Vitamin D: Inflammation Killer

Humans require a large number of vitamins and minerals to remain in good health. It is important that sufficient quantities of these vitamins and minerals are present in the body to regulate and maintain bodily functions. Vitamin D is one of these integral substances that make sure you and your body are working to the best of your ability.

Inflammation in the body is just one of the things that Vitamin D works to combat. Inflammation is defined as a localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury or infection. This inflammation can be both internal or external with the former especially having the potential to wreak havoc inside the body. Too much inflammation in the organs can even lead to serious injuries or death as seen with appendicitis or cirrhosis of the liver. One’s CRP level acts as a bio-marker for inflammation in the body. Generally, the lower the CRP level the better. A study found that high CRP levels were strongly correlated with Vitamin D deficiency in patients’ bodies. To further test this, another study of nearly 250,000 citizens in the UK was conducted. The 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or 25(OH)D, levels—a standard measure of vitamin D— were measured on each patient to determine Vitamin D levels in the body. Around 11.7% of people who participated in the study were found to have Vitamin D levels that were deemed deficient. The study found that only those who were Vitamin D deficient had elevated CRP levels which represents the level of inflammation the the body. They also found that increasing Vitamin D levels in patients with higher CRP levels helped lower them back to normal levels. The researchers noted that this supports a previously proposed threshold effect, which suggests that correcting vitamin D deficiency may reduce low-grade inflammation and potentially mitigate the risk for inflammatory-related illness.