Vitamin D
With the industrial revolution and frequent movements of people from the countryside to the town area, people’s health was constantly challenged. Staying inside affected our metabolism with the loss of activity but above all, deficiency in vitamin supplementation. We consumed fewer vegetables and fruits and spend less time out below the sun. Unfortunately, the same situation has happened last year with the pandemic and now we can see results of this being. Deprivation of time outside causes vitamin D deficiency. It was proved that this vitamin is crucial in our fight to resist the virus and keep our health.
Vitamin D structure
“Calcitriol is an active metabolite of vitamin D with 3 hydroxyls (OH) groups and is commonly referred to as 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, or 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. It is produced in the body after series of conversion steps of 7-dehydrocholesterol from exposure to UV light.”
Vitamin D is best absorbed from the sun and supplementation was proved as not enough effective. However, the best form of supplementation is D3 or cholecalciferol, a natural form of vitamin D, MADE FROM THE FAT OF LAMBS WOOL. This makes it unacceptable for so many people and the only option is actually to spend more time under the sunlight.
But how vitamin D acts and helps our immunity?
Before everything, vitamin D is a part of the mineral metabolism and as such, beneficial for the bone built. It stimulates the absorption of phosphate and magnesium ions. Therefore, it affects cell signaling on the membranes. Lack of D vitamin can significantly affect Na-Mg pumps on the cell membranes and overall balance, causing loss of equilibrium and decrease in a cellular immune response. This is the same reason why a deficiency in D vitamin (calcitriol) pointed to a low defense mechanism against Covid19 in the latest pandemic, still active.
When calciferol is changed in its structure, binding to the carrier protein is enabled and further consequences happen as mentioned at the beginning. The normal form of the vitamin D is D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol).
Image 2: Vitamin D metabolism and genes (source:https://www.geneticlifehacks.com/vitamin-d-genetics/)
“The vitamin D metabolites are transported in the blood bound to DBP and albumin. Very little circulates as the free form. The liver produces DBP and albumin, the production that is decreased in liver disease, and these proteins may be lost in protein-losing enteropathies or the nephrotic syndrome. Thus individuals with liver, intestinal or renal diseases which result in low levels of these transport proteins may have low total levels of the vitamin D metabolites without necessarily being vitamin D deficient as their free concentrations may be normal.”(2)
Affected by the loss of D vitamin metabolism are those who spent most of the time inside. However, even 20min out on the sun per day could make a world of difference.
Studies show that kids who are active and play outside every day, rarely become sick. Women have healthier pregnancies when spend more time sunbathing. Elder people should also spend more time outside, since they partially lose the ability to metabolite free D vitamins, even when absorbed from the sun. The time of pandemic made this problem worse. Still, there were more than enough opportunities to get enough vitamin V to last for some days.
Literature
1) image: researchgate.net
Vitamin D structure: Calcitriol and Cholecalciferol (source: researchgate.net)
