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Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which also acts as a hormone. Ultraviolet sunrays act on the oils of the skin to produce the vitamin, which is then absorbed into the body. Vitamin D is measured in International Units (ius), or micrograms of cholecalciferol mcg .).
There are several forms of vitamin D, including vitamin D2 (ergocaliciferol), which comes from food sources; vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), which is synthesized in the skin in response to exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays; and a synthetic form identified as vitamin D5. Of the three vitamin D3 is considered the natural form of vitamin D and is the most active.
All these forms of vitamin D are converted into calcitriol, the active form of the vitamin, in the liver and kidney.
As we age we lose the ability to synthesize vitamin D3 from the sunlight. When a group of older people began to take 800 ius if vitamin D3, along with some additional calcium, every day, one study found, the number of hip fractures they suffered dropped 43 percent.
Women would lose less bone mass during the winter, other research found, if they took 500ius of the vitamin and 377 mg of calcium.
Vitamin D is involved in regulating the immune system and is being considered as a therapy for autoimmune disorders and to suppress rejection of transplanted organs. Vitamin D analogs have successfully been used to treat the skin disorder psoriasis. Natural vitamin D3 cream cut down on the characteristic skin flakiness of psoriasis.
A lack of vitamin D is one of the most frequently encountered deficiencies among people with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Some nutrient experts think that a better absorption of calcium and magnesium improves the body's reconstruction of the protective membranes that surround nerves. Women afflicted with multiple sclerosis frequently have a low blood concentration of vitamin D3.
Women are consistently low in vitamin D which may predispose them to osteoporosis and Vitamin D3 supplementation may reduce incidence of pregnancy-related hypertension, called preeclampsia, say several studies.
Low levels of vitamin D may lead to osteomalacia, a mineralization deficit of the bones, associated with osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart disease, and an overactive parathyroid.
Deficiency signs
Rickets, severe tooth decay, osteomalacia, and senile osteoporosis.
Factors that rob us of Vitamin D
Mineral oil, smog, barbiturates, cholesterol lowering drug s, antacids, prednisone, anticonvulsive drug s (dilantin), sedatives, intestinal disorders, liver and gallbladder disease.
Good food sources:
Fish liver oils, fatty saltwater fish, dairy products and eggs. Also butter, cod liver oil, dandelion greens, egg yolks, halibut, liver, milk, oatmeal, salmon, sardines, sweet potatoes, tuna, and vegetable oils are sources of vitamin D. The body produces its own vitamin D when the skin is exposed to sunlight.
Precautions
Do not take Vitamin D without calcium. Toxicity may result from taking over 645,000 ius of vitamin D over a period of two years. Signs of toxicity are unusual thrist, sore eyes, itching skin, vomiting, diarrhea, urinary urgency, abnormal calcium deposits in blood-vessel walls, liver, lungs, kidney and stomach. |
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| Vitamin D 25mcg 1000iu |
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100 softgels
£6.89 |
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| Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D |
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240 tabs
£23.35 |
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| Vitamin D 10mcg 400iu |
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100 softgels
£4.99 |
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