One More Reason to Soak Up the Sun
Vitamin D has long been hailed as the Sunshine Vitamin. Found in many forms, Vitamin D is created naturally in the human body. However, we do not produce enough of the compound ourselves to satisfy daily recommendations. Thus, to reach daily intake requirements, we either have to consume a lot of fruits and vegetables or soak up the sun. The benefits of the vitamin are countless, ranging from improved calcium absorption to modulation of the immune system.
Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, however, may have just added another reason to the ever-growing list of Vitamin D importance. Carlos Bernal-Mizrachi and his colleagues discovered that diabetics are more susceptible to cardiovascular damage when they are vitamin D deficient. The team acquired blood samples from seventy-six test subjects, who all had high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and low vitamin D levels. As a control group, the scientists also analyzed blood samples from fifteen similar people were obtained who had normal vitamin D levels, and forty-five with normal blood pressure.
From these blood samples, the researchers obtained macrophages and then subjected the cells to an oxidized form of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, or the bad cholesterol. Typically, macrophages remove LDL molecules. However, type 2 diabetes patients who were vitamin D deficient absorbed the cholesterol in overwhelming excess, causing the LDL to morph into foam cells, which in turn cling to the walls of blood vessels. The instability of the foam cells, though, causes them to separate from the blood vessel and often results in a heart attack or stroke. (Seppa)
In addition, the scientists discovered that vitamin D protects the endoplasmic reticulum from diabetic stress. The macrophages expressed less receptor protein reaction when oxidized LDL cholesterol was detected. This limits how much LDL the macrophages can consume. (Seppa)
Diabetic stress is also linked to inflammatory response. In an artery with large amounts of plaque, this can be a major issue because the inflammatory proteins will destroy collagen on artery walls and collagen allows for arterial expansion.