Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D?
Some reports suggest nearly half the world’s population suffers from vitamin D deficiency, which is unsettling news given that a lack of vitamin D has been associated with a host of serious conditions: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis and even depression, not to mention brittle bones and the common cold.
“It’s a long list because the vitamin D steroid hormone affects different genes in different tissues,” says John Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council and author of "Autism Causes, Prevention and Treatment: Vitamin D Deficiency and the Explosive Rise of Autism Spectrum Disorder."
“Vitamin D is a steroid hormone precursor that is made in the skin,” Cannell explains. “The vitamin D steroid hormone activates up to 1,000 of the 21,000 active genes in the human genome. If the gene is in the brain, vitamin D affects the brain. If the gene is in the heart, vitamin D affects the heart. Thirty-seven different tissues in the human body utilize vitamin D and need it for adequate functioning.”
Given the importance of vitamin D to the body, a growing number of studies highlight what an insufficient amount can mean to one’s health.
In a study published Wednesday in BMJ, researchers tracked the blood samples of more than 95,000 participants for nearly 40 years and found that genes associated with permanent low levels of vitamin D raised the risk of early death. Throughout the study period, people with these genes had an increased mortality rate of 30 percent and a 40 percent higher risk of death from cancer.
While previous studies have shown a link between a vitamin D deficiency and increased mortality, the possibility that low levels of vitamin D were the result of poor health could have distorted those findings. For the first time, a causal relationship between a vitamin D deficiency and increased mortality was established.
In October, researchers revealed that in a study of patients who suffered from sudden cardiac arrest, 65 percent of those with low vitamin D levels suffered poor neurological outcomes six months after hospital discharge, compared with 23 percent of patients with healthy vitamin D levels. In addition, 29 percent of patients with low levels died six months after their cardiac attack, whereas all the patients with healthy vitamin D levels survived.
How does vitamin D, or a lack thereof, affect neurological function? “Vitamin D functions as a modulator in brain development and as a neuroprotectant through the association of neurotrophic factors," says study author Jin Wi, a professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea. "Vitamin D deficiency causes neuronal apoptosis and hinders the growth and survival of neurons, leading to the impairment of neurological function. In patients resuscitated after sudden cardiac arrest, neurological dysfunction is caused mainly by excessive oxidative stress, free radicals and immune reaction. Vitamin D provides antioxidative mechanisms and regulates the immune system by reducing inflammatory cytokines.”
Given their findings, Wi adds that “a vitamin D deficiency should be avoided, especially in people with a high risk of sudden cardiac arrest. People are at a higher risk if they have a personal or family history of heart disease, including heart rhythm disorders, congenital heart defects and cardiac arrest.”
In an online issue of Neurology published in August, a study examined the vitamin D levels of 1,658 people over age 65 who were dementia-free. Nearly 200 of the subjects developed dementia, and slightly more than 100 had Alzheimer’s disease after an average of six years.
The researchers discovered that when compared with subjects with normal levels of vitamin D, those with low levels had a 53 percent increased risk of developing dementia, while those with a severe deficiency had a 125 percent increased risk. Plus, people with lower levels of vitamin D were almost 70 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, while those with a severe deficiency were more than 120 percent more likely to do so.
Some reports suggest nearly half the world’s population suffers from vitamin D deficiency, which is unsettling news given that a lack of vitamin D has been associated with a host of serious conditions: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis and even depression, not to mention brittle bones and the common cold.
“It’s a long list because the vitamin D steroid hormone affects different genes in different tissues,” says John Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council and author of "Autism Causes, Prevention and Treatment: Vitamin D Deficiency and the Explosive Rise of Autism Spectrum Disorder."
“Vitamin D is a steroid hormone precursor that is made in the skin,” Cannell explains. “The vitamin D steroid hormone activates up to 1,000 of the 21,000 active genes in the human genome. If the gene is in the brain, vitamin D affects the brain. If the gene is in the heart, vitamin D affects the heart. Thirty-seven different tissues in the human body utilize vitamin D and need it for adequate functioning.”
Given the importance of vitamin D to the body, a growing number of studies highlight what an insufficient amount can mean to one’s health.
In a study published Wednesday in BMJ, researchers tracked the blood samples of more than 95,000 participants for nearly 40 years and found that genes associated with permanent low levels of vitamin D raised the risk of early death. Throughout the study period, people with these genes had an increased mortality rate of 30 percent and a 40 percent higher risk of death from cancer.
While previous studies have shown a link between a vitamin D deficiency and increased mortality, the possibility that low levels of vitamin D were the result of poor health could have distorted those findings. For the first time, a causal relationship between a vitamin D deficiency and increased mortality was established.
In October, researchers revealed that in a study of patients who suffered from sudden cardiac arrest, 65 percent of those with low vitamin D levels suffered poor neurological outcomes six months after hospital discharge, compared with 23 percent of patients with healthy vitamin D levels. In addition, 29 percent of patients with low levels died six months after their cardiac attack, whereas all the patients with healthy vitamin D levels survived.
How does vitamin D, or a lack thereof, affect neurological function? “Vitamin D functions as a modulator in brain development and as a neuroprotectant through the association of neurotrophic factors," says study author Jin Wi, a professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea. "Vitamin D deficiency causes neuronal apoptosis and hinders the growth and survival of neurons, leading to the impairment of neurological function. In patients resuscitated after sudden cardiac arrest, neurological dysfunction is caused mainly by excessive oxidative stress, free radicals and immune reaction. Vitamin D provides antioxidative mechanisms and regulates the immune system by reducing inflammatory cytokines.”
Given their findings, Wi adds that “a vitamin D deficiency should be avoided, especially in people with a high risk of sudden cardiac arrest. People are at a higher risk if they have a personal or family history of heart disease, including heart rhythm disorders, congenital heart defects and cardiac arrest.”
In an online issue of Neurology published in August, a study examined the vitamin D levels of 1,658 people over age 65 who were dementia-free. Nearly 200 of the subjects developed dementia, and slightly more than 100 had Alzheimer’s disease after an average of six years.
The researchers discovered that when compared with subjects with normal levels of vitamin D, those with low levels had a 53 percent increased risk of developing dementia, while those with a severe deficiency had a 125 percent increased risk. Plus, people with lower levels of vitamin D were almost 70 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, while those with a severe deficiency were more than 120 percent more likely to do so.
