Historically, Vitamin D has been considered an important nutrient for bone health—its ability to interact with calcium is the primary reason that milk has been fortified with Vitamin D since the early 1920s. In recent times, it has been looked at more as a resource for psychological support, with some studies suggesting that Vitamin D deficiency is related to depression, and Vitamin D supplementation with a reduction in those symptoms.
Now, data has appeared indicating that Vitamin D may also show promise in reducing the risk of diabetes. Conducted in Malaga, Spain, the study of 961 individuals showed positive correlation between those whose Vitamin D levels were 18.5 ng/mL or above (from the low end of the normal range on up) and a reduction in the incidence of diabetes by nearly 10%.
The reason for this result is threefold. Vitamin D is thought to influence the activity of beta-cells, which reside in the pancreas and regulate insulin. Similarly, Vitamin D is also believed to promote heightened insulin sensitivity. Vitamin D therefore addresses diabetes on two fronts—by influencing both the production of insulin itself and working against the primary precursor to diabetes, which is a lack of insulin sensitivity.
Finally, it is well-known that Vitamin D possesses potent antioxidant properties, acting to reduce inflammation at the cellular level on a daily basis. This sort of ongoing protection yields tremendous benefits, the sum total of which cannot be calculated and which plays a role not only in the prevention of diabetes, but most of the major health concerns of our time.
For these reasons among others, the recommended intake of Vitamin D was revised in 2010, increasing threefold from an amount of 200 IU daily to 600 IU. For those over the age of 71 the RDA is even higher, with 800 IU daily as the recommendation for maximum benefits.
No comments:
Post a Comment