Vitamin D can be obtained through many dietary foods including fish, fortified milk, cod liver oil, and eggs. MayoClinic.com reports that the sun is also a producer of vitamin D in the body, with as little as 10 minutes of sunlight exposure able to prevent deficiencies. The term "vitamin D" refers to different forms of the vitamin. Two of these forms are vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, and vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol, and are important in humans. While vitamin D2 is produced by plants, vitamin D3 is produced by humans in the skin upon exposure to ultraviolet-B light rays. Both are important in the human body, and vitamin D3 has significance to health.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a skin condition that may be treated in many different ways. According to MayoClinic.com, treatment approaches include light therapy, moisturizers and salicylic acid to discard skin areas in poor condition. MayoClinic.com reports that vitamin D3 can play a role in controlling psoriasis. It states that a synthetic analog of vitamin D3, calcipotriene, may control skin cell growth and be effective in treating moderately severe skin lesions, especially lesions that do not respond to other forms of therapy. MayoClinic.com also reports that a vitamin D3 ointment, tacalcitol, may be a safe form of treatment for psoriasisbecocalcidiol, a vitamin D analog, used on the skin may also be beneficial in the treatment of psoriasis.
Osteoporosis
Patients at increased risk for vitamin D deficiency include the elderly who are chronically ill, or those with gastrointestinal conditions that decrease proper absorption of vitamins and minerals in the body, according to Medical News Today. A 2007 report in Medical News Today discusses a supplement, called FOSAMAX PLUS D, comprised of vitamin D3, that may be important in treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal patients. This product, containing vitamin D3 and calcium, may increase bone mass and decrease risk of fractures in the body. Medical News Today reports that this is the only bisphosphonate supplement with a weekly dose of adequate, health-promoting D3.
Other Skin Disorders
MayoClinic.com reports on the effectiveness of a topical vitamin D3 treatments for senile warts. According to the website, vitamin D3 may also have a treatment effect on skin pigmentation disorders. Application of an ointment of vitamin D3 on the skin, combined with pulsed-radio frequency, may treat pigmented lesions related to a condition called neurofibromatosis 1.
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