I never suspected that we, living in a country inundated with sunshine, could be facing vitamin D deficiencies. Two years ago, I visited my doctor for an annual checkup, which included a vitamin test. The results came in. To my shock and confusion, my vitamin D was bottom low. I argued with my doctor that I was on a healthy diet and this should not happen. He smiled and asked if I exposed myself daily to direct sunlight. In a few seconds, I reviewed my daily activities to discover that the sun rarely brushed my skin, since my whole body and head are always covered when I leave my home. My silence was an obvious answer. Moments later, I broke it with a question, “Are we not always advised against sun exposure lest we develop skin cancer?”
He agreed, but suggested 10 to 15 minutes of daily exposure to early morning or late afternoon cooler sun and not through glass. He explained that sunrays are important for the skin to synthesize vitamin D, which is important to make calcium maintain and build healthy bones. The alternative to sun, he said, is vitamin D supplements as very few foods (eggs, salmon) contain the nutrient, but none are as bio-available as D from sunshine.
Even though I expose my arms or legs to the sun once in a while now, I still take the supplement with calcium and its helpers, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin C for proper bone mineralization. Vitamin D is crucial for the absorption of calcium and phosphorous. Apart from enhancing calcium uptake, vitamin D has other significant functions. It improves muscle performance to protect against congestive heart failure (CHF), regulates heart beat, and strengthens muscles.
According to a German study, adequate vitamin D intake suppresses inflammatory substances called cytokines and increases anti-inflammatory interleukin 10. Research shows that inflammation plays a major role in heart disorders, hypertension, diabetes, and vascular disease.
Vitamin D is important for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis as well as prostate, breast, and colon cancers. It regulates the thyroid functions and is required for normal blood clotting.
It is needless to stress how critical vitamin D is for the development of children’s bones and teeth. The vitamin deficiency can result in rickets (soft bones) in children and osteoporosis in adults. Milder deficiencies can cause lack of appetite, a feeling of burning in the mouth and throat, diarrhea, sleep and weight loss, and visual and nervous system disorders. The deficiency is, unfortunately quite prevalent and underestimated.
My experience with vitamin D deficiency was skin flare-ups with every exposure to direct sunlight. This continued for a couple of decades. I was unsuccessful in getting the proper diagnosis or treatment for my skin eruptions. However, when I started taking the vitamin, the allergic responses ceased. The other day, someone mentioned that vitamin D insufficiency increases sensitivity to insect bites. Strange enough, I noticed that I also became less sensitive to mosquito bites, but this theory has yet to be proven scientifically.
Vitamin D acts both like a vitamin and a hormone. A fatty medium is necessary for D’s absorption. Vitamin D and calcium depend on each other; one without the other does not give the desired effect on bones. Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is obtained from food sources like cold water fish (salmon) and their oils, sardines, egg yolks, dandelion greens, alfalfa, parsley, milk, butter, vegetable oils, and mushrooms exposed to sunrays before cooking. This type is only absorbed if the liver and kidneys are in good condition to process and activate it, and it is still an insufficient dose. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is synthesized by the skin through exposure to ultraviolet sunrays, which is the best, cheapest, and most bio-available form. There is no fear of excess supply of this type. Darker skin requires 20 to 30 times more sunrays than lighter skin; otherwise they become more prone to prostate cancer. Synthetic vitamin D5 is the least bio-available.
Vitamin D Facts
• Taking excessive amounts of vitamin D causes toxicity.
• Vitamin D without calcium is ineffective on bones.
• Cholesterol-lowering drugs, antacids, mineral oils, and steroid hormones (cortisone) disrupt its uptake.
• Vitamin D insufficiency exacerbates diabetes type-2 and psoriasis and leads to muscle weakness, aches, and pains.
• Certain diuretics disrupt calcium to vitamin D ratio.
• Intestinal problems, obesity and dysfunctional liver, gallbladder, and kidneys obstruct the proper uptake and circulation of the nutrient.
• To check for vitamin D deficiency, press on the sternum (bone below breast bone). Pain may indicate a chronic shortage of the vitamin.
• Do not apply sunscreens if you are going in the cool sun for a short while, even weaker ones block beneficial sunrays.
• Excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays leads to skin cancer and premature wrinkles.
• While vitamin D’s absorbability is reduced with age, pregnant and lactating mothers’ uptake is much higher and more efficient.
(Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected]. Log on to arabnews.com for previous articles.)
