Vitamin D Benefits

Cod liver oil has been used in the treatment of rickets for more than 100 years but it was not till 1918. Sir Edward Mellanby made things clear by his studies that rickets is the nutritional disease responding to a fat soluble vitamin in cod liver oil. This vitamin D was finally prepared in a pure form in 1931.

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Vitamin D otherwise described as calciferol. It is further divided in to two compounds i.e. cholecalciferol (D3) and another one is ergocalciferol (D2). Both are essential to prevent rickets (anti –rachitic).

These are all sterols chemically related to cholesterol and to the hormones of the adrenal cortex and sex glands. Certain sterols on exposure to ultraviolet irradiation undergo a small structural change which makes them antirachitic.

Among all sterols only two activated sterols are of importance in nutrition and therapeutics.  These were first described as vitamin D2 and D3 and are still known by these labels. The material originally described as vitamin D1 was subsequently shown to be an impure mixture of sterols.

Vitamin D2 differs chemically in having a double bond and a methyl group in the side chain. It is manufactured by the action of ultra violet light on ergo sterol, a sterol found in fungi and yeast. Although used in therapeutics, it occurs very rarely in nature.

Role of Vitamin D

There are a number of essential elements that are an important part of the human body. Vitamins, calcium,

minerals and carbohydrates are some of these elements. Each element is beneficial in its own way and Vitamin D is no exception. It is a chemical that aids in the transfer of calcium obtained from the digested food, into the blood, which in turn helps in keeping the bones strong. Vitamin D is also beneficial as it reduces inflammation and strengthens the immune system. Calcium and phosphate are very essential for the smooth and proper functioning of the nervous and muscular system, and Vitamin D is helpful in its absorption.

Before moving on to discuss the sources of Vitamin D, there is a need to understand the importance of Vitamin D, in a human body. The deficiency of this Vitamin in the body can pose a major health risk. In children, the deficiency of Vitamin D causes ‘Rickets’. This is a degenerative disease of the bones, causing them to be become deformed. In adults, Vitamin D deficiency leads to ‘Osteomalacia’. Due to this disease, the bones become weak with continuous pain, and frequent bone fractures. Hence, vitamin D is very important for both adults and children.

Vitamin D Sources

Consuming vitamin D enriched foods and supplements

Exposing one self to the sun

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Calcium is a fundamental nutrient which is required by our body every day. It is amongst the most important elements in the diet as it is the main structural component of bones, soft tissues and teeth and is necessary for the metabolic processes of the body.

Calcium acts as a robust performer and is dependable for a lot of structural as well as functional duties. It is the top macro mineral which carries the whole responsibility of a healthy body balance.

The most significant role of calcium is that it is the prime constituent of bone tissues. Not only it constructs the skeletal system but is also found disseminated in the soft tissues of the body. For building strong bones and healthy teeth, calcium is the fundamental element. Calcium cannot be produced by the body itself. That is why, in order to give back and restore the calcium amounts, which are lost through regular metabolic activities, habitual intake of calcium is essential.

If the calcium deficiency sustains for a long time, it will be resulted in osteoporosis which gives way to degeneration of bones, thus the risk of fractures is increased. It is notable that osteoporosis prevention is possible, if it is tried at early age and persistently kept on for the whole life. Between the ages of 10 and 20, bone mass grows quickly and it reaches at its peak at age 30.

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A report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute says that calcium or vitamin D supplements don’t seem to decrease the risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Dr. Rowan T. Chlevbowski (from the University of California, Los Angeles) and colleagues note that the results of observational studies associate higher calcium and vitamin D levels with a lower risk of breast cancer, but yet this topic has not been addressed in a different type of trial.

In this study, 36282 women participants randomly received calcium 1000 mg plus vitamin D 400 IU per day or placebo for 7 years to find the effect of these supplements on hip fractures. A secondary endpoint of the study was the supplements’ effect on invasive breast cancer.

The researchers found that there wasn’t any significant difference in the number of patients who developed invasive breast cancer in the supplement group and the placebo group, as it was 528 versus 546.

Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) usually lack vitamin D and present recommended dose of vitamin D is inadequate to overcome this deficiency, clinicians from The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions concluded.

In analysis of 262 pediatric CF patients, the investigator come to know that vitamin D deficiency has declined but is still high. The deficiency was 86% in 2003 which has declined to 46% in 2006. Patients older than 12 years were more vitamin D deficient than patients younger than 5 years.

Many vitamin D deficient children do not exhibit desired result, although receiving recommended doses of Ergocalciferol, the researchers reported.

The standard treatment dose for vitamin D deficiency is 50,000 IU Ergocalciferol, once in a week for 8 weeks for children 5 years of age or older and 12,000 IU once per week for 8 weeks for children younger than age 5 years.

According to a new study, children who live in rainy areas of the US seem to have a higher risk of developing autism.

The reason can be that these children spend more times indoors or it can be due to the chemicals that rain brings to the ground.

Michael Waldman, who led the study, says: “It seems that there is a strong relation between rains and autism diagnosis rates.”

Waldman own son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. He is not saying that rain causes autism, but he believes that there is some factor that is positively correlated with rain and it is serving as a trigger for autism.