What is the Sunshine Vitamin?

“Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch.”

Walt Whitman

Welcome to Autumn! Day-time gets shorter as night-time becomes longer. The sun went down today at 7pm. People are already wearing layers and boots. Cooler evenings are coming. The winter is when the human body is most likely deprived of sunlight, not just the ordinary sunlight but the UV light that plays a vital role in body functions. Sunlight shines on your skin and creates Vitamin D. Just as plants need sunshine for photosynthesis, humans need sunshine for so many body functions.

What is the Sunshine Vitamin?

The Sunshine Vitamin is a given name for Vitamin D. It has two major forms - Vitamin D2 or Ergocalciferol and Vitamin D3 or Cholecalciferol. The former is produced by plants and fungi. It has little known function in non-vertebrate species as well as in man, while the latter is considered as the functional form. It is, at present, being widely studied for the important role it could play in public health. For this blogpost, Vitamin D3 will be solely referred to as Vitamin D.

Technically, Vitamin D is not a vitamin, but instead, a precursor steroid hormone. At a wavelength of 270-300 nm of sunlight, the human skin converts cholesterol into Vitamin D3. Thus, the moniker Sunshine Vitamin was derived. It is the only vitamin that is synthesized by a human in the skin. However, factors such as skin color, skin covering, cloud cover, climate or season, geographic location, and use of sunscreen affect its production. People with more melanin, the pigment responsible for the dark coloration of the skin, produce less Vitamin D. The melanin serves as a sort of filter of sun rays and blocks the production of Vitamin D. This is a factor that causes a high incidence of osteoporosis or bone-related defects in darker-skinned individuals.

Inadequate exposure of skin to these ideal wavelengths of sunlight and lack of Vitamin D supplement simply predispose an individual to develop Vitamin D deficiency. By birth, there are people who are at risk of Vitamin D deficiency, such as those who had fat mal-absorption syndromes like cystic fibrosis or inflammatory bowel disease. Elderly, bottle-fed babies and obese individuals who lack supplementation are also at risk.

Other Sources of Vitamin D

Sunlight is not the only source of Vitamin D. Other sources include fish, eggs, cod liver oil, fortified food and drinks, and Vitamin D supplement can be taken to meet the need of the body to function well and prevent diseases. The recommended dosage for supplement depends upon age. For healthy individuals, a dietary allowance was set to 400 IU/day by the National Research Council. In many home-care settings, some physicians prescribed 2000-5000 IU/day to their housebound patients. Recent studies and evaluation of Vitamin D effects show favorable results in the increased intake. Other clinicians suggest higher doses of up to 10000 IU will meet the body's need without compromising the health status of a person.

Why do we need Vitamin D?

Vitamin D maintains normal blood levels of Calcium and Phosphorus by promoting its absorption from food in the intestine. Its sufficient and balanced supply in the body makes bones stronger. It prevents the occurrence of bone deformities in children, commonly called rickets, and prevents bone softening, muscle weakness, and bone fragility in adults as manifested by diseases such as osteoporosis and osteomalacia.

The importance of Vitamin D was taken into consideration in the early 2000s. Studies showed that it plays many important roles. Current selected articles stated that lack of Vitamin D lowers the resistance of a person against Swine Flu (H1N1). Several health authorities had observed that people who are taking regular doses of Vitamin D have fewer cases of flu caused by the H1N1 virus. Moreover, results of research conducted suggest the role of Vitamin D in immunity, particularly in its supposed role in fighting off cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases.

Side effect: Hypervitaminosis D

Too much intake of Vitamin D supplemental dosage had been noted by some people. This leads to a condition called Vitamin D toxicity. Symptoms vary with increased blood Calcium levels or hypercalcemia as most common. It also includes nausea, vomiting, and anorexia.

Contentions

Most people are afraid of sun exposure due to skin cancer. It is a fact that excessive sunlight can cause not only skin cancer but rapid skin turn-over, which results in wrinkle formation and skin aging. Some are afraid they might have Vitamin D overdose and suffer Vitamin D toxicity.

Indeed, too much of everything is not good. Doctors even contend that drinking too much water could kill some people due to water intoxication. Just like sunlight, too much of it is bad. It could cause sunstroke and kill a person. Moderation or taking in the prescribed amount is always the key to good health.