Cholecalciferol is a form of vitamin D, also called cholecalciferol-D3, vitamin D3 or calciol. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorus. Having the right amount of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus is important for building and keeping strong bones. Vitamin D3 is used to treat and prevent bone disorders (such as rickets, osteomalacia). Vitamin D3 is made by the body when skin is exposed to sunlight. Sunscreen, protective clothing, limited exposure to sunlight, dark skin, and age may prevent getting enough vitamin D3 from the sun.
Vitamin D3-Cholecalciferol is both a vitamin and a hormone. It acts as a vitamin when it binds with calcium for proper absorption. Humans cannot digest calcium without adequate amounts of Vitamin D3.
Vitamin D3 with calcium is used to treat or prevent bone loss (osteoporosis). Vitamin D3 is also used with other medications to treat low levels of calcium or phosphate caused by certain disorders (such as hypoparathyroidism, pseudohypoparathyroidism, familial hypophosphatemia). It may be used in kidney disease to keep calcium levels normal and allow normal bone growth. Vitamin D3 drops (or other supplements) are given to breast-fed infants because breast milk usually has low levels of vitamin D3.
Vitamin D3-Cholecalciferol, also known as the "sunshine vitamin", can be manufactured in the skin when the body is exposed to sunlight. However, as we age, the absorption of Vitamin D3 can be decreased. Vitamin D3 is the active form of Vitamin D. Vitamin D2 is a cheaper synthetic version that is ineffective. Vitamin D is necessary for healthy bones, muscles, and cells. It also helps the body absorb and use phosphorus and calcium. When one is exposed to sunlight for 15 to 20 minutes a day, they can absorb about 10,000-15,000 IU of Vitamin D3 each day.
When one thinks of Vitamin D they may think of rickets. Remember the children with bowed legs, a bent spine, and weak muscles. The adult form of this disease is called osteomalacia. A Vitamin D3 deficiency can also lead to osteoporosis, tooth decay, and nervous system disorders.
Many clinical trials & retrospective studies have linked the active form of vitamin D (Vitamin D3) to blood pressure. These studies reveal that when the level of Vitamin D3 drops too far, the blood pressure rises as well as the bad cholesterol (LDL). In addition to these metabolic processes, the body is not able to clear fat from the blood following a high fat meal.
So one may ask, "how does Vitamin D3 lower blood pressure"? We don't know all of the mechanisms yet, but we do know that Vitamin D affects the cell membranes and aids in the absorption of calcium. So the lowering of blood pressure could be related to Vitamin D3 or it could be related to better calcium absorption.
The bottom line is that Vitamin D3 has positive effects on blood pressure and cholesterol.
Vitamin D3 or Cholecalciferol is an important nutrient and the appropriate level of this nutrient in our bodies is essential for the performance of many crucial biological functions as well as for maintaining the health of various vital organs. The following lines disclosing various vitamin D3 benefits stand testimony to the plausibility of the above statement.
Tests and research have shown that vitamin D3 is extremely effective in lowering the risk of cancer of the stomach, lungs, colon, breast and prostate.
Vitamin D3 is good at modulating the immune system and patients suffering from physical conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and fibromyalgia are known to have shown signs of improvement when administered vitamin D3 supplements. Also, a good vitamin D3 level in the body equips the immune system to resist many other infections and diseases that attack it such as cold, flu, etc.
Regulation of hormones, the imbalance of which leads to such gynecological problems as irregular menstruation cycles and ovarian cysts, is one of the most important benefits of vitamin D3 for women.
Since vitamin D3 is better metabolized and more effective than vitamin D2, it is believed by medical experts that those individuals who live in cold climates or do not get sufficient sun exposure can derive the benefits of vitamin D3 5000 IU recommended daily dosage.
Loss of muscle and bone mass, calcium deficiency, osteoporosis and mildly depressive state of moods are signs of advancing age that are experienced by both men and women. Here, the benefits of vitamin D3 for men and women translate into slowing down the onset of these physical symptoms of aging by strengthening the muscles, bones and striking normal balance of mood regulating hormones.
Vitamin D3 is also believed to be effective against obesity.
Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, benefits of vitamin D3 for skin includes its ability to combat such skin conditions as psoriasis and lesions and vitamin D3 also helps wounds heal faster.
Trying to increase more Vitamin D3 through your diet can be done. Vitamin D is found in many dietary sources such as fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. The sun also contributes significantly to the daily production of Vitamin D.
Vitamin D3-Cholecalciferol is created through exposure of your skin to the sun, but due to most of us working indoors, recommendations to avoid the sun and use of sun block, most people have deficiencies. Through 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure daily, the body creates 10,000 to 20,000 IUs of Vitamin D3. Deficiency can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, depression and psoriasis. If you are staying out of the sun, try these foods to keep your body healthy:
Cod Liver Oil - Cod liver oil can provide up to 1,300 IU of vitamin D per tablespoon, which is more than the 1,000 IU daily recommendation. They also find cod liver oil to be a good source of Vitamin D. Cod liver oil is available in liquid capsules, supplements and in oil form. Taking cod liver oil daily can help your body get the Vitamin D3 it needs.
Fortified Foods - Fortified foods such as milk and cereal are sources of Vitamin D3. By checking labels on fortified milks and cereals, one can select items that will provide sufficient D3 to help stave off deficiency. By starting the day with a bowl of fortified milk and cereal, your body can get a day's serving of Vitamin D3.
Egg Yolks - Another great source of D3 is egg yolks. Making an omelet or scrambling a couple eggs can give you almost a daily serving.
For those who don't get enough sunshine or whose diet is deficient in the above foods, it is recommend supplementing with vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol. D3 is the active form of vitamin D. D2 is the synthetic form and not as effective. In my opinion, It is usually recommend 5000iu – 15,000iu/ day depending on serum vitamin D3 (OH-25) which should be at least above 50.
Vitamin D3 is needed for many bodily functions and to boost the immune system. At levels above 50, D3 has been shown to prevent Flu including H1N1 Flu. It's anti-cancer properties are impressive not to mention the prevention of heart disease and high blood pressure. Many fibromyalgia patients find relief in their symptoms at levels of 50 or above.
With all the medical advances in the 20 th century, Vitamin D3-Cholecalciferol deficiency is still an epidemic. Fifteen to twenty minutes of sunshine each day, in the nude, helps your body manufacture about 10,000 to 15,000 iu's of vitamin D3 per day. The problem is that most people avoid the sun these days due to fears of skin cancer. Just think about plants and what happens to them when they avoid the sun. They wither & die.
Did you know that vitamin D3 deficiency can result in Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Depression, Psoriasis, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Kidney Stones, Osteoporosis, & Neuro-degenerative disease including Alzheimer's Disease. Eventually, Vitamin D deficiency may even lead to Cancer (especially breast, prostate, and colon cancers). Vitamin D3 is believed to play a role in controlling the immune system (possibly reducing one's risk of cancer and autoimmune diseases), increasing neuro-muscular function and decreasing falls, improving mood, protecting the brain against toxic chemicals, and potentially reducing pain.
The most common reasons for Vitamin D3 deficiency in the United States relates to lack of exposure to sunlight and infrequent consumption of cold water fish such as wild salmon, mackerel & sardines.
A standard blood chemistry panel will provide your doctor with your levels of vitamin D3. The test is called 25(OH)D. The existing guidelines state that a deficiency is anything below 50nmol/l, but recent studies show that 80 nmol/l is needed to keep healthy bones and enable vitamin D to perform its other roles in the body.
Foods have been supplemented with Vitamin D, but this has not resulted in an overall increase in Vitamin D levels. This is likely because food and supplement manufacturers rely on an inexpensive form of synthetic Vitamin D called "ergocalciferol"- a form of Vitamin D2.
If you have bone loss or osteoporosis, spend 20 minutes daily in the sunshine with 40% of your skin surface exposed. Morning sun is best; Don't allow your skin to burn. Tanning Beds do not provide Vitamin D3.
Eat foods high in Vitamin D3 including Cod liver oil, fortified milk, salmon, mackerel, & sardines, egg yolks, beef liver. If you take Vitamin D supplements make sure it is Vitamin D3 and not D2. Take Vitamin D3 supplements with food. It is usually recommended to use 2000iu-5000iu/ of Vitamin D3 daily depending on lab levels.
Since Vitamin D3-Cholecalciferol is a vitamin and not a drug, it does not have "side effects" as often referred to when discussing pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drugs and supplements. The exception would be if one were to ingest poorly manufactured D3 supplements or extremely high doses - far higher than recommended on most supplement labels.
Those who work outdoors in the sun on a regular basis produce about 10,000iu of Vitamin D3 per day without toxicity. We now know that the optimum level of Vitamin D3 is much higher than once thought. The lower doses of D3 were initially set to prevent rickets (softening of the bones) which is rarely if ever seen today. The 1997-2002 US Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) recommendations for oral Vitamin D intake are too low. Research suggests the blood levels of the nutrient needed to prevent disease is 100nmol/L or greater. Since there are D3 receptors throughout the body, higher doses of Vitamin D3 are extremely helpful in preventing a multitude of diseases, including but not limited to breast and colon cancer, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, neuro-degenerative disease, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and many others.
For a variety of reasons, Vitamin D toxicity became an issue of exaggerated alarm, the extent of which is only now becoming evident. Looking back scientists now realize that it is extremely rare and only occurs from unusual oral intake - never from sunlight exposure.
The early cases of Vitamin D intoxication that caused concern involved impurities in the production of various supplements, the use of synthetic Vitamin D analogues, or accidental use of extremely high doses, or individuals who simply were hypersensitive to the nutrient.
First symptoms of toxicity include anorexia, nausea, vomiting followed by excessive urination, weakness and nervousness. Sufferers may also become dehydrated and experience increased thirst and severe headaches. As symptoms progress, the nerves and muscles become affected, leading to itchy skin, fatigue, and weakness. Elevated serum calcium levels of 12 – 16 mg/dl are constant findings when toxic symptoms occur. Normal calcium levels are 6.5 – 10.5 mg/dl. At this point, bone pain or bone loss can occur. There's no evidence of side effects with serum 25 (OH) D3 levels less than 140nmol/l. Toxic effects are usually associated with 25 (OH) D3 levels higher than 375 nmol/L, along with high blood calcium and phosphate levels.
Because overdoses are rare, most people will not reach the upper intake levels and those that do generally will not reach them often enough to trigger any type of overdose symptoms. If you are concerned that you may be consuming too much of the nutrient, contact your healthcare provider who can order the simple blood test for Vitamin D3 25 (OH) levels.
Hot off the Press, higher intakes of Vitamin D3 can help one reap even more health benefits than was previously known, according to newly published Risk Assessments.
Four nutrition experts, including two Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) scientists and two of the world's pre-eminent vitamin D researchers, are urging the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) to raise the vitamin D Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) five-fold, based on a safety evaluation of the latest scientific research. This research shows that vitamin D is safe at intake levels much higher than its current UL.
The paper, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) concludes the safety profile of vitamin d should safely permit raising the UL for vitamin D to 250ug (10,000IU) per day from the current UL of 50 ug (2,000IU) per day.
The researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and Creighton University report that the UL established by the Food & Nutrition Board is outdated. It is not based on current evidence and is viewed by many in the scientific community as being too restrictive-limiting research, commercial development, and optimization of nutritional policy. They provided an ample collection of human clinical trial data published since the 1997 recommendation which supports a significantly higher dosage.
There has been an increased consumer interest in the nutrient following a number of recent studies showing benefits of vitamin D3 associated with levels beyond what is typically provided in a multivitamin and most fortified food.
Even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a proposed rule to allow the inclusion of vitamin D in approved calcium and osteoporosis health claims.
New data continues to emerge regarding the health benefits of vitamin D beyond its role in bone health. Vitamin D3 deficiency has been associated with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Diabetes, Cancer, Obesity, neuro-degenerative diseases, osteoporosis, depression, as well as others.
With the Skin Cancer scare and the avid use of sun block, Americans are not getting enough vitamin D3. We were meant to get a minimum of 20 minutes of sunlight in the nude daily. If this is not possible, then supplementation is in order.
Although many experts have been calling for a revision of the vitamin D UL in recent years, this study is the first to provide a quantitative basis and recommendation for an actual revised UL value. The absence of toxicity in the trials conducted in healthy adults that used a dose of 10,000 IU vitamin D3 supports the confident selection of this value as the UL.
With this new emerging research, stay tuned as many pain syndromes and chronic fatigue may be helped with this supplement. The safety of vitamin D which was demonstrated in these studies, should encourage the FNB to increase the UL for vitamin D in order to allow people the benefits of this wonderful nutrient.
The following reviews have been selected:
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54 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Just What The Doctor Ordered!, July 5, 2010
By
G. Lake "1233fire" (Cool, California)
When visiting my doctor and describing my symptoms of lacking energy, lack of joy, some depression and several other factors, he said that I should consider taking 5,000mg of Vitamin D3 per day. I found it interesting that he said that many of the doctors in his building are taking it since finding that after about 2 months their energy and mood levels are significantly improved. Since I am always interested in what Doctors take themselves, I decided to study why this was true, so when at Bar and Nob, I found the Vitamin D Cure by James E Dowd, MD...and was very impressed. Nearly all my symptoms were noted in the V D3 deficiency list. As a matter of fact, both my teens and my wife have symptoms of V D3 deficiency as well! When telling my wife about my exciting "find", she said that her doctor had prescribed it for her two months earlier (5,000mg/day.)... Some Vitamin D deficiency symptoms from pg 10: fatigue, joint pain/or swelling, muscle pain pain, cramping, and/or weakness (leg cramps?), chronic pain, uncontrolled weight gain, high BP, restless sleep, poor concentration and memory, headaches, bowel and bladder problems. Unless you work outside most of the time, you are probably very deficient in Vitamin D...that is most of us!...,
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It actually works, April 25, 2011
By
Dr. Curmudgeon
I am not a fan of alternative medicine nor do I [think it's anything special to] nutrition, but after all the flap about Vitamin D lately, I decided to give this a try.
It actually works, which is more than I can say for most prescription medicines I've dealt with. In a period of a few months, most of the minor maladies I'd been suffering from for years just went away. I was obviously suffering from a vitamin D deficiency.
These seem like a pretty darn good value, too. I take one every other day, which means that this bottle lasts me a year. And they're tiny little things, as opposed to those calcium chokers that my doctor keeps pushing on me. Easy to swallow, and no discernable side effects.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Vitamin D3: Necessary For Excellent Health, April 5, 2011
By
ArkitekT
Vitamin D3 5000 IU is a super vitamin. With many people being vitamin D deficient, this pill taken twice daily is highly recommended for ultimate health. Vitamin D is excellent for bone health and it's fantastic for the immune system. Instead of taking the flu vaccine this year, avoid it and just try taking Vitamin D. The FDA has said that over 400 IU daily is not safe but studies have found that taking over 50,000 IU's weekly had no bad toxicity outcome. Trust me, do some research. Don't take the flu vaccine unless you research what's inside of it and stay healthy. Good day and One Love <3
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny and more..., March 18, 2011
By
R Smith
I purchased this because I am hypoglycemic (no, I am not, nor have I ever been diabetic - shocking, I know). I was [diagnosed] with hypoglycemia after gastric bypass surgery (which, happens to be a rare side effect of the surgery - but they don't tell you about that before hand). Yay me!!!
I read an article in a diabetes magazine that said Vitamin D3 regulates blood sugar. I thought, why not, since my body tells me I am fasting only 2-3 hrs after eating (and no, I do not eat huge meals. I can't. My stomach is literally the size of a large egg). Since taking these though, my body no longer feels like I've been "fasting".
I take one of these pills, once every 2-3 days, per instructions on the bottle. I have to tell you, I am impressed. My blood sugar is no longer yo-yoing, I rarely even check it (I get physical symptoms if my blood sugar is too high or too low). I was actually shocked that this tiny pill packs 5000 IUs.
The best purchase I've ever made. Will continue using/buying it.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Vitamin D and MS, March 1, 2011
By
MIke
I read Dr. Jelineks book "Overcoming MS".
He discribed how Vitamin D has a good influence on autoimmune issues especialy with MS.
So i tryed this Vitamin D supplement.
All of Dr Jelineks recommondations seem to proof as correct so far.
I will buy this Vitamin D again.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good value, January 21, 2011
By
James L. Wright Jr. (Long Beach, CA USA)
I grew up being told to beware of Vitamin D poisoning, so it's only recently that the thought of a 5000 IU dose of Vitamin D hasn't induced fear. Recent studies and testimonials, and a blood test, had me rethinking "safe" dosages and vitamin D absorption, particularly for the obese. so I ordered a bottle.
My next blood test came back with healthy levels of vitamin D. I was surprised it wasn't "high" but I guess that confirmed the newer studies. I also noticed improved health and energy, which helped me lose 50 pounds...
I've seen both higher and lower dosages (10,000 IU, 1,000 IU) so be sure to confirm via blood tests which is best for you.
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