Related topics: immune system , heart disease , cardiovascular disease , vitamin d deficiency
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
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Key feature of immune system survived in humans, other primates for 60 million years
Aug 18, 2009 |
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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 ...
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 ...
Big US study will test vitamin D, fish oil
Jun 22, 2009 |
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Two of the most popular and promising dietary supplements - vitamin D and fish oil - will be tested in a large, government-sponsored study to see whether either nutrient can lower a healthy person's risk of getting cancer, ...
Is vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia?
May 26, 2009 |
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There are several risk factors for the development of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Based on an increasing number of studies linking these risk factors with Vitamin D deficiency, an article in the current issue ...
New Model Suggests Role of Low Vitamin D in Cancer Development
May 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In studying the preventive effects of vitamin D, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, have proposed a new model of cancer development that hinges on a loss of ...
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.
Vitamin D may halt lung function decline in asthma and COPD
May 20, 2009 |
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Vitamin D may slow the progressive decline in the ability to breathe that can occur in people with asthma as a result of human airway smooth muscle (HASM) proliferation, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.
Research says older people need more sun
May 11, 2009 |
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Spending more time in the sunshine could help older people to reduce their risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.
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.
Study: Lizards bask for more than warmth
Apr 20, 2009 |
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Keeping warm isn't the only reason lizards and other cold-blooded critters bask in the sun. According to a study published in the May/June issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, chameleons alter their sunbathing behavi ...
Human lung tumors destroy anti-cancer hormone vitamin D
Apr 20, 2009 |
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Human lung tumors have the ability to eliminate Vitamin D, a hormone with anti-cancer activity, a new study from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) suggests. Results of the study are being presented at the ...
