Do You Want Knowing More About Vitamin D?

By Odelia Paquet


This vitamin is fat soluble and has been the focus of discussions in past years. Vitamin D aids bones in absorbing calcium in the small bowels and is vital for bone development and maintaining bone density.

Numerous studies have supposed that vitamin D 3 is absorbed better and is more efficient in increasing and maintaining the vitamin D level in the blood.

The best way to detect vitamin D deficiency is to measure 25 (OH)-D and not 1, 25 (OH)-D. It has been acclaimed that improving vitamin D levels in healthy individuals can boost immunity and help to lower the risk of autoimmune diseases, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

The researchers have also proposed that increasing daily dietary vitamin D intake decreases the probability of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Sunscreen could reduce the absorption of UV-B and consequently cause a lower level of 25-OH-D. For instance, sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 8 can decrease vitamin D3 synthetic capacity by 95%, and SPF 15 can decrease it by 98%.

There have been unclear recommendations in past years from different organizations about the amount of vitamin D needed to avert deficiency, including the latest U.S. Preventive Services Task Force conclusion that the benefits and harms of daily supplementation with greater than 400 IU of vitamin D3 and greater than 1,000 mg of calcium to prevent fractures are not clearly understood.

A recent research study has found that the amount of vitamin D varies from 9% to 146% of the amount recorded on the label. Only one thirds of the tested sample of supplementary pills met the US Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention standards.

According to the US Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention standards, compounded pills of vitamin D supplements should contain 90% to 110% of the active ingredient. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate and control the vitamin D supplements and the exact amount of nutrients in these pills is not measured.




About the Author: