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Boost Vitamin D Intake: Why?
For nearly a decade scientific evidence has been mounting to show that the vast
majorities of adults (and many children) are grossly deficient in circulating
blood levels of vitamin D. The conditions and diseases responsive to vitamin D
that account for over half of the world's mortality include
cancer,
cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis and respiratory diseases and
infections. Serum concentration of 25(OH)D is the best indicator of vitamin D
status.
For many people, 600 international units (IUs) of vitamin D
or more each day
will maintain bone health, but those aged 71 and older may need as much as 800 IUs daily, the Institute Of Medicine experts say.
Viewing the role played by the sunlight vitamin, we leave you to analyze the
need:
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Vitamin D, which is primarily absorbed from the sun, plays a role in
protection against childhood
asthma. A new
study led by Valencian researchers has shown that children who live in
colder, wetter cities are at greater risk of suffering from this respiratory
problem, since there are fewer hours of sunlight in such places. This
vitamin, which can be found in various cell receptors, is usually found at
lower levels in people with asthma. The research, carried out on more than
45,000 children and teenagers from nine Spanish cities and published in the
International Journal of Biometeorology, shows that climatic conditions,
above all solar radiation, can in many cases explain the high geographical
variation in the prevalence of asthma in Spain.
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Colon Cancer: The PLoS One journal shows the precise cellular
mechanism that helps vitamin D dramatically lower the risk of colon cancer.
The bottom line is simple: check your vitamin D blood saturation with an
inexpensive test and make the necessary adjustments to live a healthier and
longer life. Researchers have known for some time that low vitamin D levels
are associated with a significant increase in colon cancer cases, but they
have not understood the specific mechanism responsible. Now, scientists have
discovered how a lack of vitamin D promotes DNA damage and colon cancer
risk. Specifically, low vitamin D status instigates the development and
progression of this devastating form of cancer. Researchers have focused on
a protein in intestinal epithelial cells called beta-catechin that normally
helps epithelial cells bond together with other cells to form a protective
barrier between the contents in your gut and the physical structure of your
digestive tract. They found that when vitamin D is lacking, DNA synthesis is
disrupted and beta-catechin builds up in cells, dramatically increasing the
risk of colon cancer initiation.
-
Heart
Disease: Preventing and treating heart disease in some patients could be as
simple as supplementing their diet with extra vitamin D, according to two new
studies at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah.
In one of the study, researchers followed two groups of patients for an average
of one year each. In the first study group, over 9,400 patients, mostly female,
reported low initial vitamin D levels, and had at least one follow up exam
during that time period. Researchers found that 47 percent of the patients who
increased their levels of vitamin D between the two visits showed a reduced risk
for cardiovascular disease.
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Obesity: Studies in adults and children have shown a link between
obesity and vitamin D deficiency. However, data characterizing the racial
differences in the relationship between
obesity
and vitamin D. In the
study, researchers measured vitamin D levels in 237 children and found
the majority of the study participants were vitamin D deficient. Plasma
vitamin D levels were associated inversely with
BMI and
fat
levels and positively with HDL cholesterol in all subjects.
Visceral adipose tissue (fat between internal organs) was higher in
vitamin D deficient whites and subcutaneous adipose tissue (fat below the
skin) was higher in vitamin D deficient blacks compared with their
respective vitamin D non-deficient counterparts.
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Anemia: Pediatricians from Johns Hopkins Children's Center and
elsewhere have
discovered a link between low levels of vitamin D and anemia in children
(May 1, 2011). To examine the relationship between hemoglobin and vitamin D,
the researchers looked at data from the blood samples of more than 9,400
children, 2 to 18 years of age. The lower the vitamin D levels, the lower
the hemoglobin and the higher the risk for
anemia, the researchers found. Children with levels below 20 nanograms
per milliliter (ng/ml) of blood had a 50 percent higher risk for anemia than
children with levels 20 ng/ml and above. For each 1 ng/ml increase in
vitamin D, anemia risk dropped by 3 percent. While the findings show a clear
link between low vitamin D levels and anemia, they do not prove that vitamin
D deficiency causes anemia, the investigators caution.
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Bone
Density: Vitamin D is essential to building and maintaining healthy
bones
throughout life. Calcium, the main element of bone, can be absorbed into the
body only when vitamin D is present in sufficient levels. Studies have shown
that an adequate dietary intake of vitamin D helps to prevent and treat
osteoporosis, a condition characterized by a reduction in bone mass that
leads to an increased risk of
bone
fractures. In order to further evaluate the role of vitamin D in preventing bone
loss,
researchers conducted a study on 161 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.
Throughout the study, researchers took fasting blood and urine samples to assess
vitamin D levels in all participants. Results of the study showed that 39.1% of
postmenopausal women with low bone density were deficient in vitamin D.
Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency was associated with a higher probability of
meeting the diagnostic criteria for osteoporosis.
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Tuberculosis: There is no need to get vaccinated against
tuberculosis if you maintain high enough levels of vitamin D, suggests a new
study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. It was
found that vitamin D is necessary for the immune system to produce
cathelicidin, an antimicrobial peptide that, like interferons, provides
humans and other mammals with protection against bacterial infections. In
other words, vitamin D equips the body with the tools it needs to prevent
infection without the need for drug-based antibiotics.
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Vitamin D
Age |
Female |
Pregnancy |
Lactation |
0�12 months* |
400 IU
(10 mcg) |
|
|
1�13 years |
600 IU
(15 mcg) |
|
|
14�18 years |
600 IU
(15 mcg) |
600 IU
(15 mcg) |
600 IU
(15 mcg) |
19�50 years |
600 IU
(15 mcg) |
600 IU
(15 mcg) |
600 IU
(15 mcg) |
51�70 years |
600 IU
(15 mcg) |
|
|
>70 years |
800 IU
(20 mcg) |
|
|
* Adequate Intake (AI)
A healthy diet is one that:
-
Emphasizes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free
or low-fat milk and milk products.
-
Milk is fortified with vitamin D, as are many ready-to-eat cereals and
some brands of yogurt and orange juice. Cheese naturally contains small
amounts of vitamin D.
-
Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.
-
Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are very good sources of
vitamin D. Small amounts of vitamin D are also found in beef liver and egg
yolks.
-
Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and
added sugars.
-
Vitamin D is added to some margarines.
-
Stays within your daily calorie needs.
- WF Team
Dated 07 December 2011
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