Harald Dobnig knew he was sitting on a wealth of data. The endocrinologist and professor of internal medicine at the Medical University of Graz had the records of 3256 men and women with a mean age of 62, all of which were for suspected cardiovascular narrowing been carefully studied. Countless individual values were available, the blood pressure to cholesterol. The best - from the perspective of a scientist - but the time of the investigation: "He lay back that is on average eight years and now have 737 patients, ie nearly a quarter died. Harald Dobnig sat with a team of colleagues from various branches of medicine on the data, the data analyzed in this way and that, trying to fathom, which enabled the measurements the best prognosis for a better or worse survival. "I've played here, until I took the vitamin D-lightning," says Dobnig.
The key to Understanding he found in the vitamin D status of patients. These he divided them according to their vitamin D value into four equal groups. If now the lowest quarter of patients (average 7.6 nanograms per liter) with those of the highest quarter (28.4 ng / l) compared, their risk of death was more than twice as high. Patients from the second lowest quarter (13.3 ng / l) had still a more than 50 percent higher risk of death. "The vitamin D status of the patients had by far the best explanatory power for their survival," said Dobnig.
long time it was different. The history of vitamin D is full of errors. This starts with the name. Vitamins meet - by definition - vital functions in metabolism but not in the necessary extent independently be generated. Beginning of the 20th Century proved to be cod liver oil as a remedy for the rampant growth in children bone disorder rickets. It was, then, that it is a vitamin that is missing the sick children and called it-to the three known vitamins A, B and C - in alphabetical order vitamin D. At that time no one knew
that the organism well is able to produce enough vitamin D, as long as the sun hits the skin. More specifically, said it needs ultraviolet light of low wavelength (so-called UV-B radiation) for a related molecule with cholesterol, which is abundant in the skin, in a vitamin D - to convert precursor. According to current knowledge would be described as vitamin D hormone.
With the rapid resolution of the rickets problem seemed resolved, but the importance of the substance and for many decades, hardly anyone cared about. These rumors came about possible damage caused by high doses of cod liver oil, which hammered after the Second World War, the children were.
Today it is known that toxic effects of vitamin D - even in overdose - are unlikely. However, that the defect is distributed worldwide in massive proportions. As a modern pioneer and main person responsible for the comeback of vitamin D is Michael F. Holick, an endocrinologist at the University of Boston. He has published since the 70 Years sensational studies on the harmful effects of lack of sun this hormone. "On the one hand increases the risk of widespread cancer," says Holick, "just as diabetes, autoimmune diseases, heart attack and stroke." The first signs of vitamin D deficiency are usually pain in bones and muscles, lasting fatigue, and depression. "This leads to enormous misdiagnosis if the doctors do not test for vitamin D."
We know now that the sun hormone is involved in the regulation of more than 200 genes, making it one of the most influential hormones of the human Organimus is. And it comes from results various branches of medicine. Expectant mothers, for example, have significantly lower risk of a caesarean birth, when their vitamin status is OK.
enormous consequences of the lack of sun for older people whose skin with a higher age is also getting worse in a position to produce enough vitamin D. As soon as they are still confined to bed now, the level drops to zero. Sunbathing and cheap vitamin D drops from the chemist advise experts were here therapeutically more effective than expensive osteoporosis drugs of questionable efficacy.
is particularly interesting is the connection with infections. In essence, this involves the question of why we frequent in winter ill than in summer. We're also in the summer in crowded rooms and even the viruses and bacteria in summer and in circulation. However, a summer flu is relatively rare - and in winter die in Austria about 3000 persons more than in other seasons.
has in the former Soviet Union to be made fairly drastic attempts and subjects deliberately infected with influenza viruses. It showed that the infection is easier in winter by ten times than in the summer And the explanation is again in Vitamin D:. All white blood cells have vitamin D receptors and are activated by it. Moreover, the mucous membranes, antimicrobial peptides occupied acting as the first line of defense against viruses and bacteria. "They depend in their function of vitamin D," says Dobnig.
But the sun vitamin upgraded to not only the immune system, it simultaneously soothes the backlash. Often, indeed directed, the controlled on aggressive cells Immuanbwehr backlash in more damage than the viruses themselves at the last influenza pandemic, most of the young victims not to the virus, but to a coated immune response died in the infected lung tissue by a major attack by the immune system and the mass distribution of inflammatory cytokines was destroyed.
The Soviets put this Findings in competitive sports, and sent their athletes regularly to UV radiation in the solarium. This allowed the infection-related sick days the athletes will be reduced by half. Now
appear slowly and current studies on the suitability of vitamin D in the prophylaxis of influenza. In a careful study made in 334 Japanese school children, the influenza risk in the vitamin D group was significantly reduced by 42 percent. Children with known asthma diagnosis reduced the risk of an asthma attack, even by a significant 83%. From such results, manufacturers can only dream of influenza vaccines
While the prescription of vitamin D supplements increases, Doctors have many problems with it until today to recommend to their patients therapeutic sun exposure. Does the sun was thought to cause skin cancer and the warning of the dangers of sunburn is omnipresent. Here, the connection between sun and melanoma, the dangerous form of "malignant melanoma", is still scientifically controversial. "People who are occupationally exposed constantly in the sun, even have a lower risk of melanoma," said Marianne Berwick about, head of the Division of Epidemiology and prevention of cancer at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
is scientifically proven, however, the influence of the sun Emergence of the most common skin cancer type, the basal cell carcinoma. It usually develops in the head can be removed well and is cured in most cases. In the previous year appeared to a large Danish review article, which brought a sensational result, the analysis of data from 72 295 cases of basal cell carcinoma indeed found that these patients did not live shorter, but significantly longer than the average population. "Of course it is not the cancer that causes this survival advantage," explains the Innsbruck pharmacologist Hartmut Glos man, "but the relationship with the sun and the higher vitamin D levels of these Patient. "
Together with other Vitamn-D experts calls Glos man the rapid implementation of the latest research findings by health policy. "So that people can effectively combat them, it is necessary that all know about their vitamin D status modest."
should therefore, the value determined in the future for all health checks and then sunshine cures and vitamin D drops the necessary action is taken. "I almost can test the whole family, from grandchildren to great-grandmother," said Glos man. "And now we have to remain the third or fourth winter of influenza infections spared."
photo: Tim Beyer (Creative Commons),
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