| Vitamin D: A Wonder Vitamin? |
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| Vitamin D - Vitamin D 2010 |
| Written by Frank Mangano |
| Tuesday, 09 November 2010 03:04 |
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Vitamin D, or calciferol, is perhaps one of the most popular vitamins ever known to man, maybe because one of its sources is just as popular. Vitamin D can be created when a person’s skin is exposed to sunlight, and this is probably part of the reason why we have been hearing other people talk about getting some sun exposure. The light coming from the sun contains ultraviolet rays, helping in the production of Vitamin D. It mainly comes in two forms: D2 and D3. Vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, comes from plant sources while some food items and the rays of the sun are the best sources of Vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol. This fat-soluble vitamin plays a very important role since it helps regulate the levels of the minerals Phosphorus and Calcium inside the body. Phosphorus is responsible for maintaining healthy bones and teeth, and it also helps nerves and muscles to function properly. Calcium is a very important component in bones in order to keep them strong. Generally speaking, Vitamin D is needed so that Calcium will be absorbed and used by the body. The absence of, or the deficiency in, Vitamin D would cause skeletal problems such as rickets, osteoporosis and osteomalacia. However, a recent study has shown a link between chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and Vitamin D deficiency. What is Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia? CLL is a cancer of the white blood cells, specifically the lymphocytes, which causes the number of B-lymphocytes to gradually grow in number inside the bone marrow. In time, the cancer cells will reach the blood stream and will travel to the lymphatic nodes, spleen and liver. Eventually, CLL will cause the failure of bone marrow to efficiently perform its work, resulting to a weakened immune system and low blood count. Symptoms of CLL include:
The Link between CLL and Vitamin D Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have discovered a significant difference in the progression of cancer and death in patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who had adequate levels of Vitamin D present in their blood as compared to patients who were deficient. The findings of the study conducted by researchers from Mayo Clinic were published in the online journal Blood. The results revealed that, for patients whose Vitamin D levels were insufficient at the time when the diagnosis of CLL was made, disease progression was much faster and the patient was two times more likely to die compared to patients with sufficient Vitamin D levels. A trend was also established: when vitamin D levels were increased among patients, it brought about longer survival time. Decreasing the levels of vitamin D brought about a shorter interval between the time of diagnosis and the progression of cancer. According to Tait Shanafelt, M.D., the lead author of the study, the findings are important because, for the first time ever, there exists a possibility of offering patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia a means to slow down the progression of the disease. Dr Shanafelt is also a haematologist at Rochester, Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic. The study enrolled 390 patients diagnosed with CLL whose blood were tested for 25-hydroxyl-vitamin D plasma concentration. The researchers found out that almost 30 percent of the patients had low levels of vitamin D, falling below 25 nanograms per millilitre. When a follow-up was done three years later, patients who were found to lack vitamin D were found to have a 66 percent more chance of progressing and would ultimately require chemotherapy treatment, and they also had a double risk of death. Similar results were observed in another study using 153 CLL patients who were untreated. According to Dr Shanafelt, the results show that insufficiency in vitamin D could be the first risk factor linked to CLL’s prognosis that has the potential of being modified. Vitamin D and Other Forms of Cancer Epidemiologic data, as well as animal and laboratory evidence, has suggested that a person’s vitamin D status can possibly influence the risk for cancer. Strong mechanistic and biological bases show that vitamin D plays an important task in the prevention of breast, prostate, and colon cancers. Up-and-coming epidemiologic information suggests that vitamin D exerts a protective effect against the development of colon cancer. However, such data does not reveal the same protective effect against breast and prostate cancer development. One important thing to point out, though, is the fact that these studies have not shown whether vitamin D consistently gives a protective effect or not. Natural Sources of Vitamin D Considering the importance of the role that vitamin D, it is only proper that we take the necessary steps to ensure that we have sufficient amounts inside the body. There are actually two natural sources of vitamin D: the sun’s UV rays, and food.
As stated, the sun’s rays are needed in the formation of vitamin D in the skin – but not all the time. Take extra care not to over-expose yourself. Remember that the sun can be dangerous at times. The same UV rays that would give you the vitamin D that you need are the very same UV rays can damage your skin. Although you cannot overdose on the vitamin D that the sun gives, your skin can burn with over-exposure.
Vitamin D may be obtained from the foods that we eat. It is simply a matter of choosing from a whole lot of options. Both animals and vegetables are good sources of vitamin D, although some may contain more amounts than the others. Fish, are the best sources of this particular vitamin. Salmon tops the list, with tuna, mackerel and sardines not too far behind. Below is a list of more food options, which certainly provides a fair amount of vitamin D:
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