If you are deficient in vitamin D your immune system will not be functioning as well as it should be. This means you are more vulnerable to infectious diseases than if your vitamin D levels were normal.
Vitamin D induces expression of an antimicrobial peptide gene called cathelicidin. Cathelicidin is the first line defense in the immune's system responsible to bacterial infections, cuts, wounds and viral infections, colds and flu.
Vitamin D assists in the absorption of calcium and promotes bone mineralization, which may prevent or slow, the progression of osteoporosis. It protects against rickets and osteomalacia. Research suggests that Vitamin D may also provide protection from hypertension, psoriasis, and several autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis and rhumatoid arthritis, and reduce the incidence of fractured bones.
The regulation of cathelicidin by vitamin D could help to explain its vital role in immune function. Vitamin D is a key cofactor in reducing inflammation, in blood pressure, helping to protect the heart in heart disease, and there is mounting evidence that vitamin D is a critical tool in fighting cancer.
The vitamin's protection is proposed to be multifaceted, by reducing the formation of blood vessels in tumours (antigenesis) stimulating the mutual adherence of cells and enhancing intercellular communication through gap junctions. All this adds up to stop proliferation of cancerous cells by contact inhibition. Studies suggest an association between low levels of vitamin D and an increased risk of 18 different cancers including breast, colorectoral and prostate cancers.
It is not easy to get enough vitamin D from food although it is found in salmon, tuna, mackerol and fortified milk.
The recommended dose for an adult was 400 iu but doctors are now prescribing 1000-2000 iu daily and in certain cases 5000 iu when the immune system is severely compromised.
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