Bone Health
Dull, Aching Musculoskeletal Pain/ Osteoarthritis
Dietary Defi ciency/Limited Sunlight Exposure
Use of Vitamin D-Depleting Drugs (eg. Steroids, Antacids, Barbiturates, Anticonvulsants, Calcium-Channel Blockers etc.)
Autoimmune Conditions (e.g. Multiple Sclerosis, IBD)
Cancer/Cardiovascular Risk Reduction
MyCell Ultra D3 is a micro-emulsifi ed form of vitamin D.
The emulsifi cation process converts vitamin D into water soluble mycelles which are absorbed much more efficiently than fat soluble vitamin D. Mycell D3 is provided as cholecalciferol, identical to the form in which it is derived in the body from cholesterol and synthesized by sunlight on the skin. Vitamin D3 has been demonstrated to be three times as potent as vitamin D2.
Ergocalciferol (D2) and Cholecalciferol (D3) are very similar biochemically; however, D3 is absorbed more quickly and completely and maintains serum levels of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol for a longer period of time after a supplemented dose. Both forms of the vitamin have to undergo two sequential hydroxylation reactions in vivo to make them biologically active. The kidneys convert D3 into the hormone calcitriol which affects bone, intestine, muscle, brain, skin and immune system cells. Calcitriol is important for healthy cell differentiation.
The active metabolites of cholecalciferol increase plasma levels of calcium and phosphorous by increasing the amount of calbindin, the protein responsible for binding calcium in the intestine, and by stimulating transfer of calcium and phosphorus from the bone to the plasma. In addition to the association of vitamin D blood levels to bone metabolism, researchers have also demonstrated associations with hypertension, Type 1 diabetes, and possibly pulmonary function. The prevalence of vitamin D insuffi ciency has been shown among patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain and dramatic reduction by treatment with the vitamin has been demonstrated.
Research demonstrates 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 can either prevent or markedly suppress experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Type 1 diabetes, and infl ammatory bowel disease.
The majority of 63 observational studies in a PubMed database search demonstrated a protective role of vitamin D in reducing risk of a variety of cancers. Data suggests that vitamin D therapy may prolong survival in patients with chronic kidney disease. A study reported in Stroke concluded vitamin D defi ciency is present in most cases of acute stroke and may even precede a stroke event and post-stroke repletion enhances musculoskeletal health.
The standards for recommended dietary intakes of vitamin D are being scrutinized for being too low. The consensus of scientifi c understanding at this time appears to be that vitamin D defi ciency is reached for serum 25- hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels less than 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L), insuffi ciency in the range from 20-32 ng/mL, and suffi ciency in the range from 33-80 ng/mL, with normal in sunny countries being considered 54-90 ng/mL, and excess greater than 100 ng/mL.
REFERENCES:
1. Grant WB, Holick MF. Benefi ts and requirements of vitamin D for optimal health: a review. Altern Med Rev. 2005 Jun;10(2):94-111
2. Rosol T, et al: Disorders of calcium. Fluid Therapy in Small Animal Practice, 2nd Ed. (S. DiBartola, ed.) W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, PA.,2000; p108-162 [Morrow, C. Cholecalciferol Poisoning. www.aspca.org ] {accessed 1.10.06}
3. Kutchai H: Digestion and absorption. Physiology, 4th Ed.(R. Berne, et al., eds.) Mosby, St. Lousi, MO, 1998:647-676 [Morrow, C. Cholecalciferol Poisoning. www.aspca.org ] {accessed 1.10.06}
4. Marcus, R: Agents affecting calcifi cation and bone turnover. Goodman & Gilman's: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th Ed. ( J Hardman,L. Limbird, eds) McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1996 pp 1519-1546. [Morrow, C. Cholecalciferol Poisoning. www. aspca.org ] {accessed 1.10.06}
5. Deluca HF, Cantorna MT. Vitamin D: its role and uses in immunology. FASEB J. 2001 Dec;15(14):2579-85.[PMID: 11726533]
6. Garland CF, Garland FC, Gorham ED, Lipkin M, Newmark H, Mohr SB, Holick MF. The Role of Vitamin D in Cancer Prevention. Am J Public Health. 2005 Dec 27; [Epub ahead of print] [PMID: 16380576]
7. Andress DL. Vitamin D in chronic kidney disease: A systemic role for selective vitamin D receptor activation. Kidney Int. 2006 Jan;69(1):33-43. [PMID: 16374421]
8. Armas LAG, Hollis BW, Heaney RP. Vitamin D2 is much less effective than vitamin D3 in humans, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2004;89(11):5387-5391.
9. de Torrente de la Jara G, Pecoud A, Favrat B Female asylum seekers with musculoskeletal pain: the importance of diagnosis and treatment of hypovitaminosis D. BMC Fam Pract. 2006 Jan 23;7(1):4 [Epub ahead of print] [PMID: 16430783]
10. Black PN, Scragg R. Relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d and pulmonary function in the third national health and nutrition examination survey. Chest. 2005 Dec;128(6):3792-8. [PMID: 16354847]
11. Canto-Costa MH, Kunii I, Hauache OM.Body fat and cholecalciferol supplementation in elderly homebound individuals. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2006 Jan;39(1):91-8. Epub 2005 Dec 15.[PMID: 16400469]
12. Poole KE, Loveridge N, Barker PJ, Halsall DJ, Rose C, Reeve J, Warburton EA. Reduced vitamin D in acute stroke. Stroke. 2006 Jan;37(1):243-5. Epub 2005 Dec 1. [PMID: 16322500]
13. Plotnikoff GA, Quigley JM. Prevalence of severe hypovitaminosis D in patients with persistent, nonspecifi c musculoskeletal pain. Mayo Clin Proc. 2003 Dec;78(12):1463-70. [PMID: 14661675]
