Vitamin D

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a one of the most essential vitamins, and it is fat-soluble. Vitamin D is naturally present in very few food sources, and is commonly available as a nutritional supplement. Vitamin D is sometimes called the "sunshine vitamin" because it is produced in the human body when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin. EZ MELS offers a number of dietary supplements that contain Vitamin D to support the many functions that benefit from this important nutrient.

Benefits of Vitamin D

• Vitamin D supports calcium absorption by promoting adequate concentrations of calcium and phosphate in bones.
• Vitamin D is  also essential for bone growth and bone remodeling. Vitamin D defficiency can cause bones to become thin, frail and brittle.
• Vitamin D consumption prevents rickets in children as well as osteomalacia in adults.
• Along with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis.
• Vitamin D supports the modulation of neuromuscular and immune function and can also serve as an anti-inflammatory agent at the cellular level.
• Very few foods in nature contain vitamin D. While some people meet their vitamin D needs through exposure to sunlight, many environmental variations in season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, and smog affect UV radiation exposure and vitamin D synthesis.
• This is further complicated by the fact that many people limit their exposure of skin to sunlight and UV radiation for the prevention of skin cancer. UV radiation is a carcinogen responsible for most of the estimated 1.5 million skin cancers and the 8,000 deaths due to metastatic melanoma that occur annually in the United States. Lifetime cumulative UV damage to skin is also largely responsible for some age-associated dryness and other cosmetic changes.
• One of the most important roles of vitamin D in the body is to maintain skeletal calcium balance by promoting calcium absorption in the intestines, promoting bone resorption by increasing osteoclast numbers, maintaining calcium and phosphate levels which are important for formation of bones as well as allowing proper functioning of parathyroid hormone in order to maintain serum calcium levels. Vitamin D is responsible for strengthening teeth and bones, improving bone density and preventing muscle weaknesses. Older people with sufficient amounts of Vitamin D3 are less prone to ailments such as arthritis, osteoporosis and osteomalacia. In children and infants, it helps in the growth and development of bones.[2]
• Vitamin D also increases the production of cathelicidin, an antimicrobial peptide which is produced in macrophages triggered by bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
• A study in 2006 using data on over 4 million cancer patients from 13 different countries showed a striking increase in some cancer risks in countries with less sun while another study found correlations between vitamin D levels and cancer. Low levels of vitamin D in serum have been correlated with progression of breast cancer. [2]

Vitamin D - The EZ MELTS Way!

Additional Information

Sources of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble prohormones which encourage the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous in the body. There are five forms of vitamin D namely vitamin D1 or the molecular compound of ergocalciferol with lumisterol, vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol (made from ergosterol), vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol (made from 7-dehydrocholesterol), vitamin D4 or 22-dihydroergocalciferol, and Vitamin D5 or sitocalciferol (made from 7-dehydrositosterol).

Vitamin D supplementation is recommended to those who do not receive enough sunshine UV rays - either because of weather conditions or because of skin cancer prevention.

In supplements and fortified foods, vitamin D is available in two forms, D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D3 has been found to be more than three times as effective as vitamin D2 in raising serum concentrations in the human body and maintaining those levels for a longer time.

Only vitamin D2 and D3 are used in human, collectively known as Calciferol. The main difference between the two forms of Vitamin D is the way they are produced. Plants produce the D2 form while D3 is a byproduct of synthesis of ultraviolet B rays from sunlight penetrating the body’s surface. It can be found on the skin or surface of animals and is commonly found in the wool of sheep. Vitamin D is also found in dairy products such as cheese, butter, cream, and fortified milk (note that all milk in the U.S. is fortified with vitamin D). It is also present in fish, oysters, eggs, beef liver, mushrooms, fortified cereals, and margarine. [1]

Vitamin D Dosage

A recommendation of 10 to 15 minutes of sunshine 3 times weekly is enough to produce the body's requirement of vitamin D. However, people living in sunny climates may still not make enough vitamin D and need more from their diet or supplementation. The food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine recommends 5 micrograms of Vitamin D (cholecalciferol) per day for infants, children and individuals aged 14 to 50 years; 10 and 15 micrograms per day for 51-70 years and over 70 years respectively. ^[3] Australian studies into vitamin D deficiency have produced tables of recommended sunlight intake based on the country's major cities. Scientific studies indicate people of dark skin who live in temperate climates tend to have lower levels of vitamin D. In consequence, it has been speculated that Vitamin D production in dark-skinned people is hindered by their higher levels of melanin in the skin. Nevertheless, a recent study has found novel evidence that there may other causes for low vitamin D levels among people of darker skin.^[4]

Vitamin D Side Effects

Excess intake of vitamin D could lead to serious health problems including too little absorption of calcium by the intestines which may cause high levels of calcium in the blood. High levels of calcium in blood can lead to calcium deposits in soft tissues such as the heart and lungs. Too much Vitamin D can also lead to conditions like kidney stones, vomiting and muscle weaknesses. Rickets, a childhood disease characterized by impeded growth and deformity of the long bones is caused by lack of Vitamin D, calcium or phosphorus. ^[3]