Are You “D” Deficient?

                                        

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 calciferol in their names. In Latin, calciferol means “calcium carrier.” Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) have similar actions in the body and can both be found in fortified food and supplements.

There is very little vitamin D found naturally in the foods we eat (the best sources are coldwater fish). In many countries, vitamin D is added to milk and other foods like breakfast cereals and margarine, contributing to daily intake.

Strong evidence tells us that the combination of vitamin D and calcium supplements can be quite helpful for preventing and treating osteoporosis.

Sun Exposure

However, current recommendations which stress sun avoidance and the use of sunblock may have the unintended effect of increasing the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. Severe vitamin D deficiency was common in England in the 1800s due to coal smoke obscuring the sun. During that time, cod liver oil, which is high in vitamin D, became popular as a supplement for children to help prevent rickets. (Rickets is a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency in which developing bones soften and curve because they aren’t receiving enough calcium.)

Vitamin D deficiency is known to occur today in the elderly (who often receive less sun exposure) as well as in people who live in northern latitudes and don’t drink vitamin D-enriched milk. The consequences of this deficiency may be increased risk of hypertension, osteoporosis, and several forms of cancer.

Additionally, phenytoin (Dilantin), primidone (Mysoline), and phenobarbital for seizures; corticosteroids; cimetidine (Tagamet) for ulcers; the blood-thinning drug heparin; and the antituberculosis drugs isoniazid (INH) and rifampin may interfere with vitamin D absorption or activity.

Bone Loss Prevention

Without question, if you are concerned about osteoporosis, you should take calcium and vitamin D. The combination appears to help prevent bone loss. This is true even if you are taking other treatments for osteoporosis. After all, you can’t build bone without calcium, and you can’t properly absorb and utilize calcium without adequate intake of vitamin D.

Vitamin D may also help prevent the falls that lead to osteoporotic fractures. In a review of 26 randomized trials, researchers found that vitamin D along with calcium lowered the risk of falls in high-risk elderly people.

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