Until recently, the only positive effect of vitamin D on the skeletal system was well known. Research in recent years shows, however, that it is involved in many other processes and benefits the entire body, can protect against many diseases, and moreover - prolong life.
Vitamin D, or rather its receptors, are found in most of the tissues of our body (including the brain, cardiovascular system, bones, muscles, skin, endocrine glands). It not only regulates the body's calcium and phosphate balance, i.e. it is responsible for strong bones. It affects 140 metabolic pathways and affects nearly 300 genes (which is almost 3% of the human genome!). This is why it can reduce the risk of many chronic diseases and can also be used to treat them. Importantly, vitamin D deficiency below 20 ng / ml has been shown to be an independent factor affecting mortality.
Vitamin D extends life - prevents many diseases
Vitamin D has a strong influence on the immune system. Its deficiency increases the risk not only of infections, but also of autoimmune diseases in which the immune system attacks its own tissues, e.g. type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto's disease, psoriasis. Interestingly, from the observation of over 10 thousand. Finnish children show that vitamin D supplementation from birth to adulthood in a dose of 2000 IU caused a decrease in type 1 diabetes by as much as 78%!
Research indicates a relationship between insolation and lower risk of disease, as well as lower mortality from hormone-dependent cancers, such as prostate or breast cancer, and colon cancer. In turn, in the case of cardiovascular diseases, it was found that low vitamin D concentration correlates with a higher incidence of coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and atherosclerosis of the lower limbs. People with levels of this vitamin below 10 ng / ml are more likely to have a cardiovascular event. Deficits also occur in the case of hypertension and obesity, especially abdominal obesity.
Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to cause insulin resistance (decreased tissue sensitivity to insulin), which promotes the onset of metabolic syndrome and later type 2 diabetes. In one study in people taking 800 IU. Vitamin D daily was found to be 33% lower in the incidence of this disease than in those who took 200j.m. In addition, research indicates a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and skin and muscle diseases, intestinal diseases, periodontal disease, as well as hypogonadism in men (testicular hormonal failure).
Vitamin D extends life - protects the brain and nervous system
Vitamin D plays an important role in the functioning of the nervous system and brain. It affects receptors located in neurons, neurotransmitters in the central nervous system (including acetylcholine, serotonin and dopamine), growth factors (proteins that stimulate repair processes), as well as cytokines and pro-inflammatory factors. It has a protective effect by nourishing the nerve, as well as e.g. anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, prevents damage to the myelin sheaths of nerves. Therefore, a deficiency of this vitamin can lead to neurodegenerative changes in the brain.
Many studies support the association of vitamin D with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, depression and schizophrenia. It has been shown that at a concentration of 10 ng / ml, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease increases by 50%.
30-year follow-up of 3k The Finns showed that in the group with the lowest vitamin D levels, the incidence of Parkinson's disease was three times higher. In the case of schizophrenia, patients with sun vitamin deficiency were diagnosed with the disease twice as often. In contrast, a Dutch study among people over 65 years of age showed that seniors with vitamin D levels below 25 ng / ml showed worse physical fitness, reduced quality of life and more frequent depression compared to the group with the normal concentration.
Studies in Denmark, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden have shown that those born in May (pregnancy in months with little sunshine) had a 13% higher risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) than those born in November.
One study found that administering vitamin D to pregnant women significantly reduced the risk of developing MS in a child. Vitamin D deficiency is often found in neurodegenerative diseases and mental disorders (e.g. in the case of schizophrenia in almost 70% of patients).
The role of supplementation in treating these conditions is still being researched. For now, it is used in the treatment of depression, although there are reports that the administration of vitamin D improves cognitive abilities in the elderly or, for example, stabilizes the picture of Parkinson's disease.
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Enjoy the sun, eat fish
Vitamin D is produced in the skin when exposed to sunlight. To get the right amount of it, just spend a quarter of an hour in the sunbetween 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., revealing the forearms and legs (18% of the body surface) without sunscreen.
Unfortunately, skin synthesis occurs only from late April to early September, and only on sunny days. In the cold season, there is no chance for it, at least in Poland, due to the too small angle of the sun's rays.
The demand can be partially supplemented with a diet. Vitamin D is found mainly in fish oil and fish (e.g. 100 g of eel contains 1440 IU, herring - 800 IU), which we should eat at least twice a week. There is little of it in other animal products (in 100 g of eggs - 180 IU, cheese - 80 IU), and in vegetable products there is negligible amount (in 100 g of cabbage only 0.08 IU).
It can also be found in mushrooms (100 g of chanterelles provide 161 IU, porcini mushrooms - 149 IU), but before cooking it is worth exposing them to the sun, because hats synthesize vitamin D. Absorption of this vitamin improves magnesium (its sources are: whole grain cereal products, pumpkin seeds, cocoa, legumes), so it is worth taking care of the right amount of this element in the menu (300-400 mg per day).
Vitamin D prolongs life - the effects of deficiency
As many as 90% of Poles have vitamin D deficiency - this applies to all age groups. Symptoms (e.g. decreased immunity, musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, insomnia, periodontal disease) may not appear for a long time.
Deficit is favored by office work, the use of sunscreen, aging (the skin's ability to produce vitamins decreases), chronic diseases, incl. kidney disease, liver disease, autoimmune, allergies, mental disorders, hormonal disorders, absorption, use of antiepileptic drugs, glucocorticoids, chemotherapy. In the diagnosis of deficiencies, the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the blood is assessed - 25 (OH) D (cost from about PLN 50 to PLN 100). The desired concentration in adults is 30-50 ng / ml.
Worth knowingAccording to current recommendations, children and adults should take vitamin D from September to April, and in the case of insufficient skin synthesis in summer - also in the remaining months, while people over 65 - all year round.
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