Vitamin D

Abstract

Since the term Vitamin D contains the word “vitamin” most people wrongly assume adequate amounts can be obtained by eating a healthy diet. But to obtain adequate amounts these diets must contain wild-caught fatty fish, Shitake mushrooms, reindeer meat, or cod liver oil. Vitamin D promotes the reabsorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestines and the kidneys, which is needed for bone growth and normal mineralization. Vitamin D also acts as a molecular switch, activating more than 200 target genes. Vitamin D receptors exist in most tissues of the body, like the brain, colon, prostate, and breast. This explains why Vitamin D may have a role in preventing so many different diseases such as protection against rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, lupus, type 1 diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. The skin’s production of Vitamin D is based on distance from the equator, season of the year, time of day, air pollution, cloud cover, melanin content of the skin, use of sunblock, age, and extent of clothing covering the body. Anyone who works indoors, lives at higher latitudes, wears excessive clothing, regularly uses sunblock, is dark-skinned (melanin acts as an effective sunscreen), obese, or who avoids the sun is at risk. Vitamin D deficient patients display symptoms that are extremely common, difficult to treat, and easy for doctors to dismiss. Symptoms such as muscle weakness, a feeling of heaviness in the legs, chronic musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tiring easily are common. These symptoms are due to Vitamin D receptors present in the skeletal muscle and bone. As a result, patients with Vitamin D deficiency often complain of aches and pains in their joints and muscles. The vast majority of Vitamin D deficiency cases may appear normal on exam although frequent infection and autoimmune illness may be warning signs that a deficiency has been present for many years. Illnesses associated with Vitamin D deficiency are cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, autism, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, periodontal disease, macular degeneration, mental illness, depression, preeclampsia of pregnancy, rickets, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis. Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency is Vitamin D supplementation, sunlight, and artificial ultraviolet B radiation. As little as 10 minutes of sunlight is thought to be enough to prevent Vitamin D deficiencies.