I scared
myself so much doing this little bit of research for someone that I had to garden topless yesterday (Winter is a sunny 18C).
I thought some here might also be interested in Vitamin D
Multiple Sclerosis
Sunlight might help MS
It is fascinating that the further you get from the equator, the greater the incidence of MS
See
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:r...ient=firefox-a
It is not clear how sun light effects the expression of a genetic disorder.
Vitamin D is involved in cell differentiation so this might be the clue.
Perhaps is regulates what bits of DNA are turned off or on.
It could, of course, be due to some other variable that we haven't thought of yet
Seehttp://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp
"Active vitamin D functions as a hormone because it sends a message to the intestines to increase the absorption of calcium and phosphorus [3 ].
The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus [ 3-4]. By promoting calcium absorption, vitamin D helps to form and maintain strong bones.
Vitamin D also works in concert with a number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones to promote bone mineralization. Without vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen.
Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, two forms of skeletal diseases that weaken bones [5-6].
Research also suggests that vitamin D may help
maintain a healthy immune system
and
help regulate cell growth and differentiation, the process that determines what a cell is to become [3, 7,8]. "
Surprisingly
deficiency of D vitamin is not uncommon (see above article) especially among vegans.
The best source is cod liver oil and of course sunlight.
Osteoporosis and Vitamin D Supplements
Vitamin D deficiency is quite common in
cases of hip fractures. A look-back study of 548 patients older than 60 years of age who were admitted at South Glasgow University Hospital in Scotland in the previous 4 years, showed that
97 percent of the patients had vitamin D levels below normal.
From :
http://www.raysahelian.com/osteoporosis.html
Where you live is important
If you live in the north, have dark skin, or are rarely outdoors, it's harder for your body to make enough D.
In Canada and the northern U.S. there isn't enough sunshine in winter to stimulate sufficient D production in the skin.
In Boston, Detroit, and Chicago, for example, there's enough sunshine only from April through October; in the southern U.S. there's enough sunshine year round. However, many people stay indoors, or always use sunscreen when outside.
In addition,
if you have dark skin, you need longer exposure to sunlight--perhaps up to twice as much--to produce the same amount of D as a light-skinned person, since pigmentation screens out sunlight and reduces D production.
Sunscreen is still a good idea when you're out in the sun for more than short periods.
But experts now argue, sometimes angrily, over whether total sun avoidance is such a good idea after all.
Increasingly, scientific evidence suggests that for many people the
optimal dietary intake of vitamin D is higher than the current recommended levels. Thus, the government's new dietary guidelines highlighted recommendations of 1,000 IU a day for older people and other high-risk groups. Some researchers think that levels as high as 2,000 IU a day should be considered.
*
http://health.ivillage.com/eating/ev...p87md5,00.html
Herb/plant wise Ergosterol is the basic building block of vitamin D in plants.(Found in wheat:- )
Triticum aestivum L. -- Wheat Seed 12 ppm DUKE1992A
Mushrooms are the best non animal source of vitamin D. But those produced commercially in the dark may have much lower levels than those that receive natural sunlight
The ongoing work so far has found that a single serving of white button mushrooms the most commonly sold mushroom will contain 869 percent the daily value of vitamin D
once exposed to just five minutes of UV light after being harvested . If confirmed, that would be more than what's in two tablespoons of cod liver oil, one of the richest and most detested natural sources of the vitamin, according to the National Institutes of Health.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=1853516
Most of our store -bought mushrooms are grown in the dark so would have little/much less Vitamin D
I don't know of any other high plant sources.(cooked greens?)
Lack of vitamin D can also lead to osteoporosis
.
Cholesterol is the basic building block of vitamin D in humans. When ultraviolet light from the sun hits the leaf of a plant, ergosterol is converted into ergocalciferol, or vitamin D2
.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?t...rient&dbid=110.
--
Michael
