Vitamins 101

A healthy individual has relatively low vitamin needs. However, factors such as stress, silent and chronic inflammation, long-term illness, many types of medication, smoking, pregnancy and breastfeeding, heavy physical labor, and various environmental stresses

(toxins, chemicals, medicines, etc.) may significantly increase the need for vitamins. Various genetic defects (mutations) may also inhibit vitamin absorption and the normal biological utilization of vitamins in the body

Vitamins are divided into fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins. The manner of solution and transportation determines how readily the vitamins are absorbed and whether they can be stored in the tissues. Water-soluble vitamins are not easily stored in the body (with the exception

of vitamin B12) whereas fat-soluble vitamins are readily stored in the tissues, provided that there is sufficient intake of fatty acids and absorption from food.

Each vitamin fulfills a specific purpose in the body, one that no other vitamin, nutrient or chemical can compensate for. Vitamins are part of enzyme systems, coenzymes, or their reactants. They have a comprehensive role in various stages of metabolism

in the entire body as well as in biochemical cellular functions

These include energy production, immune system function, preventing and repairing DNA and RNA damage, cell division, detoxification, and repairing neuron damage. A sufficient intake of fat-soluble vitamins may prevent various types of cancer

Vitamins interact with each other as well as with various micronutrients. Latent vitamin deficiency is impossible to detect without accurate laboratory tests

General vitamin intake recommendations are established to prevent deficiency diseases and to secure sufficient intake on a population level

Vitamin D is exceptional in the sense that it is in fact a hormone precursor (a substance that acts similarly to a hormone). Through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), vitamin D acts in the cells of 37 internal organs and affects the function of more than 2,000 genes.

Vitamin D has various forms that function in different ways in different parts of the body. These forms include vitamin D1, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Of these, the primary hormone is vitamin D3, which is produced in the human skin

as a reaction to solar UVB radiation and later in the kidneys and liver.

Sufficient magnesium intake is required for the production of vitamin D in the skin and kidneys. Inadequate magnesium intake contributes to vitamin D deficiency

Concurrent deficiencies of both magnesium and vitamin D disrupt the magnesium metabolism and the normal function of the brain and immune system, in addition to being a predisposing factor for autoimmune diseases and mental health issues

Through the vitamin D receptors, vitamin D has been found to affect the immune system, pancreas, cardiovascular system, muscles, and the brain. Previously it was thought that the main benefit of vitamin D was to prevent rickets and osteoporosis

However, research in the past few decades has shown that vitamin D is needed practically everywhere in the body. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, various cancers, multiple sclerosis, rheumatic diseases, metabolic syndrome, fibromyalgia,

depression, various neurological illnesses, infectious diseases, and even mortality

According to a study conducted by Cambridge University in 2014, the lowest mortality rate was recorded when the vitamin D (calcifediol) level in the blood was 90 nmol/L or above. Conversely, high vitamin D levels were not found to increase the mortality rate

Based on recent study findings, vitamin D deficiency may be a more significant public health issue than previously thought

The FIND study, currently being conducted at the University of Eastern Finland, is investigating the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and cancers. In addition, the study is researching the effect of vitamin D supplementation

on other illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, depression, and bone health. The research subjects have been randomly selected to take a vitamin D supplement of either 0, 40 or 80 micrograms per day.

In addition to the study supplement, taking a vitamin D supplement that meets the current guidelines (maximum of 20 micrograms per day) is allowed.

Sufficient vitamin D intake has been shown to protect against the following illnesses:
•Osteoporosis
•Various types of cancer
•Diabetes (types 1 and 2)
•Cardiovascular diseases
•Many neurological diseases
•Psoriasis
•Various infections
•Multiple sclerosis

•Asthma
•Hypertension
•Arthritis
•Sarcoidosis
•Sjögren's syndrome
•Hashimoto’s disease
•Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
•Scleroderma

Vitamin D has a crucial role in balancing the immune system

For example, vitamin D acts as a power supply of sorts for T cells. When an immune reaction takes place, a phagocytic cell traps the pathogen and presents it to a T cell, which produces a VDR that reacts to vitamin D

The receptor binds vitamin D from the blood, awakening the T cell. As a result, helper T cells announce the intruder and killer T cells attempt to restrain the uninvited guest. Without vitamin D, the T cells never awaken from hibernation.

Vitamin D also regulates the genes that determine whether a T lymphocyte becomes a killer, helper, or memory cell in the immune system

Vitamin D deficiency is a predisposing factor for autoimmune diseases such as MS, diabetes, psoriasis, intestinal inflammation, and arthritis

Additionally, those suffering from vitamin D deficiency are more likely to catch influenza and the common cold. Vitamin D deficiency is also a predisposing factor for silent inflammation, which in turn is linked to many chronic illnesses

On the other hand, a low vitamin D level may also be caused by chronic silent inflammation