The topic of vitamin D supplementation has been so controversial. Even before the pandemic scientists couldn’t seem to agree on what dose is best or when supplementation is a good idea. There is a tonne of research now on vitamin D as it pertains to COVID-19 and auto-immune diseases, but none of this has really been conclusive as to whether it actually reduces the severity of the disease.
This video discusses why low levels of Vitamin D may be an underlying indicator of metabolic disease and increased inflammation in the body more than anything else. In the video we discuss:
What factors influence the production of Vitamin D in the body.
The impact of inflammation and metabolic stress on Vitamin D levels.
How natural light is an important contributor to the production of Vitamin D, Melatonin, and reduced levels of inflammation?
The negative impact of high dose Vitamin D & Vitamin C over time.
Tips for getting the most benefit from Vitamin D supplementation
The possibility that vitamin D could help protect people from developing multiple sclerosis (MS) has been posited by researchers in recent decades, but evidence to support that link has been scant. In the first large-scale, prospective study to investigate the relationship between vitamin D levels and MS, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found an association between higher levels of vitamin D in the body and a lower risk of MS. The study appears in the December 20, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“If confirmed, this finding suggests that many cases of MS could be prevented by increasing vitamin D levels. Although these levels could be increased by taking supplements, before any recommendation is made it is important to establish whether we are seeing a true causal association or whether vitamin D levels are only a marker of MS risk,” said Alberto Ascherio, senior author of the study and associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH.
MS is a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system. It affects some 350,000 people in the U.S. and 2 million worldwide, and occurs most commonly in young adults. Women, who are affected more than men, have a lifetime risk of about 1 in 200 in the U.S. Vitamin D is a hormone manufactured naturally in the body, and its levels can be increased with exposure to sunlight, consumption of foods rich in vitamin D, such as fatty fish, and by taking supplements.
The researchers, led by Ascherio, worked in collaboration with colleagues in the U.S. Army and Navy to determine whether vitamin D levels measured in healthy young adults predict their future risk of developing MS. The investigation relied on a study population of more than 7 million individuals, whose serum samples are stored in the Department of Defense Serum Repository. Between 1992 and 2004, 257 U.S. Army and Navy personnel with at least two serum samples stored in the repository were diagnosed with MS. A control group, consisting of participants who did not develop MS, was randomly selected from the study population. Serum samples were analyzed for levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, a good indicator of vitamin D availability to tissues, and individuals were divided into five groups of equal size according to their average levels. Because vitamin D levels are strongly influenced by skin color, separate analyses were conducted among whites, blacks, and Hispanics.
The results showed that, among whites, MS risk declined with increasing vitamin D levels–the risk was 62% lower among individuals in the top fifth of vitamin D concentration (corresponding approximately to levels above 100 nmol/L or 40 ng/mL) than among those in the bottom fifth (approximately below 63 nmol/L or 25 ng/mL). The association was strongest among individuals who were younger than 20 when they first entered the study. No significant association was found among blacks and Hispanics, possibly because of a smaller sample size and the lower levels of vitamin D found in those groups. The average age of onset of MS cases was 28.5 years old; there was no significant difference in the results between men and women.
“The results of this study converge with a growing body of experimental evidence supporting the importance of vitamin D in regulating the immune system and suppressing autoimmune reactions, which are thought by most experts to play a key role in the development of MS,” said Ascherio. Kassandra Munger, first author and a doctoral candidate in nutrition at HSPH, added, “The amount of vitamin D that is needed to reach levels associated with MS protection is largely considered safe, and in fact higher vitamin D levels could be beneficial to prevent osteoporosis and other chronic diseases.”
The researchers note that there could be other possible explanations for the protective role of vitamin D. For example, it’s possible that exposure to UV light from the sun–the major determinant of serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D–could protect people in other ways than increased vitamin D production.
The authors suggest further studies exploring how vitamin D may protect individuals from developing MS. “Although the results of this study are quite encouraging, reasonable certainty of a protective effect of vitamin D supplements requires direct experimental evidence in a large trial. Meanwhile, we are planning to expand our study to obtain more accurate data on the importance of age and of the vitamin D levels that need to be achieved for optimal protection,” said Ascherio.
n vogue now, there is no shortage of information out there about Vitamin D. But did you know Rheumatologists were one of the first specialists to recognize its importance? Vitamin D is essential for bone and immune health but what exactly does it do, how much should you take and what level is considered “good?”
New research has found significant differences between the two types of vitamin D, with vitamin D2 having a questionable impact on human health. However, the study found that vitamin D3 could balance people’s immune systems and help strengthen defences against viral infections such as Covid-19.
In a collaborative study by the Universities of Surrey and Brighton, researchers investigated the impact of vitamin D supplements – D2 and D3 – taken daily over a 12-week period on the activity of genes in people’s blood.
Contrary to widely held views, the research team discovered that both types of vitamin D did not have the same effect. They found evidence that vitamin D3 had a modifying effect on the immune system that could fortify the body against viral and bacterial diseases.
Professor Colin Smith, lead-author of the study from the University of Surrey, who began this work while at the University of Brighton, said:
“We have shown that vitamin D3 appears to stimulate the type I interferon signalling system in the body – a key part of the immune system that provides a first line of defence against bacteria and viruses. Thus, a healthy vitamin D3 status may help prevent viruses and bacteria from gaining a foothold in the body.
“Our study suggests that it is important that people take a vitamin D3 supplement, or suitably fortified foods, especially in the winter months.”
Although some foods are fortified with vitamin D, like some breakfast cereals, yoghurts, and bread, few naturally contain the vitamin. Vitamin D3 is produced naturally in the skin from exposure to sunlight or artificial ultraviolet UVB light, while some plants and fungi produce vitamin D2.
Many people have insufficient levels of vitamin D3 because they live in locations where sunlight is limited in the winter, like the UK. The Covid-19 pandemic has also limited people’s natural exposure to the sun due to people spending more time in their homes.
Professor Susan Lanham-New, co-author of the study and Head of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Surrey, said:
“While we found that vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 do not have the same effect on gene activity within humans, the lack of impact we found when looking at vitamin D2 means that a larger study is urgently required to clarify the differences in the effects. However, these results show that vitamin D3 should be the favoured form for fortified foods and supplements.”
In this video we discuss 4 vitamins for depression and anxiety (vitamins good for depression/ vitamin for anxiety). We cover topics such as vitamin d for depression, vitamin d for anxiety, vitamin c for depression, depression and b12 and folate for depression (folate and depression). Supplements for anxiety are very helpful if they treat the specific deficiency that you have.
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