Vitamin D Facts

Vitamin D is a compound that you must have for growth and health.

They are needed in small amounts only and are available in the foods that you eat. Vitamin D (Calciferol)is necessary for strong bones and teeth.

Fact: Lack of vitamin D may lead to a condition called rickets, especially in children, in which bones and teeth are weak. In adults it may cause a condition called osteomalacia, in which calcium is lost from bones so that they become weak. Your doctor may treat these problems by prescribing vitamin D for you. Vitamin D is also sometimes used to treat other diseases in which calcium is not used properly by the body.

Ergocalciferol is the form of vitamin D used in vitamin supplements.

Some conditions may increase your need for vitamin D. These include:

Alcoholism
Intestine diseases
Kidney disease
Liver disease
Overactivity of the parathyroid glands with kidney failure
Pancreas disease
Surgical removal of stomach

Fact: In addition, individuals and breast-fed infants who lack exposure to sunlight, as well as dark-skinned individuals, may be more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency. Increased need for vitamin D should be determined by your health care professional.

Alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, and dihydrotachysterol are forms of vitamin D used to treat hypocalcemia (not enough calcium in the blood). Alfacalcidol, calcifediol, and calcitriol are also used to treat certain types of bone disease that may occur with kidney disease in patients who are undergoing kidney dialysis.

Fact: Vitamin D is found naturally only in fish and fish-liver oils. However, it is also found in milk (vitamin D-fortified). Cooking does not affect the vitamin D in foods. Vitamin D is sometimes called the ``sunshine vitamin'' since it is made in your skin when you are exposed to sunlight. If you eat a balanced diet and get outside in the sunshine at least 1.5 to 2 hours a week, you should be getting all the vitamin D you need.

Fact: Vitamins alone will not take the place of a good diet and will not provide energy. Your body also needs other substances found in food such as protein, minerals, carbohydrates, and fat. Vitamins themselves often cannot work without the presence of other foods. For example, fat is needed so that vitamin D can be absorbed into the body.

You may need vitamin D supplements if you are a strict vegetarian (vegan-vegetarian) and/or have little exposure to sunlight and do not drink vitamin D-fortified milk.

Fact: Taking too much alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, dihydrotachysterol, or ergocalciferol can also be harmful to the fetus. Taking more than your health care professional has recommended can cause your baby to be more sensitive than usual to its effects, can cause problems with a gland called the parathyroid, and can cause a defect in the baby's heart.

Medicines or other dietary supplements--Although certain medicines or dietary supplements should not be used together at all, in other cases they may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your health care professional may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking vitamin D and related compounds, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

Antacids containing magnesium--Use of these products with any vitamin D-related compound may result in high blood levels of magnesium, especially in patients with kidney disease

- Calcium-containing preparations or

- Thiazide diuretics (water pills)--Use of these preparations with vitamin D may cause high blood levels of calcium and increase the chance of side effects

- Vitamin D and related compounds, other--Use of vitamin D with a related compound may cause high blood levels of vitamin D and increase the chance of side effects.

Other medical problems--The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of vitamin D and related compounds. Make sure you tell your health care professional if you have any other medical problems, especially:

- Heart or blood vessel diseasel

- Kidney disease

Fact: Do not take more than the recommended daily amount. Vitamin D is stored in the body, and taking too much over a period of time can cause poisoning and even death.

Scientific studies are beginning to demonstrate that vitamin D helps slow the development of osteoarthritis. Researchers at Boston University Medical Center examined the knees of 556 patients during a two-year period. Those patients who showed progressive knee damage due to osteoarthritis also exhibited lower levels of vitamin D. "A vitamin D deficiency could impair the body's ability to repair the damage that arthritis causes in both bone and cartilage," says David Felson, a principal investigator in the study.

Fact: Osteoporosis is not curable, however, advances in treatment have been made to stabilize bone loss. Part of assessing patient risk is exploring the common factors such as being female, family history, small-framed body, sedentary lifestyle, excessive use of alcohol, and smoking. Biochemical markers of bone turnover can also be measured to diagnosis or track the disease's progress. Prevention strategies include calcium and vitamin D (calciferol) intake, and prevention efforts during adolescence may significantly reduce the incidence of osteoporosis in the elderly. Additionally, patients of any age may gain benefit from regular weight-bearing activities and other exercise. Estrogen replacement therapy may be prescribed to postmenopausal women to prevent osteoporosis, and for men, testosterone replacement therapy may also be appropriate, although long-term effects are unknown. Currently, calcitonin, fluoride, and a class of drugs called bisphosphonates are available. Nonpharmacologic measures include physical therapy, counseling, and home environment safety adjustments.

In a Patient Information Sheet for Nutrition and Lupus it states - recommendations to prevent or reduce the problem will probably include a diet high in calcium (1,000 to 1,500 mg per day) and vitamin D (100 to 500 mg per day) and an exercise plan that is appropriate for you.

Evidence of vitamin D's protective effect against cancer is compelling. For more than 50 years, documentation in the medical literature suggests regular sun exposure is associated with substantial decreases in death rates from certain cancers and a decrease in overall cancer death rates. Recent research suggests this is a causal relationship that acts through the body's vitamin D metabolic pathways. For instance, some evidence points to a prostate, breast and colon cancer belt in the United States, which lies in northern latitudes under more cloud cover than other regions during the year. Rates for these cancers are two to three times higher than in sunnier areas.

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