In an article published by the Department of Health in February 2012, the Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Dame Sally Davies said: “A significant proportion of people in the UK probably have inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood. People at risk of vitamin D deficiency, including pregnant women and children under five, are already advised to take daily supplements. Our experts are clear – low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of poor bone health, including rickets in young children.”
The following groups of people are at risk of vitamin D deficiency: all pregnant and breastfeeding women (especially teenagers and young women), infants and young children under five years of age, older people aged sixty-five years and over, people who have low or no exposure to the sun (for example those who cover their skin for cultural reasons, or who are housebound or confined indoors for long periods), people who have darker skin (for example people of African, African-Caribbean and South Asian origin) because their bodies are not able to make as much vitamin D.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and is unique because it functions as a pre-hormone. It’s not ‘just’ a vitamin; it’s actually a neuroregulatory, steroidal hormone that influences nearly 3,000 of the 25,000 different genes in the body. Deficiency in vitamin D causes many health risks including the following: osteoporosis, rickets, high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cancer (breast, colon & prostate) periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, seasonal affective disorder (SAD Syndrome), depression, peripheral artery disease, cognitive impairment, autoimmune diseases (including Type I Diabetes), metabolic syndrome (Syndrome X) and obesity.
The independent health and beauty company, Xenca, have just launched their own Vitamin D3. It has long been recognised for its many benefits, most notably its contribution to the maintenance of normal bones and teeth, where it plays a key role in ensuring a sufficient level of calcium is present in bones. For example, it works particularly well in conjunction with Calcium Chewable, also by Xenca. Other benefits of Vitamin D3 include boosting the activity of immune cells, and a further contribution to both heart and brain health.
Nigel Dacombe –
Associate Shareholder
wellbeingsynergy.co.uk
