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Vitamin D – The sunshine vitamin

Vitamin D is an outstanding vitamin. In contrast to all other vitamins, vitamin D is precursor of a hormone (prohormone). Also in contrast to most other vitamins, Vitamin D is produced in your own body.

Vitamin D is also known as “sunshine vitamin“, because it is mainly produced in your skin. Other terms used for vitamin D are “sun hormone”, “bone vitamin” and “anti-cancer vitamin”.

Vitamin D has various functions in our body, which are important for your bone density and the protection against arteriosclerosis or cancer.

Vitamin D for health and disease

An optimal vitamin D blood level can be life-prolonging. Epidemiologic studies have shown that there is a statistically significant prolongation of lifetime for people with an optimal vitamin D blood level independent of a specific underlying disease (in up to 90% of cases!).

It is also known since 2007 that a sufficient vitamin D blood level lowers both cancer risk and cancer mortality. A new study from April 2016 by McDonnell et al. supported this with data showing that higher vitamin D blood levels can further reduce your cancer risk by 65%.

Lack of vitamin D causes rickets in children and loss of bone density (osteoporosis) in adults. Severe vitamin D deficiency leads to defects in bone formation and muscle weakness. Also, vitamin D deficiency plays a role in numerous other diseases like autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and various cancers.

Vitamin D and cancer

It has already been shown for some types of cancer that the risk of developing a cancer is significantly higher if a vitamin D deficiency is present. This applies to the risk of developing: prostate cancer (75% higher), breast cancer (55% higher), colon cancer (50% higher), and pancreatic cancer (29% higher).

Vitamin D and cancer treatment

There is an impressive number of scientific studies, showing that vitamin D supplementation has a positive effect on the success of cancer therapy (overall survival, event-free time, incidence of metastases) in many different cancers. Cancer mortality for some cancers is up to 70% higher in patients with severe vitamin D deficiency.

For example, in women with breast cancer, vitamin D deficiency is associated with a significantly higher incidence of metastases (94%) and significantly increased mortality (73%). Research suggests that counterbalancing a lack of vitamin D before cancer therapy can greatly improve treatment outcomes.

Biologic functions of Vitamin D in the human body

Calcium metabolism – Bone density and arteriosclerosis

Vitamin D is a master regulator of the calcium metabolism. Together with osteocalcin and vitamin K2, vitamin D controls bone formation and whether calcium is accumulated in our blood vessels (arteriosclerosis).

Cancer and immune function

Vitamin D directly regulates the function of more than 100 different genes that are important for the protection of your cells against cancer and for a good immune system function.

Read more about vitamin D supply here