Source Naturals Vitamin D-3

Vitamin D-3 from Source Naturals

Sunlight is the source of life on Earth, but we may not be aware of all the ways it benefits us. Our bodies manufacture vitamin D-3 when the skin is exposed to UV radiation from sunlight, but the ability to do so decreases as we age.

Vitamin D-3 maintains healthy calcium and phosphorus levels in the body for strong bones; it increases muscle strength in older adults; and it also plays an active role in a healthy immune response. Vitamin D-3 (cholecalciferol) is the optimal form of vitamin D. It is the form of vitamin D that the body manufactures in sunlight, and the form most efficient for the body’s needs including an important role in regulating cell growth, insulin levels, and bone formation.

Why We Need Vitamin D

New research indicates that our modern indoor lifestyles may lead to a widespread increase in Vitamin D deficiency. Nicknamed the “sunshine vitamin” because the body makes it naturally when exposed to the sun, scientists are discovering that vitamin D-3 is an important hormone precursor that helps support the immune system and helps regulate the health of at least 20 different tissues, including the brain and joints.

Vitamin D-3 also plays an important role in regulating cell growth, insulin levels, and bone formation. Researchers are finding that the current recommended daily allowances of Vitamin D — ranging from 200 international units for infants, children and adults up to age 50 years; 400 IU for men and women from 50 to 70; and 600 IU for people older than 70 — may be far lower than what is necessary for optimum health.

Vitamin D-3 addresses seven of the twelve metabolic systems of the body, systems crucial to vibrant health. For example:

• Cells/DNA
• Inflammation Response
• Metabolism
• Hormones
• Cognition/Nerves
• Immunity
• Structure/Connective

Vitamin D Deficiency is Widespread

Vitamin D insufficiency may be quite common in places far from the equator and researchers estimate that 50% of Americans may have less Vitamin D than they need. Today’s teens also have less exposure to direct sunlight and have switched from drinking Vitamin D fortified milk to soda. Puberty is a very critical time when up to half of a person’s adult bone mass is being deposited, and Vitamin D helps ensure that people have normal blood levels of calcium for this important process. New research estimates that 30 percent of adolescents nationwide may be Vitamin D deficient.

Deficiency Risk for African Americans

People of African descent require up to 30 minutes sun exposure three times weekly during summer on the face, arms, and hands, while very fair-skinned Caucasian people require 5-10 minutes. African-Americans have the highest risk for Vitamin D deficiency because dark skin needs 5 to 10 times more sunlight than Caucasian skin to produce the same amount of the vitamin. One study found that 42 percent of African-American women in the U.S. were Vitamin D deficient.

While the use of sunscreen is imperative for skin health, sunscreen that is sun protection factor 8 (SPF 8) or greater blocks 95% of the UVB light needed for the skin to synthesize Vitamin D.

Deficiency Risk for Older Adults

Older adults may also be at particularly high risk: After age 50 the requirement for Vitamin D doubles because the body is less able to make its own vitamin D. In a report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in February 2004, researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland showed that elderly women who took a Vitamin D supplement plus calcium for three months reduced their risk of falling by 49% compared with consuming calcium alone. Those women who had fallen repeatedly in the past seemed to gain the most benefit from Vitamin D.

Uterine Fibroid Tumors and Vitamin D3

An exciting study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that Vitamin D may be a key player in helping to manage fibroid tumors.

NIH says, "In previous research, the study authors found that vitamin D inhibited the growth of human fibroid cells in laboratory cultures." This is great news for women of childbearing age because this could provide, "a promising new lead in the search for non-surgical treatment of fibroids that doesn't [negatively] affect fertility."†

Read more in our blog Research Points to Vitamin D to Help Shrink Fibroid Tumors.

Healthy Cell Proliferation

Vitamin D research is an emerging area of interest for scientists, who have yet to understand the many roles of this important vitamin in the body. While Vitamin D’s main function is to maintain normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood, it also serves as a hormone precursor. Once it has been converted into its active form, it can enter a cell, cross the nuclear membrane, attach to specific receptors on the DNA or its protein wrapping, and promote cell differentiation.† Vitamin D is one of the body’s many control systems, acting like an emergency brake to stop cells from perilously misbehaving.†

Additional Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D as an Immune Booster. Vitamin D is a nutrient that helps regulate hundreds of genes, including those involving the body’s innate immunity and its defenses during the winter and spring seasons.

Vitamin D and Bone Health. It is estimated that over 25 million adults in the United States have, or are at risk of developing, weakened bones as they age. Having normal storage levels of vitamin D in the body helps keep bones strong, especially in elderly, non-ambulatory individuals, and postmenopausal women.

Vitamin D and Blood Pressure. Scientists noticed that blood pressure levels vary with the season—they tend to be highest during autumn and lower during the warmer months of spring and summer.

Researchers studied people’s blood pressure and the levels of Vitamin D in their blood and discovered a connection between higher Vitamin D levels and decreased blood pressure. The body controls blood pressure through the renin-angiotensin system, with high renin levels leading to increased blood pressure. Cutting edge research has shown that Vitamin D regulates renin levels through genetics, which may be the critical way in which it supports cardiovascular health.

Further Reading

Am I Vitamin D Deficient?

Nutritional Aspects of Vitamin D

Vitamin D Council

Phys Ed: Can Vitamin D Improve Your Athletic Performance?

Vitamin D Pills May Prevent Fractures in Older Adults

Aging: Vitamin D Levels Tied to Dementia Risk

American Children Vitamin D Deficient

Boost Your Immune System During the Winter Season Research Points to Vitamin D to Help Shrink Fibroid Tumors Summer Skin That Glows ... Naturally Improve Mental Concentration & Focus with LTO3 Magnesium - A Trace Mineral with Boundless Benefits

References

1. Argiles, A. 2002. Blood pressure is correlated with vitamin D3 serum levels in dialysis patients. Blood Purif: 20(4):370-5.
2. Borissova, A-M. The effect of vitamin D3 on insulin secretion and peripheral insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients. IJCP 2003:57(4): 258-261.
3. Vitamin D regulation of the renin-angiotensin system. J Cell Biochem 2003:88(2):327-31.
4. Wiley Interscience. Merlino, L. Vitamin D intake is inversely associated with rheumatoid arthritis: results from the Iowa women’s health study. Arthritis and Rheumatism 2004(1):72-77.
5. American College of Rheumatology, 2004. Munger, KL. et. al. Vitamin D intake and incidence of multiple sclerosis. Neurology 2004:62(1):60-65.
6. AAN Enterprises, Inc. Rucker, D. Vitamin D insufficiency in a population of healthy western Canadians. CMAJ 2002: 166(12): 1517-1524.