Vitamin
D




Ian Lloyd
Pharmacist
Peoples Pharmacy

.....This is one of my favourite vitamins to talk about. I feel this supplement is often overlooked. Others believe that it is so much more fun to talk about lutein, beta carotene and theanine. These vitamins are exciting, exotic, perhaps even sexy. You might say these supplements are in vogue. Vitamin D is so boring; we can make our own supply whenever we look at the sun. Right? Wrong. Vitamin D is very stylish and we often do not have enough exposure to the sun to make enough vitamin D. This is often true for those living above the 49th parallel, and it is certainly true during the winter months and for shut ins. Even today as I write this (January 21), it is sunny outside but I doubt I will get 15 minutes of direct sunlight. That is why I take about 1400IU of vitamin D every day and give over 600IU to my three year old. Every time I read about vitamin D, it recommends that people should take more. Now if that isn't exciting, I don't know what is. Perhaps I should get out more..
.....Where to begin, vitamin D is useful for so many things. Lets start with the most obvious, its ability to promote the formation of strong bones and teeth. Your body needs vitamin D to absorb

the calcium from your stomach and works with this calcium to maintain bone strength. This is the main reason why milk is fortified with vitamin D; to make sure your body can use the calcium in milk. Vitamin D is also thought to play a role in the
absorption and functioning of magnesium. It is thought that not getting enough vitamin D might lead to hearing loss. Why would a lack of this important vitamin lead to hearing loss? This is a good question, with a good answer. Inside your ear are three little bones, that are responsible for processing the sound waves that hit your eardrum. These bones can weaken

 and not perform properly if they don't receive enough vitamin D and calcium.
.....If you don't get enough Vitamin D, you might have problems with your parathyroid glands. This is actually one of the tests that might be performed to see if you are receiving enough vitamin D. When you don't get enough vitamin D, the amount of calcium in your blood may decrease. This drop in calcium might stimulate your parathyroid to release more parathyroid hormone (PTH). This increase in PTH causes your body to try and increase the amount of calcium in your blood. This usually results in an increase of calcium absorption from the stomach and an outflow of calcium from your bones. If this state persists it might lead to something called secondary hyperparathyroidism. Symptoms of hyperparathyroidism include kidney stones, abdominal pain, poor memory, muscle weakness and nausea. If you experience any of these symptoms, check with your Doctor and ask if s/he will consider sending you to the lab to have your PTH and vitamin D levels checked.
.....There is also some evidence that vitamin D can help prevent some
 

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