Vitamin D Regulation Of Apoptosis In Keratinocytes
Calcitriol stimulates the synthesis of ceramide by inducing the neutral Mg2+-dependent sphingomyelinase and in return, ceramide enhances the pro-differentiating effect of calcitriol on keratinocytes in a feedback loop . It has been demonstrated that physiological concentrations of calcitriol do not initiate apoptosis in cultured keratinocytes but, in contrast, pharmacological concentrations of calcitriol exert a pro-apoptotic effect on keratinocytes .
How Much Vitamin D Should I Be Getting
Ive talked about the effects of too little and too much vitamin D but how much should we actually be getting? The recommended daily amount of vitamin D is 100 micrograms which roughly translates to between 400 and 600IU per day. Many vitamin D supplements contain triple and sometimes more than this amount! So be weary when picking a supplement and always read the label to see how much youre actually taking.
Another option might be our Balance Mineral Drink which not only contains 100% of your RDA, but it is also full of other important minerals including zinc, calcium, magnesium and potassium all of which play important roles in maintaining the health of our muscles and joints.
Vitamin D Can Help Just Dont Ask It To Do What It Cant
As the above research points out, vitamin D does have a place in helping a patient with knee osteoarthritis. Vitamin D supplements are readily available and food rich in vitamin D are plentiful. These include salmon, herring and sardines, for non-fish lovers spinach and kale. Of course, sunshine helps a lot too.
A study in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine from Creighton University School of Medicine concludes this way, and it is a good way to conclude our article:
Vitamin Dsufficient patients have a lower risk of developing osteoarthritis, and vitamin D sufficiency and supplementation decrease articular cartilage degeneration radiographically . Some studies have investigated the effect of vitamin D on osteoarthritis progression and pain management however, while there is no general consensus on the effects of vitamin D on osteoarthritis, some results seem promising. Vitamin D supplementation may be a safe method to treat and prevent osteoarthritis, but future research is required to define the specific pathway and ultimate efficacy.
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Q: Ok Im On Board With D Will I See Immediate Improvement
Dont expect miracles. Youre not going to take 2,000 IUs of vitamin D and suddenly feel like your is better, notes Dr. Hylland. Dr. Yuan also encourages patience: When you have a severe disease, it can be very hard to raise the level of vitamin D. But when the disease quiets down, its much easier.
Why Do We Need Vitamin D
Perhaps the best-known benefit of vitamin D is that it strengthens bones and teeth. Before vitamin D was routinely added to food, such as milk, children were at risk for a condition known as rickets.
In adults, vitamin D wards off osteomalacia and osteoporosis . People with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to experience infection and insulin resistance. Some studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to coronary artery disease. However, not enough research exists to confirm the link.
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Lets Get Right To The Research Vitamin D Is An Important Vitamin For Our Health And Low Levels Have Been Associated With Various Disease States Including Osteoarthritis
The majority of us primarily meet our vitamin D needs via the sun and exposure to ultraviolet radiation. When people age, they lose the ability to synthesize the vitamin D through sun exposure, which puts older people at greater risk for deficiency and the associated diseases.
Vitamin D deficiency and osteoarthritis symptoms have some overlap. Those with osteoarthritis suffer from joint pain, muscle wasting, and decreased motion in their joints, all of which can increase in severity with age. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include greater joint pain, poor muscle function, and progression of osteoarthritis.
Will supplementation with Vitamin D help? In many cases, yes. Studies have shown that Vitamin D supplementation may help to decrease the chronic pain people with osteoarthritis experience. In research we are about to examine, investigators have shown that those suffering from knee osteoarthritis combined with Vitamin D deficiency, had improved muscle strength, better knee function, and reduced pain once they started to take Vitamin D supplementation. This combination resulted in less risk of falls and an overall improved quality of life.
So How Many Ius Do You Need A Day
This is where it can get a bit confusing and you really need to think about yourself and your variables, where you live, how much sun exposure you get.
It gets baffling because there are many conflicting opinions on how much is necessary to reach optimal levels. Variables to consider are
- AGE
- COUNTRY YOU RESIDE IN
- AMOUNT OF SUN EXPOSURE YOU GET
- RACE
Age is cited because as we get older we can become more susceptible to things like osteoporosis, hip replacements in the elderly is an indicator of this point.
This is a sweeping generalisation though, I am aware there are plenty of seniors out there who are eating well, exercising and staying super strong. A lot of them will put people half there age to shame but I am speaking about the majority.
Old age can be a risk factor for osteoporosis.
Where you live and the location of it geographically can help you decide how much, if any, vitamin D you need. Get on google and type in your location and ask what the latitude of it is.
Latitude is essentially the height your location is at in the world.
It goes from -90 degrees to 90 degrees and the point at 0 degrees is the equator line, people who live around this line will certainly get plenty of sunlight, places like Uganda, Kenya, Ecuador.
I live at 53 degrees north so you can see why it is important to supplement vitamin D intake.
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What Is Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency means that you do not have enough vitamin D in your body. Vitamin D is unique because your skin actually produces it by using sunlight. Fair-skinned individuals and those who are younger convert sunshine into vitamin D far better than those who are darker-skinned and over age 50.
How Do We Get Vitamin D
The main source is sunlight our bodies create vitamin D when bare skin is exposed to ultraviolet B rays.
During spring and summer, most peoples bodies can make all the vitamin D they need from a balanced diet and being out in the sun for short periods every day, without sunscreen and with some skin uncovered.
The ideal amount of time to spend outside isnt known, as it varies between people and depends on how much sunshine is available but be careful not to burn. Know whats right for you it may be just a few minutes in the sunshine if youre pale. Cover up and/or use sunscreen if youre staying out longer.
Dr Haseler recommends combining sun exposure with exercise.For bone health, the best activity is walking, with as many aids as you require, she says. Its weight bearing, it gets your joints moving, it exposes you to sun and meeting people, and it can be done at various levels of disability.”
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How Can I Help Prevent Vitamin D Deficiency
The goals of treating and preventing the lack of vitamin D of treatment and prevention are the sameto reach and keep an adequate level of vitamin D in the body. Your healthcare provider will let you know if you need to take or keep taking vitamin D supplements. If so, they will also let you know how much you should take. You might also want to consider:
Eating more foods that contain vitamin D: See the vitamin D food sources table included in this article. Keep in mind that foods alone usually don’t meet the daily recommended levels of vitamin D.
Getting some exposure to sunshinebut not too much: Exactly how much sun exposure is needed isnt clear. 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure two to three times a week to the face, arms, legs or back may be all that is needed to absorb a suitable amount of vitamin D. You might need more sun exposure if:
- You are older.
- You have a darker skin color.
- You live in northern climates.
The use of sunscreen, and standing behind a window, prevents vitamin D from being produced in the skin. However, you should remember that too much sunshine increases the risk of skin cancer and ages the skin. That is why taking an appropriately dosed D supplement is far safer than intentionally getting routine sun exposure.
Q: Can Getting More Vitamin D Improve My Ra Symptoms
It might. Right now it looks like rheumatoid arthritis patients tend to have lower vitamin D levels, says Dr. Hylland. So we recognize it probably plays an important role. Dr. Hylland estimates over half of his own RA patients are D deficient. Vitamin D levels may impact the severity of RA, too. In a 2018 study from India, RA patients with the most severe symptoms had D levels far lower than the average level among patients in remission or those with mild symptoms. Other studies have found similar results, prompting medical researchers to speculate whether vitamin D supplementation should be considered in RA treatment.
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How Often Do You Need To Get Your Vitamin D Levels Checked
Doctors do not usually order routine checks of vitamin D levels, but they might need to check your levels if you have certain medical conditions or risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. Sometimes vitamin D levels can be checked as a cause of symptoms such as long-lasting body aches, a history of falls or bone fractures without significant trauma.
The Dermatologists Point Of View
Patients suffering from psoriasis present a broad range of clinical phenotypes. Psoriatic lesions are classified into plaque, guttate, pustular, and erythrodermic types according to clinical features, especially regarding lesions size and distribution . Disease onset may occur at any age, including childhood, with two peak age ranges, 16 to 22 and 57 to 60 years . Psoriasis lesions are characterized by hyper-proliferation with incomplete differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes and decreased keratinocyte apoptosis, associated with inflammatory cellular infiltrate in both dermis and epidermis . Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score is currently the preferred method for the assessment of the disease severity and extent .
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Is Vitamin D Helpful For Joint Pain
Joint pain is often known to bother many people across the globe and most of them do not respond to treatment even. Thats when you may start thinking if there is any other contributing factor to this joint pain? Could it be nutritional deficiency or some kind of imbalance with the absorption of vital nutrients?
Many scientific studies revolve around this doubt and some of them have found that there is a possible link between vitamin D deficiency and joint pain. Researchers have been working for years and now it is believed that that there is some association between very low levels of vitamin D and chronic pain, especially joint pain.
Associations Of Vitamin D And Pain
Vitamin D in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain. From the perspective of vitamin D involvement in musculoskeletal pain, the process is presumed to begin with a lack of circulating calcium due to inadequate vitamin D, and this sets in motion a cascade of bio-chemical reactions negatively affecting bone metabolism and health. Even mild hypocalcemia results in an elevation of parathyroid hormone that can diminish bone density and/or more severely affect bone architecture .35,36
The effect relating more closely to musculoskeletal aches and pains is that increased PTH levels also impair proper bone mineralization causing a spongy matrix to form under periosteal membranes covering the skeleton. This gelatin-like matrix can absorb fluid, expand, and cause outward pressure on periosteal tissues, which generates pain since these tissues are highly innervated with sensory pain fibers.27,44,59
This dysfunction of bone metabolism is proposed in the literature as an explanation of why many patients with vitamin D inadequacies may complain of dull, persistent, generalized musculoskeletal aches, pains, and weakness.20 Therefore, experts recommend that vitamin D deficiency and its potential for associated osteomalacia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of all patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, muscle weakness or fatigue, fibromyalgia, or chronic fatigue syndrome.27
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What Does Your Diet Have To Do With Getting Enough Vitamin D
Vitamin D doesnt occur naturally in many foods. Thats why certain foods have added vitamin D. In fact, newer food nutrition labels show the amount of vitamin D contained in a particular food item.
It may be difficult, especially for vegans or people who are lactose-intolerant, to get enough vitamin D from their diets, which is why some people may choose to take supplements. It is always important to eat a variety of healthy foods from all food groups. The vitamin content of various foods is shown in the following table.
Vitamin D content of various foods
| Food | |
|---|---|
| Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce | 6 |
It is important to check product labels, as the amount of added vitamin D varies when it is artificially added to products such as orange juice, yogurt and margarine.
Q: Whats The Link Between Rheumatoid Arthritis And Vitamin D
The studies show an association between RA and D deficits, not causality. That means we dont know if low D contributes directly to the autoimmune disease, or if its just the consequence of a dysfunctional immune system. But ultimately, it may not matter which is correct. By getting enough D, Youre feeding the immune system what it needs to limit attacks, says Dr. Hylland.
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Vitamin D Acts As An Anti
In arthritis, there is inflammation in the joints and other parts of the body as well. It is important to reduce inflammation in order to prevent the progression of arthritis.
In the immune system, vitamin D is responsible for a reduction in the level and activity of cytokines like IL-2 and IL-6 and also TNF-alpha .
It also down-regulates the expression of proteins that lead to the production of pro-inflammatory substances.
What does it mean? This means that an intake of vitamin D can be beneficial in preventing the development and progression of arthritis. This is because of its ability to block the pathway of the production of compounds that cause inflammation and arthritis.
Some People Are Overdoing It In Search Of Better Health
Vitamin D is having its day in the sun. In recent years, research has associated low blood levels of the vitamin with higher risks of everything from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer to mood disorders and . The findings have not gone unnoticed. and screening tests have surged in popularity.
“Vitamin D testing is one of the top Medicare lab tests performed in the United States in recent years,” says Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School. “This is really surprising for a test that is recommended for only a small subset of the population.”
Unfortunately, this vitamin D trend isn’t all blue skies. Some people are overdoing it with supplements. Researchers looking at national survey data gathered between 1999 and 2014 found a 2.8% uptick in the number of people taking potentially unsafe amounts of vitamin D that is, more than 4,000 international units per day, according to a research letter published in the June 20 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association . And during the same time period there was nearly an 18% increase in the number of people taking 1,000 IU or more of vitamin D daily, which is also beyond the dose of 600 to 800 IU recommended for most people.
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Vitamin D For Chronic Pain
This article is adapted from the authors peer-reviewed research report, Vitamin D A Neglected Analgesic for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain, from Pain Treatment Topics. The full report, along with a special brochure for patients, is available at www.pain-
Standing apart from the various other essential nutrients, vitamin D was spotlighted recently as having special therapeutic potential. This has important implications for the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain and fatigue syndromes.
During this past June 2008, news-media headlines heralded recent clinical research that revealed benefits of vitamin D for preventing type 1 diabetes,1 promoting survival from certain cancers,2 and decreasing the risks of coronary heart disease.3 Overlooked, however, was the traditional role of vitamin D in promoting musculoskeletal health and the considerable evidence demonstrating advantages of vitamin D therapy in helping to alleviate chronic muscle, bone and joint aches, and pains of various types.
Although further research would be helpful, current best evidence demonstrates that supplemental vitamin D can help many patients who have been unresponsive to other therapies for pain. Vitamin D therapy is easy for patients to self-administer, well-tolerated, and very economical.
Figure 1. Vitamin D Metabolism
Q: Can I Get Too Much Vitamin D
Yes. Excessive vitamin D supplementation over time can be toxic, leading to abnormal heart rhythms, kidney stones, muscle weakness, and confusion. Still, this is rare and happens only with extremely high-dose supplementation60,000 IU a day for several months, according to the Mayo Clinic. Your doctor can help you find the right dose for you.
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