Dumaguing: Vitamin D boosts your immune system

ONE of the most exciting developments in the medical world is the discovery that apart from its conventional, traditional role in increasing the absorption of calcium and phosphorus for healthy bones and teeth, vitamin D or the so-called "sunshine vitamin" has been shown to have other metabolic beneficial effects.

In the latest isue of the journal Nature Immunology, Dr. Carsten Geisler of Copenhagen University, Denmark says that vitamin D is vital in activating human defenses and that the low levels of vitamin d suffered by almost half of the world's population may mean that their immune system killer T cells are weak and unable to fight infections.

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The Danish study finding could help in the fight against infectious disease which, despite advances in medicine, are still leading causes of morbidity (illness) and mortality (death) in developing Third World countries. Moreover, the recent finding could be particularly useful in the formulation and preparation of vaccines.

The Danish scientists found that the killer T cells of our human immune system rely on vitamin d to become active and strong. If vitamin d is lacking or deficient, these killer T cells may just remain dormant and unaware of the possibility of threat from an infection or pathogen that may have invaded the body.

Dr. Geisler states, "When a T killer cell is exposed to a foreign pathogen like a microbe, it extends a signaling device or ‘antennae' known as vitamin D receptor, with which it searches or looks for vitamin D. This means that T killer cells must have vitamin D, otherwise activation of the T killer cell will cease. If the T cells cannot find enough vitamin D in the blood, they would not even begin to mobilize or move to fight the invading microbe."

Doctors, students of medical allied profession and even the common folks know for a long time that vitamin D, in conjunction with the hormone parathormone, is important for calcium and phosphorus absorption in the small intestines particularly the jejunum. Now, research and clinical studies establish a link between levels of vitamin D and diseases like cancer and multiple sclerosis.

"What we did not realize is how crucial vitamin D is for actually activating the immune system, which we know now," says Dr. Geisler.

Humans get vitamin D from two sources; vitamin D2 is ergocalceiferol from dietary sources like dairy products-milk, cheese, yoghurt-, also sea foods and calcium containing foods, Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol is derived from the activation of a substance called seven-dehydrocholesterol found in our skin, which when exposed to sunlight or sunlamps- done in Arctic countries during winter when the sun is shy- becomes vitamin D3. Viatmin D is also found in fish liver, egges fatty fishes like salmon, herring and mackerel.

Dr. Geisler said there were no definitive studies on the optimal daily vitamin d dose to help fight infections but experts recommend 25 to 50 micrograms of vitamin D or 400 international units (I.U.) For elderlies who might have osteopenia ( weak bones) or osteoporosis ( brittle bones), doctors even up the dose to 800 I.U. per day.

You don't have to have a son like Manny Pacquiao to have a Mommy Dionisia tell you, "Drink your milk first." Drink it and get out for some sunlight.