The role of vitamin D and vitamin D3 in the human body

Why vitamin D is so important.

The human body has the natural ability to create vitamin D from available cholesterol in the skin, when the skin is exposed to solar rays. In fact, it will produce vitamin D regardless of the diet an individual consumes. Because of this dependence on solar exposure it is important to realize that indirect sunlight, like that received by sitting in front of an uncovered window is ineffective, due to the UV-ray filtering happening at the window pane. Without UV-rays, the skin cannot activate the process of vitamin D synthesis.

Vitamin D molecules are primarily responsible for the effective collection of calcium and its salts for its ready distribution throughout the human body. That is why vitamin D is essential for healthy bone structure and skeletal stability. Maintaining adequate supplies of vitamin D are critical for women undergoing menopause, a period of marked bone mass loss.

Although 99% of calcium in the human body is used for the generation and maintenance of teeth and bone, we will see that the remaining one percent plays a vital role. Calcium is a principal component involved in the transmission of nerve impulses to nerve cells and the brain. Calcium ions use tiny channels to circulate between cell membranes and transmit a signal from one cell to another. Moreover, this complex process affects our ability to sense positive and negative moods since calcium forms part of the exchange of hormones, neurotransmitters and molecules that transmit nerve and cognitive pulses to the nerve system.

Modern neurophysiologists consider calcium to be the best natural calming remedy available. Calcium has been known for this incredible property since ancient times. Even animals, driven by their instincts, tend to look for plants with calcium (thyme, rosemary, dill, sage or marjoram contain almost two and a half percent) to fend off the feelings generated by stressful conditions caused by the chase or hunt.

That is not to say that vitamin D is nothing more than a mood enhancer. Scientists find increasingly more receptors for the “solar” elixir, especially in the immune system. And vitamin D is necessary for the development of muscle strength, as well. The results of a recent scientific study on vitamin D demonstrated how body cells that carried the nuclei of the vitamin turned out to be using the same receptors as estrogen. This leads researches to believe that vitamin D may produce effects similar to estrogen in their function of strengthening the bones. Insufficient vitamin D may lead to the atrophy of the bones and the study also indicated a specific kind of interaction between estrogen, calcium and the vitamin D that wasn’t known before

In the last few decades, clinical experiments revealed what practicing doctors have witnessed for many years—ointments with natural vitamin D3 decrease the flaking of the skin so typical in individuals suffering from psoriasis. Although pharmaceutical companies already synthesized the derivative of the vitamin D3 to treat psoriasis, it’s now becoming evident that dyhidroxy vitamin D is effective too.

Women suffering from multiple sclerosis—a degenerating, autoimmune nerve condition—tend to have a low concentrations of vitamin D in the blood. Taking regular supplements of the vitamin is known to increase the effectiveness of treatment for this disease. Actually, the hypothesis is that the unique hormonal form of the vitamin D3 is a discriminatory immune system controller that suppresses this autoimmune condition.

It has been proven that vitamin D increases the circulation of sugar in animals. A recent study performed by Dutch scientists showed that elderly people with low concentrations of vitamin D showed especially low rates of sugar metabolism and low insulin levels. Several ongoing studies are being conducted to better understand the role, if any, which supplements including vitamin D, might play in treating those suffering from diabetes.

Higher levels of the active vitamin D3 in the blood have been consistently correlated to lower indices of blood pressure. According to one study, conducted with a group of 666 women, showed that the number of high blood pressure cases was reduced by 40% upon starting vitamin D and calcium treatments.

A group of specialists focused on the nutritional effects of vitamin D on different forms of cancer. Some of the reported benefits are as follows:

• Lab results showed vitamin D3 actually prevented the spread of tumors and decreased the spread of malignant tumors by more than 50%.
• Observations strongly suggest that vitamin D may lower the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Those who consumed supplements with the vitamin and spend more time out in the sun showed better results comparing to those who did neither.
• The malignant cells of the prostate gland are vulnerable to the eradicating effects of vitamin D3 which makes it a good resource in the treatment of prostate cancer. The only reported drawback is the need for large amounts of the vitamin for long periods of time to show significant improvement.
• Vitamin D, delivered to cells grown in vitro, helped decrease Glioblastoma, the most common form of brain tumor. It also was responsible for lowering the incidence of leukemia cells.

Consequences of a vitamin D deficiency.

As long as adequate levels of vitamin D are maintained in the body, Vitamin D will control the concentration of calcium in the blood so that the body does not suffer a calcium deficiency. Sufficient concentrations of calcium guarantee strong, healthy teeth and bones. Depleted bone mass is continuously replaced by new material. In fact, the strength of our teeth and bones may vary from hour to hour and depends on the quantity of nutrients it constantly receives.

Slight aches that may be experienced during the morning hours may be a sign of a calcium deficiency. An ideal morning diet that ensures a healthy level of calcium in the body involves 200 grams of cottage cheese and lemon juice squeezed from two lemons. Other meals with plenty of calcium and vitamins C and D will also do. This regimen will not only help maintain high energy levels through lunch time but can also strengthen the bones and protect them from frequent and easy fractures. Regular exercising is a good addition to the above.

When the concentration of calcium in the blood falls (a condition that may be caused by the overconsumption of fried foods) a small number of parahormones - hormones made by the parathyroid gland that are critical to the calcium and phosphorus balance - are activated to stimulate the production of vitamin D in the kidneys. At the same time, the cells of the mucous membrane in the bowels receive the task of emitting calcium and phosphates into the blood. These processes force the kidneys to aggressively retain calcium by preventing it from discharging calcium through the urine. If necessary, the human body will try to compensate for the lack of calcium by taking calcium out of the bones and directing it into the blood stream to replenish calcium in the nerve cells. All of these processes are activated to ensure that the required one percent calcium concentration in the blood will never fall under the 1% mark. That’s because, if it does, muscle contraction may reduced to the point of cardiac arrest.