Vitamin D explained.
Everybody knows that vitamin D is important and the importance only increases when it comes to vitiligo. but what exactly is it? How does it work? Is taking it as a tablet different to taking it through the sun? You cannot say you are investigating your vitiligo if you do not know.
What is it?
Interestingly vitamin D is both a Vitamin and a hormone. Vitamins must come from outside the body and hormones are produced by the body. (Technically it is definitaly not a vitamin and if we discovered it again today then we would not call it one). It is fat soluble and allows us to absorb calcium and phosporus.
Where do we get it?
We get it from the sun, food, fortified products and supplaments.
Why do we need it?
Your body cannot use calcium correctly without it. This means bone problems are more likely for people with low levels. Your immune system also needs it to create antimicrobial proteins (cathelicidins and defensins) Additionally it helps with muscle function through larger muscle fibres and anecdotally can improve mood.
Direct sunlight Vs supplements difference
When you take vitamin D through the sun your body stops producing it when it reaches your maximum production amount. This mean you cannot overdose (photochemical equilibrium) however when you take a tablet the absorption happens in the gut and there is no way for the body to stop it.
Who to say thank you to for this knowledge?
Sir Edward Mellenby Experimented with puppies and showed that rickets was a vitamin problem. When he gave them cod liver oil the connection with vitamin D started.(He thought it was vitamin A)
Elmer McCollum Continued Mellenby's idea and destroyed vitamin A in cod liver oil and realised there was something else called vitamin D
Kurt Huldschinsky discovered that UV light can cure rickets too
Harry Steenbock discovered that food can be irradiated with UV light to increase its vitamin D content.
