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Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for maintaining normal calcium metabolism (1). Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) can be synthesized by humans in the skin upon exposure to ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation from sunlight, or it can be obtained from the diet. Plants synthesize ergosterol, which is converted to vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) by ultraviolet light. Vitamin D2 is less active in birds than vitamin D3 and may also be less active in humans (2). When exposure to UVB radiation is insufficient for the synthesis of adequate amounts of vitamin D3 in the skin, adequate intake of vitamin D from the diet is essential for health.

"Defensins are small cysteine-rich cationic proteins found in both vertebrates and invertebrates. They are active against bacteria, fungi and many enveloped and nonenveloped viruses. They consist of 18-45 amino acids including six (in vertebrates) to 8 conserved cysteine residues. Cells of the immune system contain these peptides to assist in killing phagocytized bacteria, for example in neutrophil granulocytes and almost all epithelial cells. Most defensins function by binding to microbial cell membrane, and once embedded, forming pore-like membrane defects that allow efflux of essential ions and nutrients

"It's well known that African Americans have low levels of vitamin D in their blood. In fact, this seems to be generally true for humans of tropical origin. In a study from Hawaii, vitamin D status was assessed in healthy, visibly tanned young adults who averaged 22.4 hours per week of unprotected sun exposure. Yet 51% had levels below the current recommended minimum of 75 nmol/L (Binkley et al., 2007). In a study from south India, levels below 50 nmol/L were found in 44% of the men and 70% of the women. The subjects are described as "agricultural workers starting their day at 0800 and working outdoors until 1700 with their face, chest, back, legs, arms, and forearms exposed to sunlight" (Harinarayan et al., 2007). In a study from Saudi Arabia, levels below 25 nmol/L were found in respectively 35%, 45%, 53%, and 50% of normal male university students of Saudi, Jordanian, Egyptian, and other origins (Sedrani, 1984)."

"In 1995 my son received the devastating diagnosis of MS. Having been a research scientist for 30 years, I decided to plunge into the scientific literature for MS to determine the most likely factors which cause MS and to use this information to develop an effective therapy for my son. Notably, many people are having great success in halting or greatly slowing MS with nutritional strategies; many Testimonials are available. I am most pleased to report that my son remains in excellent health with no MS symptoms. I discovered abundant scientific evidence that indicates that various nutritional factors potentially play major roles in the onset and progression of MS. Strangely, this information was not being made available to persons with MS by doctors nor by established MS charities."

"This website is about Vitamin D and MS Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system (CNS), with an uncertain cause. Colleen Hayes and Donald Achaeson have suggested that insufficient sunlight exposure and chronic viral infections might be unrelated environmental risk factors for MS. These risk factors may act synergistically to enable the pathogenic autoimmune response. The prevalence of MS is highest where environmental supplies of vitamin D are lowest. Sunshine enables the production of vitamin D3 (VD3) in the skin. Epidemiological studies have shown that higher vitamin D blood levels are associated with lower risk, less relapses and a slower progression of multiple sclerosis. Higher vitamin D levels can be achieved in part by increased oral intake of VD3. Optimal health requires serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D levels higher than 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L) P Lips, 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) P Heaney or at least 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) R Vieth. "

"Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide is a family of polypeptides found in lysosomes in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs).[1] Members of the cathelicidin family of antimicrobial polypeptides are characterized by a highly conserved region (cathelin domain) and a highly variable cathelicidin peptide domain. Cathelicidin peptides have been isolated from many different species of mammals. Cathelicidins were originally found in neutrophils but have since been found in many other cells including epithelial cells and macrophages activated by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or the hormone 1,25-D"

"Cholecalciferol is a form of Vitamin D, also called vitamin D3 or calciol.[1] It is structurally similar to steroids such as testosterone, cholesterol, and cortisol (though vitamin D3 itself is a secosteroid). One gram of pure vitamin D3 is 40 000 000 (40x106) IU, or, in other words, one IU is 0.025 μg. Individuals having a high risk of deficiency should consume 125 μg (5000 IU) of vitamin D daily"

"Ergocalciferol (Deltalin, Eli Lilly and Company) is a form of vitamin D, also called vitamin D2. It has the systematic name "(3β,5Z,7E,22E)-9,10-secoergosta-5,7,10(19),22-tetraen-3-ol". It is created from viosterol, which in turn is created when ultraviolet light activates ergosterol."

"Numerous studies link Vitamin D and influenza, as well as Vitamin D and respiratory infections more generally. This vitamin up-regulates genetic expression of various endogenous antimicrobial peptides (AMP), which exhibit broad-spectrum microbicidal activity against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Reports discussed below indicate that susceptibility to influenza is reduced with higher levels of sun exposure or vitamin D supplementation. Seasonal variation of vitamin D levels in humans can help explain the seasonality of flu epidemics."

"Calbindin describes calcium binding proteins first described as the vitamin D-dependent calcium binding proteins in intestine and kidney."

"Hypervitaminosis D is a state of vitamin D toxicity. The recommended daily allowance is 400 IU per day. Overdose has been observed at 1925 µg/d (77,000 IU per day). Acute overdose requires between 15,000 µg/d (600,000 IU per day) and 42,000 µg/d (1,680,000 IU per day) over a period of several days to months, with a safe intake level being 250 µg/d (10,000 IU per day).[1] Foods contain low levels, and have not been known to cause overdose. Overdose has occurred due to industrial accidents, for example when incorrectly formulated pills were sold or missing industrial concentrate cans misused as cans of milk. Vitamin D toxicity is unlikely except when certain medical conditions are present, such as primary hyperparathyroidism, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, and lymphoma."

"Hypovitaminosis D is a deficiency of Vitamin D. It can result from: inadequate intake coupled with inadequate sunlight exposure (in particular sunlight with adequate ultra violet B rays), disorders that limit its absorption, conditions that impair conversion of vitamin D into active metabolites, such as liver or kidney disorders, or, rarely, by a number of hereditary disorders.[1] Deficiency results in impaired bone mineralization, and leads to bone softening diseases, rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, and contributes to osteoporosis.[1] Osteomalacia may also occur rarely as a side-effect of phenytoin use Hypovitaminosis D is typically diagnosed by measuring the concentration in blood of the compound 25-hydroxyvitamin D (calcidiol), which is a precursor to the active form 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol).[6] One recent review has proposed the following four categories for hypovitaminosis D:[7] * Insufficient 50-100 nmol/L (20-40 ng/mL) * Mild 25-50 nmol/L (10-20 ng/mL) * Moderate 12.5-25.0 nmol/L (5-10 ng/mL) * Severe < 12.5 nmol/L (< 5 ng/mL) Note that 1.0 nmol/L = 0.4 ng/mL for this compound.[8] Other authors have suggested that a 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of 75-80 nmol/L (30-32 ng/mL) may be sufficient

"Olmesartan (trade names Benicar, Olmetec) is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist used to treat high blood pressure. The prodrug olmesartan medoxomil is marketed worldwide by Daiichi Sankyo, Ltd. and in the United States by Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. and in India by Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. under the trade name Olvance. Olmesartan may possess high affinity for the Vitamin D Receptor, based on molecular modeling studies[2], but these results have not been duplicated in clinical trials. Because of the role of the Vitamin D receptor in innate immunity[3], this would indicate that olmesartan has immune modulatory properties. This theory is currently the premise underlying the Marshall Protocol, which uses olmesartan to impose a chemical blockade on 1,25 Vitamin D as part of a treatment of sarcoidosis and other diseases. The Marshall Protocol asserts that, assuming the etiology of these diseases is based on infection by cell-wall-deficient bacteria, restoring proper Vitamin D ratios via olmesartan dosing, combined with pulsed antibiotic dosing, would result in a cure.!