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.
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News tagged with vitamin d
Vitamin D found in fish boosts brain power
May 21, 2009 |
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Eating fish -- long considered 'brain food' -- may really be good for the old grey matter, as is a healthy dose of sunshine, new research suggests.
Health Tip: Are Vitamin Supplements Worthwhile or Not?
Feb 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- You may be wondering at this point whether to toss those vitamins into your mouth or into the trash. That's not surprising since several recent reports have called the value of vitamins into question, leaving ...
Vitamin D may exacerbate autoimmune disease
Apr 08, 2009 |
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Deficiency in vitamin D has been widely regarded as contributing to autoimmune disease, but a review appearing in Autoimmunity Reviews explains that low levels of vitamin D in patients with autoimmune disease may be a resu ...
Vitamin D is the 'it' nutrient of the moment
Jan 12, 2009 |
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Vitamin D is quickly becoming the "it" nutrient with health benefits for diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and now diabetes.
Multiple health concerns surface as winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive
Nov 23, 2009 |
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A string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of vitamin D has renewed interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of the huge numbers of people who are deficient in it, spurred research ...
Research shows why low vitamin D raises heart disease risks in diabetics
Aug 22, 2009 |
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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 ...
Increasing number of Americans have insufficient levels of vitamin D
Mar 23, 2009 |
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Average blood levels of vitamin D appear to have decreased in the United States between 1994 and 2004, according to a report in the March 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
How much vitamin D do I need?
Mar 26, 2009 |
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Vitamin D -- the so-called sunshine vitamin -- is the wonder nutrient of the moment. While the vitamin is best known for helping build strong bones and absorb calcium, a vitamin D deficiency can raise the risk of everything ...
Over 65s should take high dose vitamin D to prevent falls, say researchers
Oct 01, 2009 |
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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.
New study links vitamin D deficiency to cardiovascular disease and death
Nov 16, 2009 |
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While mothers have known that feeding their kids milk builds strong bones, a new study by researchers at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City suggests that Vitamin D contributes to a strong ...
'Sunshine vitamin' link to cognitive problems in older people
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Jan 22, 2009 |
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Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan, have for the first time identified a relationship between Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin", and cognitive impairment ...
Vitamin D deficiency may increase risk of colds, flu
Feb 23, 2009 |
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Vitamin D may be an important way to arm the immune system against disorders like the common cold, report investigators from the University of Colorado Denver (UC Denver) School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital ...
Vitamin D levels linked to asthma severity
Apr 23, 2009 |
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New research provides evidence for a link between vitamin D insufficiency and asthma severity.
Vitamin D, curcumin may help clear amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer's disease
Jul 15, 2009 |
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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 ...
Millions of US children low in vitamin D (w/ Video)
Aug 03, 2009 |
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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. ...
