Vitamin D - The Sunshine Vitamin
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 7:14 am
Here in the U.S., experts have been warning the public about the cancer-causing effects of sunlight for at least the last 20 years. Sunshine causes skin cancer and melanoma, they have said, and it's important to cover up or use plenty of sunscreen.
Even in Australia, experts told the public to slap on the sunscreen and not to be shy about it. The result was that the incident of skin cancer in Australia decreased but an increased number of Australians and New Zealanders ended up with a vitamin-D deficiency. And now scientists say that vitamin-D deficiency may lead to skin cancer.
For years, nutritionists have known that sunshine wasn't the demon it was made out to be. Researchers back in the laboratory tested the effects of vitamin-D on the immune system and discovered that vitamin-D actually boosts the immune system instead of destroying it. The sunshine vitamin activates white blood cells to engulf bacteria, has anti-tumor activity and modulates the immune system. Vitamin D also activates natural killer cells, B cells and T cells. Vitamin-D also regulates the expression of cancer genes.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that can be either ingested or synthesized in the skin by exposure to sunlight. The sunlight activates a form of cholesterol present in the skin and converts it to vitamin D. Vitamin D is found in both plant and animal tissue. There are at least five different forms, called D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5. Synthetic Vitamin D2 is called ergocalciferol. It is derived from fungal and plant sources. Natural vitamin D, vitamin D3, is called cholecalciferol and is derived from animal sources and also made in the skin. The term Vitamin D refers to all the different forms of these two substances. The natural form occurs in fish liver oils.
Even in Australia, experts told the public to slap on the sunscreen and not to be shy about it. The result was that the incident of skin cancer in Australia decreased but an increased number of Australians and New Zealanders ended up with a vitamin-D deficiency. And now scientists say that vitamin-D deficiency may lead to skin cancer.
For years, nutritionists have known that sunshine wasn't the demon it was made out to be. Researchers back in the laboratory tested the effects of vitamin-D on the immune system and discovered that vitamin-D actually boosts the immune system instead of destroying it. The sunshine vitamin activates white blood cells to engulf bacteria, has anti-tumor activity and modulates the immune system. Vitamin D also activates natural killer cells, B cells and T cells. Vitamin-D also regulates the expression of cancer genes.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that can be either ingested or synthesized in the skin by exposure to sunlight. The sunlight activates a form of cholesterol present in the skin and converts it to vitamin D. Vitamin D is found in both plant and animal tissue. There are at least five different forms, called D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5. Synthetic Vitamin D2 is called ergocalciferol. It is derived from fungal and plant sources. Natural vitamin D, vitamin D3, is called cholecalciferol and is derived from animal sources and also made in the skin. The term Vitamin D refers to all the different forms of these two substances. The natural form occurs in fish liver oils.