Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D Deficiency

Contents of the page

1.What is vitamin D deficiency

2.Syndrome

3.Multiples

4.the cure

The main function of vitamin D is to maintain the balance of minerals in the body, mainly the level of calcium and phosphorus.

Vitamin D promotes the absorption of minerals in the intestines, prevents excessive loss of these minerals in the kidneys, and controls the entry and exit of minerals in bones.

In addition, new research suggests that vitamin D plays an important role in regulating cell growth processes, including suppressing the growth of cancer cells and increasing the activity of the immune system.

The most important sources of vitamin D.

The most important sources of vitamin D are:

 Self-production in the skin under the influence of ultraviolet radiation: the raw material dihydrocholesterol 7 (7 - Dehydrocholesterol) to the precursor of vitamin vitamin D3 (D3) and eventually to vitamin vitamin D3 (D3).

 External supply from food: Vitamin D is found in foods from animals, and is exactly identical to vitamin D3 produced in our bodies. On the other hand, vitamin D2 comes from plant foods. Vitamin D is found in special foods such as liver, egg yolk and fish oil.

The recommended daily intake is 400-600 IU (0.1 IU = 0.025 Mg). This amount can also be provided by sun exposure. In the United States, the application of vitamin D is artificially added to milk and milk products.

Important details of vitamin D

Vitamin D is actually a hormone from the family of steroid hormones, whose production in our body is strictly controlled, and its production mechanism is similar to that of other hormones.

The vitamin must undergo changes in the liver and kidneys, before it is functional, in the liver the vitamin undergoes a hydroxylation process that produces hydroxyvitamin D25 (D25).

The vast majority of vitamin D is converted to this product, and the identification of this substance in the blood reflects the state of vitamin D in the body.

In the kidneys, an additional hydroxylase is obtained to obtain dihydroxyvitamine D 1,25 (D 1,25). This product is the effective hormone derivative of vitamin D.

The production of dihydroxyvitamin 1,25 D in the kidneys is strictly controlled: in a situation where the level of calcium or phosphorus is low, or the level of thyroid hormone in the blood is high, the production of the active derivative of vitamin D increases, and vice versa.

Malnutrition or gastrointestinal diseases, which in turn lead to difficulty in the absorption of food and inadequate exposure to sunlight, result in a deficiency of vitamin D, low blood calcium level, disorders of bone calcification and diseases such as: rickets in children and Lin Bones in adults.

Low ability to absorb vitamin D in the intestines, low efficiency of self-production of vitamin D in the aging generation, may lead to vitamin D deficiency in the elderly.

After understanding the system of conversion of substances to obtain vitamin D, it turns out that liver disease may lead to a decrease in the level of hydroxyvitamin D25 (D25) in the blood; kidney failure leads to disorders in the production of dihydroxyvitamin D 1,25, and that a similar problem appears In case of hypothyroidism.

The balance in these cases undermines the levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood, resulting in various bone diseases.

Women and Vitamin D

The disappearance of estrogen in postmenopausal women has a negative effect on the production of minerals due to a decrease in the production of dihydroxyvitamin 1,25D and a decrease in the amount of receptors for dihydroxyvitamin D25.1.

The decrease in the level and activity of dihydroxyvitamin 1,25 D increases the activity of the thyroid gland and promotes bone fragmentation processes, leading to osteoporosis.

In addition, two hereditary diseases are defined as a result of the body's resistance to vitamin D:

In the first type there is a very low production of dihydroxyvitamin 1,25 D

The second type is characterized by the absence of receptors for dihydroxyvitamin 1.25 D in the target cells. In both cases the symptoms are due to a deficiency of vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency symptoms

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include:

 Chronic fatigue.

 Chronic and persistent pain in different organs of the body.

 Autoimmune diseases (eg multiple sclerosis, arthritis, etc.)

 Osteoporosis (slow bone weakness due to depletion of calcium stocks in the body)

 The development of heart disease, high blood pressure and heart attacks.

Complications of vitamin D deficiency

Osteoporosis is a classic symptom that is associated with a lack of vitamin D in the body.

Effect of vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency affects humans as follows:

Vitamin deficiency, especially in children, leads to osteoporosis, which causes severe deformities of the skeleton and limb bones.

In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to muscle and bone weakness.

The population at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency are:

The elderly

People with excessive weight

Breastfeeding women

People who expose their bodies to sunlight

People with cystic fibrosis or inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease).

Treatment of vitamin D deficiency

Treatment of vitamin D deficiency is carried out by:

Exposure to sunlight

Eat foods rich or fortified with vitamin D

Take pills containing vitamin

Intravenous vitamin injection.

For patients with metabolic disorders, they are treated with vitamin D-1,25 D or artificial analogues.

By Dr Mahad Shah

Ms Productions