Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to a Variety of Diseases

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Vitamin D is a type of fat-soluble steroid that can take two separate forms, vitamin D2 and D3, whose actual names are Ergocalciferol and Cholecalciferol. It is produced in the skin from exposure to ultraviolet radiation, the sun. This is the primary way to build up vitamin D, but it can also be ingested in foods which naturally contain it or are artificially fortified with it. However, what happens when the human body has a vitamin D deficiency? A new study from Oxford University shows that a lack of sufficient vitamin D in the body can lead to a wide range of diseases.

Vitamin D is a type of fat-soluble steroid that can take two separate forms, vitamin D2 and D3, whose actual names are Ergocalciferol and Cholecalciferol. It is produced in the skin from exposure to ultraviolet radiation, the sun. This is the primary way to build up vitamin D, but it can also be ingested in foods which naturally contain it or are artificially fortified with it. What happens when the human body has a vitamin D deficiency? A new study from Oxford University suggests that a lack of sufficient vitamin D in the body can lead to a wide range of diseases.

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There are a significant number of people all around the world who do not have enough vitamin D in their bodies. The main reason is not enough time out in the sun, and for some, a poor diet. Throughout human history, people have generally spent their days outside, farming or working. Unless there were extreme temperatures, there was no advantage to be inside during the day. Now, with the advent of electricity, automobiles, and new categories of jobs, people spend most of their days inside. Whether you work in a factory, office, hospital, school, or drive a truck, most of your daytime is spent out of the direct sunlight.

The collective lack of sun exposure is a recent phenomenon for humans, and our bodies are still struggling with the evolutionary changes. The drop in vitamin D levels in many people is seen as a public health challenged, and has led to an increase in the number of store-bought foods with artificially enhanced vitamin D. However, not everybody buys these products and the result is high rates of vitamin D deficiency.

One well known disease caused by a lack of this crucial vitamin is rickets, which weakens the bone structure, leading to fractures and deformity. The scientists at Oxford now show evidence that a lack of vitamin D can also lead to auto-immune conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS), type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and even dementia.

The Oxford research team used DNA sequencing technology to map out the vitamin D receptor bindings in the human genome. They found 2,776 binding sites on the whole genome, and most were clustered around genes associated with susceptibility to autoimmune conditions.

Dr Sreeram Ramagopalan from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford University, says, "There is now evidence supporting a role for vitamin D in susceptibility to a host of diseases. Vitamin D supplements during pregnancy and the early years could have a beneficial effect on a child's health in later life."

Dealing with the sun can be like walking a tight wire. Too much and you can get skin cancer. Too little and you can get vitamin D deficiency. Sun-bathers as well as sun-avoiders must be informed of the potential harms and the potential benefits from solar UV radiation. For anyone in these categories, there is still a little bit of summer left in the northern hemisphere to get into or out of the sun!

Link to published article in Genome Research: http://genome.cshlp.org/content/early/2010/08/20/gr.107920.110.abstract