Why is Vitamin D so important for our well-being? Research is proving that Vitamin D has many benefits on multiple organs within the body. Too little vitamin D can lower the immune system and increase the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes and more.
Why Vitamin D
There is no doubt that vitamin D has been a popular topic in the medical news. Many common diseases have been associated with vitamin D deficiency, many of which are supported by quality studies. Unlike other vitamins, vitamin D is actually a building block involved in repair and maintenance of the body. In a recent publication that reviewed controlled trials, vitamin D was shown to reduce total mortality1. Many believe that the greatest role vitamin D can play is to decrease the risk of chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, common cancers, infectious diseases, and autoimmune diseases. There are so many good reasons and health benefits!
How Vitamin D Works in the Body
Vitamin D has traditionally been associated with bone development. Vitamin D helps the body use calcium and phosphorus to build and maintain healthy bones and teeth. Now more research shows an association with many functions in the body. There are 36 different types of tissues in the body that contain vitamin D receptors (VDRs) and would therefore have the ability to respond to circulating vitamin D in the body2.
The list below identifies some of the important vitamin D and vitamin D receptor research.
Bones, Teeth, and Skeletal Muscles
Vitamin D promotes the growth formation of bones. Vitamin D regulates the blood levels of calcium and phosphorus and is needed for healthy bone grown and structure. Vitamin D deficiency associated with the skeletal system include:
- Prevention of bone softening, deformity and fractures known as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
- Prevention of osteoporosis, which involves reduced bone mineral density, and is characterized by broken bones (especially hip, wrists and spine)
Muscles contain vitamin D receptors. Muscle strength and speed has been shown to improve when vitamin D levels increase3
Immune system
Vitamin D works on the immune system, has anti-tumour activity, and has a role in modulation of the immune system
Vitamin D is changed into a hormonally active form within the body. There are vitamin D hormone receptors on immune cells.
As a result, Vitamin D may provide therapeutic benefits in the following types of diseases:
- inflammatory (such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis)
- autoimmune (such as multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, and lupus)
- organ transplant rejection
- cancers (breast, colon, prostate, leukemia, squamous and basal cell carcinomas)
- dermatologic conditions (psoriasis, actinic keratosis)
- infection (colds, influenza)4
Cardiovascular System
The mechanism and role of vitamin D in cardiovascular disease prevention is actively studied
Research indicates that vitamin D may have beneficial impact on the following diseases:
- High Blood Pressure
- Coronary Disease
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Cardiovascular events
- Stroke
- Peripheral Artery Disease
- Heart Attacks
Brain
Tissues in the brain have vitamin D receptors and respond to the active form of vitamin D. Research suggests that vitamin D is essential for healthy brain development for the fetus and early life5. Research also indicates a link with vitamin D in the following diseases:
- Autism
- Schizophrenia
- Parkinson's Disease6
- Multiple Sclerosis7
- Depression8
Conclusion
The mounting data shows a potential link between vitamin D and many health issues. Scientists continue to research vitamin D in order to better understand the role of vitamin D in general health.
1Autier P, Gandini S. Vitamin D supplementation and total mortality: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Intern Med 2007;167(16):1730-7.
2Boullion R., Okamura, WH, Norman AW. Structure-function relationship in the vitamin D endocrine system. Endocr rev 1995;16:200-57.
3Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Giovannucci E, Willett WC, Dietrich T, Dawson-Hughes B. Estimation of optimal serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D for multiple health outcomes. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84:18-28.
4Cannell JJ, Vieth R, Umhau JC, et. al. Epidemic influenza and vitamin D. Epidemiol Infect 2006:134(6):1129-40.
5Eyles DW, Smith S, Kinobe R, Hewison M, Mcgrath JJ. Distribution of the vitamin D receptor and the 1α-hydoxylase in human brain. J Chem Neuronat 2005;29:21-30.
6Evatt ML, DeLong MR, Khazai N, Rosen A, Triche S, Tangpricha V. Prevalence of Vitamin D Insufficiency in Patients With Parkinson Disease and Alzheimer Disease. Arch Neurol. 2008;65(10):1348-52.
7Munger KL, Levin LI, Hollis BW, Howard NS, Ascherion A. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and the risk of multiple sclerosis. JAMA 2006;296:2832-8.
8Lansdowne AT, Provost SC. Vitamin D₃ enhances mood in healthy subjects during winter. : Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1998 Feb;135(4):319-23