How Calciferol (Vitamin D) Can Help Build Strong Teeth
Vitamins are compounds that you must have for growth and
health. They are needed in small amounts only and are available in the
foods that you eat. Vitamin D (Calciferol)is necessary for strong bones
and teeth.
Lack of vitamin D may lead to a condition called rickets, especially
in children, in which bones and teeth are weak. In adults it may cause
a condition called osteomalacia, in which calcium is lost from bones so
that they become weak. Your doctor may treat these problems by
prescribing vitamin D for you. Vitamin D is also sometimes used to
treat other diseases in which calcium is not used properly by the body.
Ergocalciferol is the form of vitamin D used in vitamin supplements.
Some conditions may increase your need for vitamin D. These include:
In addition, individuals and breast-fed infants who lack exposure to
sunlight, as well as dark-skinned individuals, may be more likely to
have a vitamin D deficiency. Increased need for vitamin D should be
determined by your health care professional.
Alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, and dihydrotachysterol are
forms of vitamin D used to treat hypocalcemia (not enough calcium in
the blood). Alfacalcidol, calcifediol, and calcitriol are also used to
treat certain types of bone disease that may occur with kidney disease
in patients who are undergoing kidney dialysis.
Vitamin D is found naturally only in fish and fish-liver oils.
However, it is also found in milk (vitamin D-fortified). Cooking does
not affect the vitamin D in foods. Vitamin D is sometimes called the
''sunshine vitamin'' since it is made in your skin when you are exposed
to sunlight. If you eat a balanced diet and get outside in the sunshine
at least 1.5 to 2 hours a week, you should be getting all the vitamin D
you need.
Vitamins alone will not take the place of a good diet and will not
provide energy. Your body also needs other substances found in food
such as protein, minerals, carbohydrates, and fat. Vitamins themselves
often cannot work without the presence of other foods. For example, fat
is needed so that vitamin D can be absorbed into the body.
You may need vitamin D supplements if you are a strict vegetarian
(vegan) and/or have little exposure to sunlight and do not drink
vitamin D-fortified milk.
Taking too much alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol,
dihydrotachysterol, or ergocalciferol can also be harmful to the fetus.
Taking more than your health care professional has recommended can
cause your baby to be more sensitive than usual to its effects, can
cause problems with a gland called the parathyroid, and can cause a
defect in the baby's heart.
Medicines or other dietary supplements - Although certain
medicines or dietary supplements should not be used together at all, in
other cases they may be used together even if an interaction might
occur. In these cases, your health care professional may want to change
the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking
vitamin D and related compounds, it is especially important that your
health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:
Other medical problems - The presence of other medical
problems may affect the use of vitamin D and related compounds. Make
sure you tell your health care professional if you have any other
medical problems, especially:
Do not take more than the recommended daily amount. Vitamin D is
stored in the body, and taking too much over a period of time can cause
poisoning and even death.
Scientific studies are beginning to demonstrate that vitamin D helps
slow the development of osteoarthritis. Researchers at Boston
University Medical Center examined the knees of 556 patients during a
two-year period. Those patients who showed progressive knee damage due
to osteoarthritis also exhibited lower levels of vitamin D. "A vitamin
D deficiency could impair the body's ability to repair the damage that
arthritis causes in both bone and cartilage," says David Felson, a
principal investigator in the study.
Osteoporosis is not curable, however, advances in treatment have
been made to stabilize bone loss. Part of assessing patient risk is
exploring the common factors such as being female, family history,
small-framed body, sedentary lifestyle, excessive use of alcohol, and
smoking. Biochemical markers of bone turnover can also be measured to
diagnosis or track the disease's progress. Prevention strategies
include calcium and vitamin D
(calciferol) intake, and prevention efforts during adolescence may
significantly reduce the incidence of osteoporosis in the elderly.
Additionally, patients of any age may gain benefit from regular
weight-bearing activities and other exercise. Estrogen replacement
therapy may be prescribed to postmenopausal women to prevent
osteoporosis, and for men, testosterone replacement therapy may also be
appropriate, although long-term effects are unknown. Currently,
calcitonin, fluoride, and a class of drugs called bisphosphonates are
available. Nonpharmacologic measures include physical therapy,
counseling, and home environment safety adjustments.
In a Patient Information Sheet for Nutrition and Lupus it states -
recommendations to prevent or reduce the problem will probably include
a diet high in calcium (1,000?1,500 mg/day) and vitamin D (100?500
mg/day) and an exercise plan that is appropriate for you.
Evidence of vitamin D's protective effect against cancer is
compelling. For more than 50 years, documentation in the medical
literature suggests regular sun exposure is associated with substantial
decreases in death rates from certain cancers and a decrease in overall
cancer death rates. Recent research suggests this is a causal
relationship that acts through the body's vitamin D metabolic pathways.
For instance, some evidence points to a prostate, breast and colon
cancer belt in the United States, which lies in northern latitudes
under more cloud cover than other regions during the year. Rates for
these cancers are two to three times higher than in sunnier areas.
Vitamins are compounds that you must have for growth and
health. They are needed in small amounts only and are available in the
foods that you eat. Vitamin D (Calciferol)is necessary for strong bones
and teeth.
Lack of vitamin D may lead to a condition called rickets, especially
in children, in which bones and teeth are weak. In adults it may cause
a condition called osteomalacia, in which calcium is lost from bones so
that they become weak. Your doctor may treat these problems by
prescribing vitamin D for you. Vitamin D is also sometimes used to
treat other diseases in which calcium is not used properly by the body.
Ergocalciferol is the form of vitamin D used in vitamin supplements.
Some conditions may increase your need for vitamin D. These include:
- Alcoholism
- Intestine diseases
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Overactivity of the parathyroid glands with kidney failure
- Pancreas disease
- Surgical removal of stomach
In addition, individuals and breast-fed infants who lack exposure to
sunlight, as well as dark-skinned individuals, may be more likely to
have a vitamin D deficiency. Increased need for vitamin D should be
determined by your health care professional.
Alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, and dihydrotachysterol are
forms of vitamin D used to treat hypocalcemia (not enough calcium in
the blood). Alfacalcidol, calcifediol, and calcitriol are also used to
treat certain types of bone disease that may occur with kidney disease
in patients who are undergoing kidney dialysis.
Vitamin D is found naturally only in fish and fish-liver oils.
However, it is also found in milk (vitamin D-fortified). Cooking does
not affect the vitamin D in foods. Vitamin D is sometimes called the
''sunshine vitamin'' since it is made in your skin when you are exposed
to sunlight. If you eat a balanced diet and get outside in the sunshine
at least 1.5 to 2 hours a week, you should be getting all the vitamin D
you need.
Vitamins alone will not take the place of a good diet and will not
provide energy. Your body also needs other substances found in food
such as protein, minerals, carbohydrates, and fat. Vitamins themselves
often cannot work without the presence of other foods. For example, fat
is needed so that vitamin D can be absorbed into the body.
You may need vitamin D supplements if you are a strict vegetarian
(vegan) and/or have little exposure to sunlight and do not drink
vitamin D-fortified milk.
Taking too much alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol,
dihydrotachysterol, or ergocalciferol can also be harmful to the fetus.
Taking more than your health care professional has recommended can
cause your baby to be more sensitive than usual to its effects, can
cause problems with a gland called the parathyroid, and can cause a
defect in the baby's heart.
Medicines or other dietary supplements - Although certain
medicines or dietary supplements should not be used together at all, in
other cases they may be used together even if an interaction might
occur. In these cases, your health care professional may want to change
the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking
vitamin D and related compounds, it is especially important that your
health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:
- Antacids containing magnesium - Use of these products with any
vitamin D-related compound may result in high blood levels of
magnesium, especially in patients with kidney disease - Calcium-containing preparations or
- Thiazide diuretics (water pills) - Use of these preparations with
vitamin D may cause high blood levels of calcium and increase the
chance of side effects - Vitamin D and related compounds, other - Use of vitamin D with a
related compound may cause high blood levels of vitamin D and increase
the chance of side effects.
Other medical problems - The presence of other medical
problems may affect the use of vitamin D and related compounds. Make
sure you tell your health care professional if you have any other
medical problems, especially:
- Heart or blood vessel disease--Alfacalcidol, calcifediol,
calcitriol, or dihydrotachysterol may cause hypercalcemia (high blood
levels of calcium), which may make these conditions worse - Kidney disease--High blood levels of alfacalcidol, calcifediol,
calcitriol, dihydrotachysterol, or ergocalciferol may result, which may
increase the chance of side effects - Sarcoidosis--May increase sensitivity to alfacalcidol, calcifediol,
calcitriol, dihydrotachysterol, or ergocalciferol and increase the
chance of side effects
Do not take more than the recommended daily amount. Vitamin D is
stored in the body, and taking too much over a period of time can cause
poisoning and even death.
Scientific studies are beginning to demonstrate that vitamin D helps
slow the development of osteoarthritis. Researchers at Boston
University Medical Center examined the knees of 556 patients during a
two-year period. Those patients who showed progressive knee damage due
to osteoarthritis also exhibited lower levels of vitamin D. "A vitamin
D deficiency could impair the body's ability to repair the damage that
arthritis causes in both bone and cartilage," says David Felson, a
principal investigator in the study.
Osteoporosis is not curable, however, advances in treatment have
been made to stabilize bone loss. Part of assessing patient risk is
exploring the common factors such as being female, family history,
small-framed body, sedentary lifestyle, excessive use of alcohol, and
smoking. Biochemical markers of bone turnover can also be measured to
diagnosis or track the disease's progress. Prevention strategies
include calcium and vitamin D
(calciferol) intake, and prevention efforts during adolescence may
significantly reduce the incidence of osteoporosis in the elderly.
Additionally, patients of any age may gain benefit from regular
weight-bearing activities and other exercise. Estrogen replacement
therapy may be prescribed to postmenopausal women to prevent
osteoporosis, and for men, testosterone replacement therapy may also be
appropriate, although long-term effects are unknown. Currently,
calcitonin, fluoride, and a class of drugs called bisphosphonates are
available. Nonpharmacologic measures include physical therapy,
counseling, and home environment safety adjustments.
In a Patient Information Sheet for Nutrition and Lupus it states -
recommendations to prevent or reduce the problem will probably include
a diet high in calcium (1,000?1,500 mg/day) and vitamin D (100?500
mg/day) and an exercise plan that is appropriate for you.
Evidence of vitamin D's protective effect against cancer is
compelling. For more than 50 years, documentation in the medical
literature suggests regular sun exposure is associated with substantial
decreases in death rates from certain cancers and a decrease in overall
cancer death rates. Recent research suggests this is a causal
relationship that acts through the body's vitamin D metabolic pathways.
For instance, some evidence points to a prostate, breast and colon
cancer belt in the United States, which lies in northern latitudes
under more cloud cover than other regions during the year. Rates for
these cancers are two to three times higher than in sunnier areas.
- U.S. National Library of Medicine, Vitamin D and Related Compounds
- Felson D. Relation of dietary intake and serum levels of vitamin D to
progression of osteoarthritis of the knee among participants in the
Framingham Study. Ann Int Med 1996;125:353. - Kessenich, C. R. Preventing and Managing Osteoporosis. AJN. 97(1): 16B-16D; January 1997.
- Patient Information Sheet #9 From LUPUS: A Patient Care Guide for
Nurses and Other Health Professionals, National Institute of Arthritis
and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases/National Institutes of Health - Studzinski GP, Moore DC. Sunlight--can it prevent as well as cause cancer? Can Res 1995;55:4014-22.
No comments:
Post a Comment