Hypovitaminosis D

SPA has long been committed to the treatment and prevention of hypovitaminosis D.

In humans, the main natural source of vitamin D comes from the endogenous production of vitamin D3, at the level of the skin, through a chemical reaction that depends on the exposure of the skin to sunlight (in particular from UVB irradiation). It is also important to point out that it is difficult to maintain adequate levels of vitamin D only with dietary intake because only a few foods contain it in appreciable quantities. A particularly rich food is cod liver oil. Then there are some fatty fish (salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, tuna), milk and its derivatives, eggs, liver and some mushrooms. An inadequate supply of vitamin D, regardless of the source, can lead to a state of chronic deficiency of this vitamin.

It is estimated that vitamin D deficiency is extremely widespread and has been reported in all age groups, geographical regions and seasons. There are many variables that can affect the vitamin status of vitamin D, including age, gender, skin colour, exposure to sunlight, the use of sunscreens, the time of year, latitude, obesity, treatment with certain categories of drugs, pathologies with fat malabsorption syndromes.

The major role of vitamin D is to maintain serum levels of calcium and phosphorus within a normal physiological range for the maintenance of bone health; inadequate levels of vitamin D have been associated with bone disorders such as rickets, a typical developmental disease, osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults.

In recent decades, numerous scientific research has shown that most tissues and cells in the body have vitamin D receptors. These results indicate that vitamin D can also play an important role in extra-skeletal biological processes. It is widely described in the scientific literature that vitamin D is able to stimulate the production of muscle proteins and above all to activate some essential mechanisms for good muscle function.

In conditions of hypovitaminosis D, pictures of myopathy of the proximal muscles of the limbs and a reduction in muscle strength with disturbances of balance and consequent increased risk of falls were detected. Another important role of vitamin D is immunomodulating, contributing to the normal function of the immune system. A vitamin D deficiency, for example, can be associated with increased susceptibility to infections and some autoimmune pathologies.

SPA offers different formulations of Vitamin D that allow the medical class an adequate modulation of therapy and better compliance by patients.