Vitamin D Contributions by ritasharma

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Vitamin D deficiency is a major contributor to the high rates of depression, as well as other chronic diseases, and is caused by lessened exposure to sunlight.¹ Along with our sedentary lifestyles, we spend much less time outside in the sunlight as was common of our ancestors. It is also hypothesized that lessened exposure to the sun (and therefore vitamin D) in the winter is specifically part of the cause of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD); a specific form of depression.

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Vitamin D has numerous actions in the body, many of which we are just now discovering. Vitamin D enhances the efficiency of the small intestine in absorbing serum calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D has receptors in the cells of other organs, like the intestine, kidney, stomach, brain, prostate, breast, and white blood cells.¹

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45. Fuller KE, Casparian JM. Vitamin D: balancing cutaneous and systematic considerations. South Med J. 2001;94:58-64.
46. Rostand SG. Ultraviolet light may contribute to geographic and racial blood pressure differences. Hypertension. 1997;30(2 pt 1):150-156.
47. Krause R, Buhring M, Hopfenmuller W, et al. Ultraviolet B and blood pressure [letter]. Lancet. 1998;352:709-710.
48. Scragg R. Sunlight, vitamin D, and cardiovascular disease. In: Crass MF II, Avioli LV, eds. Calcium Regulating Hormones and Cardiovascular Function. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 1995:213-237.
49. O'Connell TD, Simpson RU. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and cardiac muscle structure and function. In: Crass MF II, Avioli LV, eds. Calcium-Regulating Hormones and Cardiovascular Function. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 1995:191-211.

Vitamin D has numerous actions in the body, many of which we are just now discovering. Vitamin D enhances the efficiency of the small intestine in absorbing serum calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D has receptors in the cells of other organs, like the intestine, kidneytkidney, stomach, brain, prostate, breast, and white blood cells.¹

Vitamin D is both a vitamin and a hormone. It's a vitamin because your body cannot absorb calcium without it; it's a hormone because your body manufactures it in response to your skin's exposure to sunlight.

There are two major forms of vitamin D, and both have the word calciferolin their names. In Latin, calciferol means "calcium carrier." Vitamin D 3 (cholecalciferol) is made by the body and is found in some foods. Vitamin D 2 (ergocalciferol) is the form most often added to milk and other foods, and the form you're most likely to use as a supplement.

Strong evidence tells us that the combination of vitamin D and calcium supplements can be quite helpful for preventing and treating osteoporosis. Vitamin D is experiencing renewed attention for many potential health benefits, and research has not yet caught up with clinical evidence for its usefulness in preventing and treating a number of conditions. This is part of the reason why many potential uses of vitamin D currently have little supporting research evidence.