Vitamin D
hideVitamin D is a group of fat-soluble prohormones, the two major forms of which are vitamin D2 (or ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (or cholecalciferol). The term vitamin D also refers to metabolites and other analogues of these substances. Vitamin D3 is produced in skin exposed to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet B radiation.
Vitamin D plays an important role in the maintenance of organ systems.
Vitamin D deficiency can result from inadequate intake coupled with inadequate sunlight exposure; disorders that limit its absorption; conditions that impair conversion of vitamin D into active metabolites, such as liver or kidney disorders; or, rarely, by a number of hereditary disorders. Deficiency results in impaired bone mineralization and leads to bone softening diseases rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, and possibly contributes to osteoporosis. However, sunlight exposure, to avoid deficiency, carries other risks, including skin cancer; this risk is avoided with dietary absorption, either through diet or as a dietary supplement.
For more information about Vitamin D, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with vitamin d
Children who often drink full-fat milk weigh less
Nov 03, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
5
Eight-year-old children who drink full-fat milk every day have a lower BMI than those who seldom drink milk. This is not the case for children who often drink medium-fat or low-fat milk. This is one conclusion of a thesis ...
Low vitamin D levels explains most ESRD risk in African-Americans
Oct 29, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
1
Low levels of vitamin D may account for nearly 60 percent of the elevated risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in African Americans, according to a report in the December Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (J ...
Weekly and biweekly vitamin D2 prevents vitamin D deficiency
Oct 26, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
1
Boston University School of Medicine researchers (BUSM) have found that 50,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D2, given weekly for eight weeks, effectively treats vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D2 is a mainstay for the ...
Latest analysis confirms suboptimal vitamin D levels in millions of US children
Oct 26, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
Millions of children in the United States between the ages of 1 and 11 may suffer from suboptimal levels of vitamin D, according to a large nationally representative study published in the November issue of Pediatrics, accomp ...
Women with breast cancer have low vitamin D levels
Oct 09, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Women with breast cancer should be given high doses of vitamin D because a majority of them are likely to have low levels of vitamin D, which could contribute to decreased bone mass and greater risk of fractures, according ...
Gluten-free diet reduces bone problems in children with celiac disease
Oct 08, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
Celiac disease (CD) is an inherited intestinal disorder characterized by life-long intolerance to the ingestion of gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Although CD can be diagnosed at any age, it commonly occurs ...
Over 65s should take high dose vitamin D to prevent falls, say researchers
Oct 01, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (7) |
3
A daily supplement of vitamin D at a dose of 700-1000 IU reduces the risk of falling among older people by 19% according to a study published on BMJ.com today. But a dose of less than 700 IU per day has no effect.
Vitamin D's role in preventing asthma studied in pregnant women
Oct 01, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
1
A group of pregnant women who have asthma or allergies will get extra vitamin D as part of a study to determine if the vitamin can prevent their children from developing asthma.
Vitamin D deficiency in younger women increases risk of high blood pressure
Sep 24, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Vitamin D deficiency in premenopausal women may increase the risk of developing systolic hypertension 15 years later, according to research reported at the American Heart Association's 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference.
Insufficient levels of vitamin D puts elderly at increased risk of dying from heart disease
Sep 21, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
A new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Denver and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) shows vitamin D plays a vital role in reducing the risk of death associated with older age. The research, just published ...
Seasonality of mortality: Summer vacation link?
Sep 21, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
0
Mortality rates in several Mediterranean countries decline in September, due in part to environmental factors but possibly linked to summer vacations, suggests a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Research shows why low vitamin D raises heart disease risks in diabetics
Aug 22, 2009 |
5 / 5 (6) |
0
Low levels of vitamin D are known to nearly double the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis now think they know ...
Key feature of immune system survived in humans, other primates for 60 million years
Aug 18, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (5) |
3
A new study has concluded that one key part of the immune system, the ability of vitamin D to regulate anti-bactericidal proteins, is so important that is has been conserved through almost 60 million years of evolution and ...
Millions of US children low in vitamin D (w/ Video)
Aug 03, 2009 |
4 / 5 (6) |
8
Seven out of ten U.S. children have low levels of vitamin D, raising their risk of bone and heart disease, according to a study of over 6,000 children by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. ...
Vitamin D, curcumin may help clear amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer's disease
Jul 15, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
0
UCLA scientists and colleagues from UC Riverside and the Human BioMolecular Research Institute have found that a form of vitamin D, together with a chemical found in turmeric spice called curcumin, may help stimulate the ...
