Vitamin D And Pituitary Function

Your pituitary gland, often called the "master control gland," is a small structure in your brain that regulates the release of numerous hormones from your endocrine glands. Hormones control growth, metabolism, mood, reproduction and immunity, among other functions. Vitamin D is hormone-like in its functions and is dependent on hormone balance in your body to be effective, especially in regard to calcium absorption and use. Vitamin D may contribute to regulating cell growth in the pituitary and may help prevent hormonal imbalance and tumor growth.

The Pituitary Gland

The pituitary, or hypophysis, is a gland about the size of peanut that sits just underneath where your optic nerves from your eyes cross in the middle of your skull. Your pituitary gland is divided into two lobes, the anterior and posterior, both of which are involved in hormone secretion. The anterior lobe produces seven hormones, some of which stimulate your thyroid, adrenal and reproductive glands to release their hormones, according to the book "Medical Biochemistry: Human Metabolism in Health and Disease." The posterior gland stores and secretes two hormones, which primarily affect lactation and fluid balance in your body. Pituitary gland tumors and dysfunction lead to hormone imbalance and a variety of symptoms and disorders.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D plays a variety of roles in your body, including modulating immunity, regulating insulin release, controlling cell differentiation and balancing calcium absorption and use, according to Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute. Specifically, your parathyroid glands, which are controlled by the pituitary, sense low calcium levels and secrete parathyroid hormone, leading to increased production of activated vitamin D in your liver. Increased vitamin D levels result in more absorption of calcium in your intestines, more absorption of calcium from your kidneys and less mobilization of calcium from your bones. This is why vitamin D deficiency or hormonal imbalance can lead to bone diseases, such as osteomalacia and osteoporosis.

Vitamin D and the Pituitary

In addition to being affected by hormones controlled by the pituitary, vitamin D may have a direct affect on the pituitary gland. According to a Canadian study published in a 2002 edition of "Brain Pathology," vitamin D is important in regulating pituitary cell growth, which has implications for potentially treating pituitary tumors and preventing resulting hormonal imbalance.

Sources of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is not plentiful in many foods naturally, but it is found within most animal products, milk in particular. Since the skin can produce vitamin D from certain frequencies of light, the sun must be regarded as the best source of the vitamin, but many people avoid the sun due to fear of skin cancer, wrinkles and sun spots. Further, the frequencies of sunshine that stimulate production of vitamin D are only emitted from the sun during limited daytime hours and primarily during summer months. As such, supplementation is often recommended by health professionals, particularly during winter months, with the D-3 variety considered the most appropriate.