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Vitamin D - the mechanism of action and whether to take supplements (Lifext investigations)

Vitamin D is often mentioned in modern literature about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and extending it. In some papers, it is recommended to regularly check its level and drink maintenance doses, while in other papers it is argued that it is not clear whether there is any benefit from this.


In our article we will understand what vitamin D is, how it works, what it affects, and if you came to the conclusion that you want to take it to improve your health and prolong life, then how to do it correctly.



A bit of history and general description


Vitamin D was discovered in 1922 and was initially considered as an ordinary vitamin. However, now he is considered a provitamin, that is, he must go through several stages of biochemical transformations for activation.


The uniqueness of vitamin D lies in the fact that it enters our body not only with food, but also is produced by the body when exposed to sunlight. This makes it difficult to develop recommendations for its use as an additive.
However, we geeks, as a rule, can discard the sun factor, such are our living habits.


The generic name vitamin D (also calciferol) includes several secosteroids, of which the most important forms are D2 and D3.


D2 we get only with food, and D3 is produced when ultraviolet + with food gets on the skin. In their effects, they are the same, which can be seen in the picture above. However, research is still being conducted that it is more beneficial to take in the long term. So far there is no definitive answer and we can accept that it is not important and buy the most suitable form of D2 or D3.


In some countries, for example, the USA, Canada, and India, they sell milk and other products enriched with vitamin D. In 2016, the FDA (US State Medicines Agency) approved an increase in the norms of vitamin D in milk and its substitute beverages (soy milk, etc.). ), up to 84 IU (or IU) per 100 grams of product. This may indirectly indicate that vitamin D deficiency is officially recognized.


For measuring soluble vitamins, doses are usually measured in IU (International Units) or IU (International Unit). Each vitamin has its own weight. One microgram (one millionth of a gram) of vitamin D = 40IU (400IU = 10µg or µg).


Why vitamin D is important to our health


For the purpose of extending life and a healthy brain, maintaining a normal level of vitamin D is very important and therefore we began a series of articles on vitamins from it.


Initially, the maintenance of calcium and bone homeostasis was considered the main role of this vitamin. In other words, with its deficiency, children can develop rickets in children or osteoporosis in adults. It was during the study of rickets that vitamin D was discovered.


For a more complete list of possible diseases from a vitamin deficiency (for example, weakness, bone pain, muscle pain, etc.) and for a full examination of the evidence base for it, you can look at Pubmed for a very complete system review with a recommendation to introduce screening in the USA + The second review about the deficiency of this vitamin in adults .


And although only problems with bones and muscles are enough to begin to maintain the level of this vitamin in normal, but, plus to this, in recent decades it has been found that vitamin D is involved in many more important processes of the body:
(below is the link to the Telegram channel, in which excerpts from Pabmed research are translated, the title of the article is a link to the original on Pubmed)




(Picture from Nature magazine about participation in the immune system)


Here we give only the important points for us, if you type a search for vitamin D at https://scholar.google.com , then only in the last year we will get 53000 results. In general, it is clear that if we have a lack of this vitamin, it is desirable to take an additive to maintain it at a normal level.


Of course, all this information is not to the fact that some kind of panacea was found and we will now live forever. But this vitamin, according to many modern studies, is quite important to maintain a normal level for long-term health. Moreover, the issue price is not at all high.


More for information.


Also in books and articles often write that vitamin D prevents cancer and cardiovascular diseases. However, there is a possibility that he does not prevent them, but accompanies them. In other words, by taking supplements and increasing its blood level, we cannot prevent these diseases. To clarify this issue, a huge placebo-controlled study in New Zealand was conducted.


It went on for 4 years and 5,100 people took part in it, about half took a placebo, others took 100,000 IU of vitamin D every month.


According to the results of this study, it was found that this did not reduce the likelihood of these diseases. BUT! Researchers themselves noted that in New Zealand most of those undergoing the study had a blood level of 32.8 ng / mL (placebo too), and about 75% of the US population has a level below 30 ng / mL, and about 30% below 20 ng / mL. (Lifext note - and in Russia, where there is even less sun than in the USA and where milk is not enriched with vitamin D - we can assume that it is even lower)


Therefore, as the authors note, additional research is required. ( Study 1 , Study 2 )


What levels are normal and what doses to drink?


For vitamin D, we can determine our rate by passing a blood test for its content. Measured is 25 (OH) D (the main metabolite of vitamin D present in the blood) and it is considered that the level of 30-100ng / ml is normal ( see the source )


In some books about the extension of the life and health of the brain, the following parameters are indicated to which the authors recommend to strive


  1. “The rate is between 30 and 100 ng / ml, but this does not mean that you can stay at figure 31. The optimal level of vitamin D is about 80 ng / ml. This is the middle of the so-called normal zone. Ask your general practitioner to help you adjust the dosage to reach the optimal level. After that, it is usually enough to take 2,000 IU to maintain a healthy level. However, consult with your doctor. ”(Christine Lohberg, David Perlmutter Food and the Brain.)
  2. “Your level should be at least 50 ng / ml” (Ray Kurzweil, Terry Grossman Transcend: nine steps on the path to eternal life)

The condition for choosing your dose:



IMPORTANT! If you drink a dose of 2000ME per day or more, then the vitamin level must be measured once every three months.


Dose 1000ME is safe to drink daily, while measuring the level of vitamin 1 once a year and, if it is below 30ng / ml, then increase it according to the scheme above and make a new measurement after three months.


So, if you are too lazy to measure the level and you do not work in the sun for an hour or more per day (which is, by the way, more harmful than useful), then you can safely begin to drink vitamin D at a dosage of 1000 ME (IU) per day.


After a couple of months, we will come to a full set of tests for the long life of the body and brain of the geek and where to go with them and try to beat us discounts for it, but for now you can wait or do it in any laboratory.


Buying Tips


Below I provide links to the purchase of three vitamins that are recommended for everyone to drink, especially in early spring.


At the moment you have read the complete study of only vitamin D. We will gradually describe in detail each supplement, all information goes constantly in our Telegram channel or Vkontakte , so the information below is for those who cannot wait or who have no strength after winter (I write after a friend asked to urgently send the list, as exhausted and said that sluggish).


Drink daily at breakfast or in another meal, it allows you to less load your digestive system. All take 1 piece, except for fish oil - there are 2 of them.


All links are partners, all on the development of the application.



In conclusion, I want to remind you that the meaning is not only in supplements and vitamins, but in the attention to your lifestyle and the direction of the meager part of mental forces on how we will live, for example, at 60, 80, 90 years (if we live of course). If we do not improve our lifestyle and any nuances that arise, then supplements will not help much.


Our other research articles



As usual, the research for the next article will be published in our Telegram channel or Vkontakte , and our ship Lifext continues the journey.


Recommended complex for daily use:



Fish oil and vitamin D are very important for both the brain and the body, minerals and protein are important for the long-term health of the body. It is advisable to take those who are over 30 years old.


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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/371345/

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