
○ Darker skinned, more melanin
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/12december/pages/study-questions-role-of-vitamin-d-in-disease.aspx
ADDITIONAL Studies
Vitamin D Supplementation and Total Mortality: A Meta-analysis of Randomized
Controlled Trials.
○ Neuroplasticity
● NOTE:
○ No significant decrease in hip
fractures with calcium intake
Benefits of Vitamin D on the CardioVascular System
● Research has linked
Vitamin D supplements
with improved cardiac
function
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Sources
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sources
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