Overview of D3 in the Body
Vitamin D3 is activated by certain UV-B rays on the skin. These UV-B rays are accessible to people around the equator year round. However, most people do not live on the equator so those who live in the north ie Michigan(US), France, Russia, etc ONLY have access to UV-B rays in summer. IF your metabolizing your fats properly then you will store vitamin D for use in the majority of the year when you do not have access to UV-B rays.
Once your skin is activated with UV-B rays and produces D3 then it goes to the liver. The liver then processes it into 25, hydroxyvitamin D. At this point it is used throughout the cells of your body. If calcium is low in the body, the kidneys process it down further into 1,25 hydroxyvitamin D which triggers your bowels to absorb more calcium. So low D can cause low calcium and thus bone health(ie osteoporosis).
The FDA in Nov 2008 has now doubled the requirements for D in children. Since other NIH studies have shown this vitamin can reduce the risk of autoimmune disease like MS, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and certain types of cancer. If you are interested check to see if your multivitamin has at least 1500 IU of D3(more potent) and take it with fish oil, nuts or food with olive oil. The reason is vitamin D (A,E & K) is fat soluble. So it has to have fat in gut for it to be absorbed well. If you want, ask your doctor for more information.
Note- Most vitamins only contain D2 not D3. D3 is over 20 times more potent than D2.
Concise Health Benefits of D3
[More detailed list of this information with resources can be found below dotted line.]
Heart Disease - #1 killer of both men and women in the US
* Vitamin D analogues could help prevent or ameliorate hypertension
* Vitamin D: importance in the prevention of ..... type 1 diabetes, heart disease
* Inadequate D(3).. could play a contributory role in progression of hypertension & cardiovascular disease in elderly women
Diabetes – 1/3 of Americans are either diabetic or pre-diabetic
* D supplementation is associated with reduced risk of type 1 diabetes
* Prevention of cancers, type 1 diabetes, heart disease & osteoporosis
Osteoporosis
* 26% reduction in hip fracture
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
* Reduce their risk of developing RA by as much as 42%
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
* 41% decrease in the incidences of MS in white males & females
Breast Cancer
* reduction by 50% in incidence of breast cancer
Colorectal Cancer
* 50% lower incidence of colorectal cancer
Prostate Cancer
* D3 acts as a chemopreventive agent against several malignancies including cancers of the prostate and colon
* may lead to its use in the treatment or prevention of prostate cancer.
All Cancer
* Conclusion: Postmenopausal Canadian women over 55 years old studied.
All-cancer incidence was reduced by 77%.
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Health Benefits – Vitamin D3 reduces the risks of getting the following diseases:
Heart Disease
General Cost of disease: For example, for one person with heart disease, costs for diagnostic tests, surgery, hospital and doctors visits, physical therapy, and drugs can add up to $121,200 over 20 years. For those needing surgery or procedures and ongoing care, heart disease and stroke can cost more than $4.8 million over a lifetime.
Source of this information: http://www.cdc.gov/NCCDPHP/publications/AAG/dhdsp.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/cdcynergy_training/content/activeinformation/resources/Heart_Disease_and_Stroke_Problem.pdf
Chances of getting it: 1/3 of all Americans die of heart disease making it the #1 killer in America of both men and women
Source of this information: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CardiacHealth/story?id=2759392&page=1
Research that shows Vitamin D reduces the chances of this disease:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12720576?dopt=Abstract
low vitamin D status is involved in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Moreover, vitamin D insufficiency can lead to a disturbed muscle function. Epidemiological data also indicate a low vitamin D status in tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, hypertension, and specific types of cancer.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12122115?dopt=Abstract
1,25(OH)(2)D(3) is a novel negative endocrine regulator of the renin-angiotensin system. Its apparent critical role in electrolytes, volume, and blood pressure homeostasis suggests that vitamin D analogues could help prevent or ameliorate hypertension.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14985208?dopt=Abstract
Vitamin D: importance in the prevention of cancers, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11297596?dopt=Abstract
Inadequate vitamin D(3) and calcium intake could play a contributory role in the pathogenesis and progression of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in elderly women.
Diabetes
General Cost of disease: $233,000 lifetime cost of diabetes for women
Source of this information: http://www.drdonnica.com/news/00005412.htm
Chances of getting the disease:
The number of people over 20 years old in 2007 actually diagnosed with
diabetes is 23.5 million or 10.7% of this age group has diabetes. 57
million Americans are PRE-diabetic so about about 21% of Americans will
get diabetes if they don't reduce risk factors. So almost 32% or almost 1/3 of Americans are either diabetic or prediabetic.
Source of this information: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/general07.htm#impaired
Approx. 7% kids under 20 + 26% adults 20 years and older (57 million
adults in 2007) are pre-diabetic with impaired fasting glucose (IFG).
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2007.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r080624.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsDiabetesTrends/
Research that shows Vitamin D reduces the chances of this disease:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3334207?dopt=Abstract
The findings that 1 alpha (OH)D3 enhances insulin secretion and reduces
the levels of serum free fatty acid in non-insulin-dependent diabetics
provide us with the possibility that vitamin D may play some role in
the regulation of insulin secretion.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11705562?dopt=Abstract
Dietary vitamin D supplementation is associated with reduced risk of type 1 diabetes.
Osteoporosis
URLs of research that shows Vitamin D reduces the chances of this disease:
Information: D3 is processed in liver into 25 hydroxyvitamin D when your body senses you are low in calcium it is processed into 1,25 in the kidney and triggers your bowels to absorb more calcium. So if you are low in D it can lead to low calcium which overtime can lead to osteoporosis of the bones.
http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/94/4/1244
Conclusions: Low serum 25(OH)D concentrations are common in the elderly. Bone health and physical performance in older persons are likely to improve when serum 25(OH)D is raised above 50–60 nmol/liter.
http://thediamondrun.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/vitamin-d-its-importance-for-prevention-of-bone-loss-cancer-reduction1.pdf
Conclusion: Vitamin D therapy has also been shown to improve reflexes & to reduce the risk of body sway & falls. In a recent meta-analysis, vitamin D3 supplementation was associated with a 26% reduction in hip fracture
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
General Cost of disease: Lifetime cost of MS is $2.2 million dollars (estimated in 1994)
Source of this information: http://msj.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/4/5/419
Chances of getting the disease: 1 in approximately 147 people per the average of two separate polls Montel Williams had done in 200X. The average of the two polls came to approximately 2 million people out of about 293,655,404 people in America in 2004. So approximately 1 in every 150 people will get the disease.
Source of this information: Montel Williams “Climbing Higher” book & 2004 US census information on http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0004986.html
Research that shows Vitamin D reduces the chances of this disease:
Munger, KL, LI Levin, BW Hollis, NS Howard, A Ascherio. 2006. Serum 25 Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis. Journal of American Medical Association. 296:2832-2838.
This research showed for every 50 nmol/L increase in vitamin D level there was a 41% decrease in the incidences of MS in white males and females.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6191131.stm
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Increased-vitamin-D-may-protect-against-multiple-sclerosis
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11115787
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Research that shows Vitamin D reduces the chances of this disease:
Merlino LA, Curtis J, Mikuls TR, Cerhan JR, Criswell LA, and Saag KG. Vitamin D intake is inversely associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatism 2004; 50(1):72-77
Recent studies have revealed that women who ingest more than 400 IU of vitamin D a day reduce their risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by as much as 42%. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18594491
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18682414
Cancer:
Research that shows Vitamin D reduces the chances of this disease:
http://thediamondrun.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/vitamin-d-its-importance-for-prevention-of-bone-loss-cancer-reduction1.pdf
Conclusion: Postmenopausal Canadian women (n=1179) aged over 55 years were randomized to calcium (1400mg daily), vitamin D 3 (1100 IU daily) or placebo for 4 years. During this period, serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D levels increased from 71.8 to 96 nmol/L. All-cancer incidence was reduced by 77%.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16236494?dopt=Citation
50% lower incidence of colorectal cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14696037?dopt=Abstract
accumulating epidemiological and molecular evidence suggests that 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 acts as a chemopreventive agent against several malignancies including cancers of the prostate and colon
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10352118?dopt=Abstract
mechanisms of vitamin D action in prostate and identification of suitable analogs for use in vivo may lead to its use in the treatment or prevention of prostate cancer.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11075874?dopt=Abstract
conclude that low levels of 25-VD associated with an increased risk for subsequent earlier exposure and more aggressive development of prostate cancer, especially before the andropause.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10668487?dopt=Citation
In addition to reduction of incidence and mortality rates from colon cancer, epidemiological data suggest that intake of 800 IU/day of vitamin D may be associated with enhanced survival rates among breast cancer cases.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17368188?dopt=Citation
serum 25(OH)D to 52 ng/ml, a level associated with reduction by 50% in incidence of breast cancer
