Vitamin D for Immune Support, Flu Prevention
article by Denise Cooluris ND
One very significant preventive measure that has been in the media quite a bit these last few years is Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is attained through some food sources, but mainly by exposure to sunlight and supplementation. This important vitamin has been heavily researched this decade, as we keep finding more and more critical roles it serves in prevention and treatment of many serious diseases. Vitamin D deficiency plays a role in the cause of many conditions, while other conditions can be treated with Vitamin D supplementation.
The most important role of this fat-soluble vitamin is to regulate our blood level of calcium so that less is taken from stores in our bones, while enough is circulating to maintain critical body functions. Cod liver oil is an excellent source of vitamin D, as are fortified foods, and a trace amount is found in egg yolks. The majority of our vitamin D is absorbed through our skin from sunshine.
One in seven people are deficient in vitamin D. One in seven! It has been found that 1 billion people worldwide have vitamin D deficiency and 40-100% of elderly US and European are deficient, even in the sunniest of places. There are many causes of this deficiency, including inadequate sun exposure, diet or supplementation, dark skin, pregnancy or breastfeeding, improper absorption because of poor gastrointestinal health, certain prescription drugs, obesity, and certain liver or kidney diseases.
Here is a list of several of the health imbalances influenced by vitamin D:
Potent Immune Modulation: Immune Support for Chronic Illness and Influenza
Vitamin D has multiple protective and profound effects for the immune system and is a very important part of treatment for every patient with chronic illness and inflammation. Immune cells are able to signal the body to increase its production of vitamin D. This, in turn, results in the productions of very potent immune chemicals capable of destroying many infectious bugs, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bug responsible for tuberculosis outbreaks. In fact, Canada is currently researching the role of Vitamin D in the prevention of the H1N1 “Swine Flu”.
Cancer Prevention
Higher blood levels of the main form of vitamin D are associated with substantially lower incidence of colon, breast, ovarian, renal, pancreatic, aggressive prostate and other cancers. Studies have shown that people with vitamin D deficiency have a 30-50% increased risk of having colon, prostate, and breast cancer, in addition to having a higher rate of poor outcome when faced with these cancers. One reason suggested for this is that in addition to vitamin D’s influence on 200 of our genes, if a cell becomes cancerous, vitamin D can program destruction of the cell and prevent it from spreading, therefore reducing the ability for the cell to survive.
Muscle Strength and Prevention of Falls.
Research has shown that increased vitamin D intake reduced the risk of falls in the elderly by 22-79%. Vitamin D deficiency causes muscle weakness. Our skeletal muscles have receptors for vitamin D, so it may be that Vitamin D is required for optimal function, including actively keeping us balanced so we don’t have to think about it.
Autoimmune Disease
It has been found that living at higher latitudes greatly increases your risk for developing multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn’s disease. In fact, if you live below 35 degrees latitude for the first ten years of your life, the risk for developing multiple sclerosis is reduced by as much as 50%. Adequate levels of Vitamin D offer protection against developing rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and lupus.
Menstrual Migraines
Vitamin D regulates the level of calcium in our body and calcium controls the tone of our veins and how thick our blood is. For people who get migraines, their calcium levels and blood thickness are often imbalanced. Many published studies tell us that regular calcium and vitamin D supplementation greatly improves menstrual-time migraines.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and Depression
Most sun-lovers are not surprised to hear about how seasons affect our mood. After living in the Pacific Northwest for 14 years, I have developed a knack for identifying that melancholic “rut” we often find ourselves in at this time of year, which only worsens as we head into winter. For some of us, it gets really bad and is referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). In a research study that evaluated patients with SAD, after one month of vitamin D supplementation at 400 IU a day, all patients had a significant improvement. In contrast, a group of patients who had received light therapy and no vitamin D supplementation showed no improvement. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to increasing the occurrence of depression and schizophrenia. Many other studies have shown that vitamin D makes us happy, with a measurable improvement in mood at just 400 IU daily.
Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
More people have complications with their hypertension and blood sugar levels in the winter than the summer. It would seem to make sense, since we tend to eat less heart healthy foods in the winter and perhaps the cold can be a bit shocking on some days. However, it has been found that there is a lower incidence in cardiovascular events the further south you travel in latitude. People who develop congestive heart failure tend to have lower levels of vitamin D. In addition, vitamin D deficiency has been connected to higher levels of markers for blood inflammation, which can lead to hypertension and atherosclerosis.
In terms of the effects on diabetes, it has been shown that vitamin D deficiency increases insulin resistance (our body’s trend to become desensitized to insulin when levels are always too high) and is associated with metabolic syndrome (the precursor signs of developing type II diabetes). Studies have shown that increasing combined daily intake of calcium and vitamin D can reduce the risk of type II diabetes by 33%. A study done in Finland in which over 10,000 children were given daily doses of vitamin D for 31 years found that their risk of developing type II diabetes was reduced by about 80%.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
PCOS is a syndrome that, in part , is characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, which vitamin D can help to control. Often when the blood glucose is controlled, the rest of the syndrome’s features can resolve as well.
Bone Health and Osteoarthritis
Without vitamin D, only 10-15% of our dietary calcium is absorbed, and about 60% of phosphorous is absorbed. Adequate levels of vitamin D increase absorption of calcium by 30-40% and phosporus absorption by 80% . The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) found that women taking regular calcium and vitamin D supplementation have a 29% reduction in risk of hip fracture. The research also found that Vitamin D supplementation has an enormous effect on arthritis prevention and overall longevity of our bone health.
So how do you know if you got enough vitamin D this summer? It’s as simple as a blood test. However, the current lab levels and dosages have not yet caught up with our knowledge of optimal levels for your health. So, for treatment and prevention of disease, it is important to have a doctor evaluate your vitamin D status for you. It’s simple and affordable, so if we have not yet looked at your levels, we should consider this at your next visit for prevention sake.
