Thu 12 May 2011 11:48:26 PM EDT

Vitamin D, Health, Sunlight and West

January 11, 2010 Manish Chandra Pathak

There are four major fat soluble vitamins Vitamin A, D, E and K. Being fat soluble means they can not get washed out of
the system easily, unlike other water soluble Vitamin B and C; hence they do not need to be in our regular daily diet.
Moreover, our physiological system has ready made infrastructure to produce Vitamin D from sunlight using cholesterol
derivatives.

The beneficial effects of vitamin D is attributed to its extraordinary anti-inflammatory as well as pro-differentiating
properties. Hypovitaminosis D, encompassing vitamin D lacking, has become endemic in the US population with more
than 75% of population being deficient. According to recent reports, Vitamin D supplements are suggested to overcome
H1N1 pandemic. Vitamin D receptor are expressed in natural killer cells which plays important role in clearing influenza
virus. The active form of Vitamin D, Calcitriol, is a major gene regulator and has been shown to have strong anti-tumor
effects. It also inhibits potassium channel expression and cell proliferation in human breast cancer.

Because of limited natural sources, numerous foods, such as milk, cereal grains, are Vitamin D fortified. In spite of
cholecalciferol fortified foods, prevailing Vitamin D deficiency and subsequent impaired calcium absorption raises the
question at the strategy and suggest the involvement of complicated metabolic pathways. Obviously, not the
cholecalciferol, but its down the line product Calcitriol is the active form of Vitamin D, but at the same moment it cant
be taken up by the cells efficiently. So, cells pickup the direct storage product of Cholecalciferol, i.e. Calcidiol, and then
convert it into Calcitriol. In total, conversion of Cholecalciferol to Calcidiol, uptake of Calcidiol and its conversion into
Calcitriol, in Kidney, appears as the limiting factor as the half life of Calcitriol is very sort, 12-14 hours. Not to mention,
the concentration of Calcidiol and Calcitriol has regulatory effects. For example, either of increased Calcidiol or
decreased Calcitriol level means higher risk of prostrate cancer.

Correlation of cancer, aging etc with low levels of Vitamin D are well documented, moreover, there are strong evidence
that hypervitaminosis D are linked with accelerated aging process, making it mandatory to careful monitor the Vitamin
D administration in elderly individuals. Its highly advisable to use the nature's way, as the normal human system
incorporates and maintains the physiological balance of vitamin D using sunlight, which in turn abolishes the chances of
hypervitaminosis D.

1903 Nobel laureate Niels Finsen discovered that exposure to the sun helped heal tuberculosis patients. Vitamin D
supplementation has affirmative consequence on recovery from Tuberculosis. Recent construction of living roof at St.
Mary's hospital at Green Bay, Wisconsin is extremely positive initiative in this direction to help patients.

Sunlight therapy may not be attractive as it is one of the main reason for skin cancer in US, though we do not need to
burn our skin to get Vitamin D produced. Walking in the early morning sun instead of baking in the hot is more useful.
In an estimate, 15 minutes of sun light exposure three times a week is sufficient to produce enough Vit D. To our
ignorance, glasses, sunscreens and several other skin products block UV-B, also called "burning ray", invoking vitamin D
deficiency. There are recent contradictory reports that Vitamin D Production after UV-B Exposure does not depend on
skin pigmentation.

The UV-B available in the sunlight varies according to latitude, altitude, time of the year, clouds and pollution. In winter,
there is virtually none UV-B available to United States. Moreover, there is a particular yearly wave of slightly raised
Aerosol Optical Thickness during summer in US (data from NASA Earth Observations) which reduces the UV-B amount
reaching earth. The heavy Aerosol Optical Thickness above Africa, middle east, India, China, Indonesia are strong
enough to cause the deficiency in the population, which is dependent on natural Vitamin D production.

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