AOR Vitamin D3 Details Required for Proper Bone Growth and Maintenance Helps prevent osteoporosis Ensures proper calcium absorption Supports the immune system Calcium Support from Vitamin D Calcium, the bone mineral, does not work alone. It depends on vitaminD to efficiently maintain bone health. Without enough vitamin D, the body cannot absorb enough calcium to meet its needs, so it begins to break down bone in order to access calcium stores. This leads to bone disorders such as osteoporosis. Are You at Risk for Deficiency? The body synthesizes vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure, but this is not enough to meet the body’s requirements. Studies have found that large portions of the population are vitamin D deficient, especially in northern latitudes. While elderly people are most at risk, deficiency can be a problem in all age groups. Besides bone disorders, vitamin D insufficiency is linked to muscle weakness, PMS, and a poor immune system. Deficiencies are also associated with increased hypertension and auto-immune diseases. Vitamin D Deficiency is Widespread Vitamin D deficiency is widespread across all population groups. Most physicians recognize that the elderly population is at risk, however it is less appreciated that children, young adults and middle age groups are also at risk. Studies have shown that children in areas ranging from Madrid, Spain to Maine and New York were approximately 50% deficit in vitamin D in the winter months. Apart from those who live in equilateral regions, most people do not synthesize sufficient amounts of vitamin D. For instance, in Edmonton, which is 52N, vitamin D synthesis is impaired from October through to March. Get Your Vitamin D, Come Rain or Shine UVB exposure to the skin epidermis produces vitamin D, which then undergoes hydroxylation first in the liver and then in the kidneys to produce the active hormone 1, 25-dihydroxy vitamin D. 1, 25(OH) D is responsible not only for bone development and growth in children and maintenance of bone in adults, but also for the prevention of osteoporosis and fractures in the elderly. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, and shortages in the body are a risk for many people. D3 provides enough of this important vitamin to prevent you from joining the ranks of the deficient. The term vitamin as applied to vitamin D is inaccurate because it is synthesized by the skin following exposure to sunlight. Synthesis is dependent upon numerous factors including the type of ultraviolet and intensity, duration of exposure, skin pigmentation, age, altitude, latitude, hour of day and time of season. Vitamin D and Muscle Function Vitamin D is also important in the function of muscles. Muscle weakness, pain and changes in gait have been described in vitamin D insufficiency. This may be the reason that the elderly have more falls and consequently increased fracture rates. Effects of Vitamin D Deficiency Vitamin D deficiency results in rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Both conditions are characterized by inadequate bone mineralization. Vitamin D is essential for the efficient utilization of dietary calcium. Blood calcium levels are tightly regulated, and in a vitamin D deficient state, the amount of calcium absorbed is inadequate to satisfy the body’s requirements. This causes the body to release a hormone called PTH (parathyroid hormone) which activates bone breakdown to retrieve the much needed calcium. This results in osteopenia and osteoporosis. Additionally, PTH causes the kidneys to excrete phosphate and the overall net result is a decrease in calcium phosphate, the major mineral required for mineralizing bone. Bone building cells continue to deposit collagen matrix, resulting in rubbery matrix which expands upon hydration and causes pressure and a low grade unrelenting pain often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia. Chronic Pain and Vitamin D One study found low levels of vitamin D in one in four patients who suffer from chronic pain. Patients with inadequate levels of vitamin D required nearly twice the dose of morphine that was used by patients with normal levels, and the vitamin D deficiency group used morphine for an average of 71.1 months compared to 43.8 months for non-deficient patients. These results led the researchers to hypothesize that while vitamin D is not the principle cause of chronic pain, it may be a contributing factor, and one that can be alleviated by supplementation. Vitamin D Deficiency is Associated with Several Types of Illness Vitamin D has been associated with increased hypertension, increased auto-immune diseases and various forms of cancer including breast, prostate and skin. Low Vitamin D is associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), poor immune system, diabetes and the so called syndrome X and seasonally affective disorders. With such a range of effects on health, getting an adequate amount of vitamin D is essential for people of all ages.
