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| The latest news on Vitamin D’s Role in addressing common health problems |
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For more than 80 years, scientists have known that vitamin D is important for building bones. And for most of those 80 years, people thought this was the only thing it was good for. In the past decade, however, we've learned two important things about vitamin D: it appears to have many other important health effects, and many Americans don't get enough of it. In 2008, new research pointed to a vitamin D deficiency as a possible contributing factor in heart disease. And the suspected link between vitamin D deficiency and cancer grew even stronger. This surely will spur much new research in 2009. Why is vitamin D deficiency so common? The vitamin is made in our skin when sunlight strikes it. Many Americans—especially those who live in the northern part of the country, are elderly or have dark skin—don't soak up enough sun. And the vitamin isn't found in many foods. The main sources are fatty fish (such as salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines) and milk, cereal and juices that have been fortified with it. Vitamin D deficiency often is unsuspected because it causes no direct symptoms; like high blood pressure, it does its damage silently. Here's the latest on the vitamin's role in some common health problems: Fractures. Broken bones—the bane of the elderly—are less common among people with sufficient levels of vitamin D. And randomized trials suggest that taking vitamin D with calcium can boost bone mineral density and make fractures less likely. Vitamin D deficiency can also weaken muscles, making falls (particularly in frail older folks) more likely. Cancer. Vitamin D suppresses uncontrolled cell growth, and higher blood levels appear to be associated with a lower risk of colon cancer, and perhaps other cancers as well. In a small trial, postmenopausal women who received 1,100 IU of vitamin D plus 1,400 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium per day reduced their risk of developing nonskin cancers by 60 percent over four years, compared with a placebo. Depression. Several studies reveal links between low vitamin D levels and depression in older adults. A study of overweight people (who tend to have low vitamin D levels) found that taking high doses of the vitamin over one year improved their mood. Obesity: Have you ever wondered why some people can eat all they want and not get fat, while others are constantly battling extra pounds? The answer may have to do with vitamin D and calcium status. Sunlight, UV-B, and vitamin D normalize food intake and normalize blood sugar. Weight normalization is associated with higher levels of vitamin D and adequate calcium.61 Obesity is associated with vitamin-D deficiency. In fact, obese persons have impaired production of UV-B-stimulated D and impaired absorption of food source and supplemental D. When the diet lacks calcium, whether from D or calcium deficiency, there is an increase in fatty acid synthase, an enzyme that converts calories into fat. Higher levels of calcium with adequate vitamin D inhibit fatty acid synthase while diets low in calcium increase fatty acid synthase by as much as five-fold. In one study, genetically obese rats lost 60 percent of their body fat in six weeks on a diet that had moderate calorie reduction but was high in calcium. All rats supplemented with calcium showed increased body temperature indicating a shift from calorie storage to calorie burning (thermogenesis). Autoimmune and infectious diseases. Multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, asthma, and even influenza all appear to be more prevalent among the vitamin D deprived. Heart disease. Earlier this year, at least four studies found a connection between low vitamin D and heart disease. People with low blood levels were twice as likely to have a heart attack or to die of cardiovascular disease as those with normal levels of the vitamin. The risks were greatest in those with deficient levels, and less extreme in those with insufficient levels. It makes biological sense that vitamin D could protect against heart disease: it slows the development of atherosclerosis, lowers blood pressure and blood sugar and reduces inflammation within the artery wall (which, in turn, reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes). Click the link to watch videos on it on the effects of lack of vitamin D. Other Related Articles http://www.newsweek.com/id/172661 Related videos |
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| Last Updated on Saturday, 10 January 2009 10:19 | ||||||||||
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