Found a comment that I think is very important in the Vit D puzzle. The concept is to get the Vit D blood level up, yet the reason hasn't been found.
If the skin is producing the precursor for Vit D AND is the Immune barrier for the body which is the important factor, the Vit D final process measurement or the need for Sun exposure on the 'Immune barrier'?
Levels of sunlight and environmental temperatures of various Latitudes on the Planet may be more complex than assumed, eg low sun light is also going to be an environment for specific types of immune system attacks and the temperatures in that environment will also effect the types and volume of bacteria, viruses and pathogens in general.
Assumptions from a singular view of the Vit D deficiency problem may have put Supplementing Vit D into only a partial gain situation as the entire process of Vit D production is required for a Wellness benefit. Supplementing Vit D may not benefit the portion of the puzzle we require for MS improvements without direct Sun exposure?
Quote
"Antimicrobial peptides and the skin immune defense system.Our skin is constantly challenged by microbes but is rarely infected.
Cutaneous production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is a primary system for protection, and expression of some AMPs further increases in response to microbial invasion.
Cathelicidins are unique AMPs that protect the skin through 2 distinct pathways:
(1) direct antimicrobial activity and
(2) initiation of a host response resulting in cytokine release, inflammation, angiogenesis, and reepithelialization
Cathelicidin dysfunction emerges as a central factor in the pathogenesis of several cutaneous diseases, including atopic dermatitis, in which cathelicidin is suppressed;
rosacea, in which cathelicidin peptides are abnormally processed to forms that induce inflammation;
and psoriasis, in which cathelicidin peptide converts self-DNA to a potent stimulus in an autoinflammatory cascade.
Recent work identified vitamin D3 as a major factor involved in the regulation of cathelicidin.
Therapies targeting control of cathelicidin and other AMPs might provide new approaches in the management of infectious and inflammatory skin diseases.
I really think this is the crucial reason why getting some of your vitamin D made right on the surface of your skin right where it is needed is essential for immune function.
These Cutaneous antimicrobial peptides CAMP genes are incredibly powerful. There are cells on your skin surface that can do the whole business from cholesterol through to the active hormone without bothering liver or kidneys. We wouldn't have evolved this capacity if it hadn't provided evolutionary advantages."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19895218
I'll be out on the deck in the Sun if you need me.
Nigel
Still waiting on some test results.
25-OH Vit D 95 nmo/L (75-140)
Vit B1 waiting
Vit E waiting
Zinc 11.8 umol/L (9-17)
Free Fatty Acids waiting
Haemolysis 0.07 (0-0.29)
Magnesium 0.95 mmol/L (0.70-1.00)
Bilirubin total: 9umol/L (0-20)
Alk phosphatase: 73 U/L (40-120)
GGT: 31 U/L (0-60)
ALT: 17 U/L (0-50)
AST: 15 U/L (0-40)
Total Protein: 67 g/L (66-84)
Albumin: 42 g/L (38-52)
Globulin: 25 g/L (25-35)
Selenium waiting
