Vitamin D3: Maintains normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus • Promotes bone mineralization • May reduce high blood pressure • Helps build strong bones What is Vitamin D3? Vitamin D3, calciferol, is a fat-soluble vitamin. It is known as the “sunshine” vitamin because it is formed in the body by the action of the sun’s ultraviolet rays on the skin. Vitamin D3 is converted in the kidneys to the hormone calcitrol, which is actually the most active form of vitamin D3. The effects of this hormone are targeted at the intestines and bones. Vitamin D3 requirements increase with age, while the ability of skin to convert sunlight into Vitamin D3 decreases. In addition the ability of the kidneys to convert calcidiol to its active form also decreases with age, prompting the need for increased Vitamin D3 supplementation in elderly individuals. One billion people in the world are currently Vitamin D3 deficient. What does Vitamin D3 do? The major biologic function of vitamin D3 is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. vitamin D3 aids in the absorption of calcium, thereby helping to form and maintain strong bones. It promotes bone mineralization in conjunction with a number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones. Without vitamin D3, bones can become thin, brittle, soft, or misshapen. vitamin D3 prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, which are skeletal diseases that result in defects that weaken bones. Cardiovascular: Research indicates that vitamin D3 may play a role in preventing or reversing coronary disease. vitamin D3 deficiency is associated with an increase in high blood pressure and cardiovascular risk. When researchers monitored the vitamin D3levels, blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors of 1739 people, of an average age of 59 years for 5 years, they found that those people with low levels of vitamin D3 had a 62% higher risk of a cardiovascular event than those with normal vitamin D3 levels. What are signs of Vitamin D3 deficiency? The use of sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 8 inhibits more than 95% of vitamin D3 production in the skin. To avoid vitamin D3 deficiency dermatologists recommend supplementation along with sunscreen use. The reduced pigmentation of light-skinned individuals tends to allow more sunlight to be absorbed even at higher latitudes, thereby reducing the risk of vitamin D3 deficiency. However, at higher latitudes (above 30°) during the winter months, the decreased angle of the sun's rays, reduced daylight hours, protective clothing during cold weather, and fewer hours of outside activity, diminish absorption of sunlight and the production of vitamin D3. Because melanin acts like a sun-block, prolonging the time required to generate vitamin D3, dark-skinned individuals, in particular, may require extra vitamin D3 to avoid deficiency at higher latitudes. Vitamin D3 deficiency can result from inadequate intake coupled with inadequate sunlight exposure, disorders that limit its absorption, conditions that impair conversion of vitamin D3 into active metabolites, such as liver or kidney disorders, or, rarely, by a number of hereditary disorders. Deficiency results in impaired bone mineralization, and leads to bone softening diseases, rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, and possibly contributes to osteoporosis. Warnings: • The risk of overdose is not present with natural exposure to sunlight, because the skin's capacity to produce vitamin D3 is self-limiting (skin production is thought to reflect the dose of vitamin D3 to which our evolution optimised human biology). In contrast, care should be given to limit oral intake for infants to no more than 1000 IU (25 mcg) daily, or for adults no more than 10,000 IU (250 mcg) daily. • If you are pregnant or lactating consult a health care practitioner before using Vitamins D3. • Occasional side effects reported with large doses of Vitamin D include a disorder known as hypercalcemia, which causes calcium deposits in soft tissues. Signs of the disorder include headache, weakness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, kidney problems and constipation. Consult a health care practitioner if you experience any of these symptoms while taking Vitamin D3.