Vitamin D -the sunshine vitamin Health benefits & side effects-by Dr Harold Gunatillake
Transcript:
Good morning to all my viewers. Let us discuss today about vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, its health benefits, and side effects.
Vitamin D – the super nutrient, also known as the sunshine vitamin, is surrounded by mystery and confusion, and is linked to many benefits from bone health to immune boosting.
If you are light skinned with little pigment just exposing the body to the sun for 15 minutes is all that is required, and oral supplementation is not necessary.
Dark skin people have a problem. The thick dark pigmented layer melanin in the skin will prevent the ultraviolet rays from penetrating through the skin, and the chances of the skin synthesizing vitamin D is questionable. They need to expose their bodies for about 45 minutes daily. Studies have shown that the vitamin D level goes down during the rainy seasons from August to October in Sri Lanka, and the rainfall is heavy and quite gloomy due to clouds covering the skies. Surveys have been done by taking blood samples for 25-hydoxyvitamin D levels. The sun’s ultraviolet B rays or UVB interacts with a protein called 7-Dehydrocholesterol in the skin, converting it into vitamin D3, the active form of vitamin D.
Most dietary supplements are manufactured by exposing a plant sterol to ultraviolet energy, producing vitamin D2. Vitamin D2 is also called ergocalciferol and vitamin D3 is called cholecalciferol and alfacalcidol.
Vitamin D3 is only found in animal-sourced foods, and formed in our skin, whereas D2 comes from plant sources and fortified foods.
How do vegans get their quota of vitamin D? Vegans and other vegetarians who limit their intake of animal products may be at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency than nonvegetarians because foods providing the highest amount of vitamin D per gram naturally are all from animal sources and fortified with vitamin D in foods.
Cereals and milk replacements fortified with vitamin D are the two of the best sources of dietary vitamin D for vegans, in addition to exposing yourself to the sunlight and taking supplements. Living on a plant-based diet you should eat mushrooms exposed to UV light, fortified foods, and supplements.
What part do the humble banana play in vitamin D metabolism.
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Bananas are a great source of magnesium, which plays an important role in activating vitamin D in the body.
Magnesium assists in the activation of vitamin D, which helps regulate calcium and phosphate homeostasis to influence the growth and maintenance of bones.
If your magnesium intake is high are less likely to have a vitamin D insufficiency than people, whose magnesium levels are low. Magnesium is required for the conversion of vitamin D into its active form calcitriol in the liver. So sufficient intake of magnesium is important for this activation. So, you will realize that magnesium is one of several essential minerals your body needs to stay healthy and function as it should.
Unconverted, vitamin D can increase your calcium levels rather than regulate them as they should.
Too much vitamin D can increase calcium levels, which in turn can lead to certain health complications.
Vitamin D2 is indicated for rickets, hypoparathyroidism, and familial hypophosphatemia.
Vitamin D supplements do not reduce Cancer incidence and is not a cure against COVID-19 infection,
as revealed at one stage.
It is important to stress mushrooms exposed to sun contains high levels of vitamin D2.
Medicinal mushrooms are used as medicine. They have been used in China and Japan for centuries in Cancer hospitals. They are used alone or combined with radiation or chemotherapy.
So, if any of your friends suffer from any form of cancer, advise them to eat mushrooms daily in their food.
In China Reishi mushroom having antioxidant properties and enhancing immune responses containing complex sugars known as beta-glucans, are given to cancer patients. This compound helps to stop growth and spread of cancer.
The most vitamin D is found in shiitake, given to cancer patients in Japanese hospitals daily to enhance their immune system. Sources of Vitamin D3 are: Oily fish and fish oil, liver, egg yolk, butter, and dietary supplements.
You can overdose your vitamin D2 from food and supplements and not from D3 produced in your skin. If your body has enough the skin will produce less. What a wonderful system.
If you work indoors daily, or during winter months in temperate climates you need to eat plenty of food rich in vitamin D2.
Most studies have shown that vitamin D3 is more effective than vitamin D2 at raising blood levels of calcifediol.
Calcifediol, is a form of vitamin D produced in the liver by hydroxylation of vitamin D3 by an enzyme. Calcitriol is a form of vitamin D3 helping your body absorb calcium from the stomach.
Vitamin D is important for the absorption of calcium from your gut for protection of your bones and teeth.
Why vitamin D is good for your body?
*Improves your body’s calcium absorption (calcium levels have an influence on how you absorbmagnesium)
*Enables your immune system to function properly, protecting you from illnesses such as the common cold.
*Regulates blood pressure.
*Aids in the growth and development of bones and teeth
*Helps keep muscles healthy.
What are the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency?
Aching and weakened bones, weak muscles, feeling depressed, increase vulnerability for coughs and colds and gut problems, always think of vitamin D deficiency, and get blood sample checked for vitamin D.
Both vitamin D2 and D3 are both absorbable and the body can process both forms. Vitamin D3 is the preferred form as it can be obtained from the sun through the skin.
It is available at the chemist in tablet, capsule, and oral spray forms. They are all effective equally. Side effects
Though vitamin D is important for good health, being a fat-soluble vitamin can accumulate in your body if you take too much to the toxic levels.
Vitamin D intoxication occurs when the blood levels rise above 150ng/ml. Being fat soluble it is retained and stored in your body. Even after you stop taking toxic doses it may take months to get rid of the vitamin D, after stopping the supplements.
Taking just adequate doses will help boost immunity and protect you from diseases like osteoporosis and cancer.
It is important to check your vitamin D2 level at least once a year, if you are not exposed to the sun daily for about 15-20 minutes, and even if the levels are not checked, it is worthwhile taking a vitamin D2 supplement.
Elderly people, infants, and obese people and those in areas not much exposed to the sun should have fortified foods with vitamin D.
When vitamin D is taken in excessive amounts, blood calcium may reach levels that cause symptoms that are not only unpleasant, but dangerous. Symptoms of toxicity of calcium
You could get dizzy turns, vomiting, stomach pain, excessive thirst, and frequent urination. The normal level of calcium is 8.5-10.2 mg/dl.
You could have sleep problems with high vitamin D levels due to high melatonin production in the pineal gland in the brain with high levels of vitamin D in your blood.
In conclusion, this video talk explains the importance of checking your vitamin D level in your blood and how magnesium is important for its metabolism and how it affects your calcium metabolism.
Hope this talk was useful.
Stay safe and goodbye for now.
WWW.DOCTORHAROLD.COM
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