Group items tagged

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble prohormones, the two major forms of which are vitamin D2 (or ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (or cholecalciferol).[1] The term vitamin D also refers to metabolites and other analogues of these substances. Vitamin D3 is produced in skin exposed to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet B radiation.\nVitamin D plays an important role in the maintenance of organ systems

Vitamin D, aging, and cancer. Tuohimaa P. Nutr Rev. 2008 Oct;66(10 Suppl 2):S147-52. Review. PMID: 18844842 DOI: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2008.00095.x Deficiency of the prohormone calcidiol (25OH vitamin D3) seems to be associated with several aging-related chronic diseases including cancer. Our results suggest that calcidiol is mainly responsible for differentiation homeostasis, whereas calcitriol might be more involved in calcium homeostasis. Therefore, an imbalance of calcidiol rather than calcitriol is a risk factor for cancer and chronic diseases. Calcidiol insufficiency, as well as insufficient solar exposure, is associated with increased risk of several solid cancers. Both a vitamin D3 deficiency and a high concentration of calcidiol may increase cancer risk. Similarly, aging phenomena show a U-shaped association with vitamin D bioactivity. Therefore, the chronic diseases and cancers related to aging might be prevented by an optimal concentration of serum calcidiol, which remains to be determined.