Vitamin D Benefits

There are five different forms of vitamin D. When there is no specific designation, the term vitamin D refers to the twos vitamins D2 and D3. These are the D vitamins that are also used in supplementation.

- Vitamin D1: the molecular compound of ergocalciferol with lumisterol, 1:1

- Vitamin D2: ergocalciferol or calciferol (made from ergosterol). Vitamin D2 is derived from mushrooms and plant sources, and is not produced by the human body.

- Vitamin D3: cholecalciferol (made from 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin). Vitamin D3 can be derived from animal sources and is made in our skin when it receives sunlight. Adequate quantities of vitamin D3 can only be produced in the skin after ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure, minimum two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back - without sunscreen!

- Vitamin D4: 22-dihydroergocalciferol

- Vitamin D5: sitocalciferol (made from 7-dehydrositosterol)
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Proper absorbtion of vitamins is often underestimated, and people tend to swallow vitamin pills without paying attention to the process. It's known that synthetic single vitamins have a rate of absorption that is lower than that of naturally occuring vitamins. Taking vitamin D alone is not a good idea, it's better to combine it with other essential nutrients.

It's best to take a supplement that comes as close to the compositon of naturally occuring foods and vitamins / minerals. this increases the absorbtion rate dramatically.

Life Plus offers many great products that mimic nature through their PhytoZyme tabletting base, an extract from fruit, vegetables and herbs that contains many valuable phytonutrients and enzymes and facilitates the uptake of all the vitamins and minerals you need, also the D vitamins:

Multi vitamin and mineral supplement

TVM Plus is a very complete multi-vitamin, multi-mineral supplement in tablet form. You'll be astonished how complete and well balanced the formulation is. Feel free to compare with any other product on the market, you'll very likely not find a product that can even remotely compare.

Calcium and Magnesium supplement with Vitamin D and Boron

CalMag Plus is pH-balanced, which is essential for the best absorption of calcium. Vitamin D, vitamin K, trace minerals, and boron play specific roles in healthy calcium metabolism, while calcium and magnesium team up with these vital nutrients to promote healthy bone structure, enhance muscle tone and relaxation, and maintain dental health. Magnesium is critical for more than 300 different enzyme systems in the body, plus being necessary for healthy bones and ATP production, which provides cellular energy.

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Most Americans and others are not taking enough vitamin D, a fact that may put them at significant risk for developing cancer, according to a landmark study conducted by Creighton University School of Medicine.

The four-year, randomized study followed 1,179 healthy, postmenopausal women from rural eastern Nebraska.* Participants taking calcium, as well as a quantity of vitamin D3 nearly three times the U.S. government's Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) for middle-age adults, showed a dramatic 60 percent or greater reduction in cancer risk than women who did not get the vitamin.

The results of the study, conducted between 2000 and 2005, were reported in the June 8 online edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"The findings are very exciting. They confirm what a number of vitamin D proponents have suspected for some time but that, until now, have not been substantiated through clinical trial," said principal investigator Joan Lappe, Ph.D., R.N., Creighton professor of medicine and holder of the Criss/Beirne Endowed Chair in the School of Nursing. "Vitamin D is a critical tool in fighting cancer as well as many other diseases."

Other Creighton researchers involved in the study included Robert Recker, M.D.; Robert Heaney, M.D.; Dianne Travers-Gustafson, M.S.; K. Michael Davies, Ph.D,; and Gleb Haynatzki, Ph.D.

Research participants were all 55 years and older and free of known cancers for at least 10 years prior to entering the Creighton study. Subjects were randomly assigned to take daily dosages of 1,400-1,500 mg supplemental calcium, 1,400-1,500 mg supplemental calcium plus 1,100 IU of vitamin D3, or placebos. National Institutes of Health funded the study.

Over the course of four years, women in the calcium/vitamin D3 group experienced a 60 percent decrease in their cancer risk than the group taking placebos.

On the premise that some women entered the study with undiagnosed cancers, researchers then eliminated the first-year results and looked at the last three years of the study. When they did that, the results became even more dramatic with the calcium/vitamin D3 group showing a startling 77 percent cancer-risk reduction

In the three-year analysis, there was no statistically significant difference in cancer incidence between participants taking placebos and those taking just calcium supplements.

Through the course of the study, 50 participants developed nonskin cancers, including breast, colon, lung and other cancers.

Lappe said further studies are needed to determine whether the Creighton research results apply to other populations, including men, women of all ages, and different ethnic groups. While the study was open to all ethnic groups, all participants were Caucasian, she noted.

There is a growing body of evidence that a higher intake of vitamin D may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of cancer, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.

Humans make their own vitamin D3 when they are exposed to sunlight. In fact, only 10-15 minutes a day in a bright summer sun creates large amounts of the vitamin, Lappe said. However, people need to exercise caution since the sun's ultraviolet B rays also can cause skin cancer; sunscreen blocks most vitamin D production.

In addition, the latitude at which you live and your ancestry also influence your body's ability to convert sunlight into vitamin D. People with dark skin have more difficulty making the vitamin. Persons living at latitudes north of the 37th parallel - Omaha is near the 41st parallel - cannot get their vitamin D naturally during the winter months because of the sun's angle.

Experts generally agree that the RDA** for vitamin D needs to be increased substantially, however there is debate about the amount. Supplements are available in two forms - vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Creighton researchers recommend vitamin D3 , because it is more active and thus more effective in humans.

* Study participants came from the Nebraska counties of Douglas, Colfax, Cuming, Dodge, Saunders, Washington, Sarpy, Burt and Butler. ** RDA recommendations for vitamin D are 200 IU/d, birth-age 50; 400 IU/d, 50-70 years; and 600 IU/d, 70 years and older.

Source: Creighton University News Service posted 06/08/07

This lens is provided as information only and does not intend to give medical advice. If you have a problem, see your medical specialist.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.