Vitamin Information Center

Nidhi Sharma - AHN News Writer

London, England (AHN) - Low levels of Vitamin D may contribute to chronic pain among women and taking an extra daily dose of the sunshine vitamin may prove beneficial, studies suggest.

The same, however, does not hold true for men as they have different hormones, British researchers say in a study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.

The study by the Institute of Child Health in London is based on the blood analyses and pain scores of almost 7,000 men and women from across England, Scotland and Wales, all of whom were born during one week in March 1958 and were 45 years of age.

Smokers, non-drinkers, the overweight and the underweight all reported higher rates of chronic pain. The extent of chronic widespread pain did not vary among men according to vitamin D levels. However, this was not the case for women.

Women with adequate vitamin D levels had the lowest rates of this type of pain, at just over 8 percent. The recommended level of vitamin D is between 75 and 99 mmol/litre - a level deemed necessary for bone health. Women with levels of less than 25 mmol/litre had the highest rates, at 14.4 percent.

In women, the hormonally active form of vitamin D is also involved in the regulation of immune system responses. At the age of 45, few of the women would have entered menopause, a period during which bone mineral density falls with lack of estrogen production.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for healthy bones. It is produced in the body when exposed to sunlight and is also found in oily fish, egg yolks and margarine.

High intake of Vitamin D can reduce chronic pain in women, a new study has suggested. A team of researchers from the Institute of Child Health in London found that women suffering from chronic pain may benefit from an extra daily dose of vitamin D, which comes from sunshine and fortified milk.

Called the “sunshine vitamin” because of its exceptional quality of being produced by the body by just basking in the warm sun, low levels of the vitamin D may contribute to women’s chronic pain that can cause complications such as sleep disorders, loss of appetite and depressiondefine or other serious disorders.

The British researchers reached their findings after studying 7,000 women and men aged 45 in England, Scotland and Wales. In their study the researchers found that chronic widespread pain is linked to low levels of the vitamin D in women, but surprisingly not in men.

Lead researcher Dr Elina Hyppnen of the Institute of Child Health in London and colleagues found that all women, irrespective of whether they were smokers, non-drinkers, overweight or underweight, reported higher rates of chronic pain due to vitamin D deficiency. However, vitamin D levels appeared to make no difference to the number of male participants who reported pain symptoms.

The researchers, who reported their findings in the latest edition of the ‘Annals of Rheumatic Diseases’ journal, found that women with vitamin D levels between 75 and 99 nanomoles of 25-hydroxy-vitaminD (25(OH)D) per liter of blood, a level believed necessary for good bone health, had the lowest rates (8%) of chronic pain, while women with vitamin D levels of less than 25 mmol/liter had the highest rates (14.4%) of this type of pain.

As the deficiency of vitamin D only affects women, the researchers believe female hormonesdefine may have some role to play in women’s chronic pain.

Though the latest research suggested that vitamin D levels could play a role in some cases of chronic pain in women, but lead researcher Hyppnen thinks the follow-up studies are needed to confirm the findings.

Still she thinks, “If I had chronic pain I would certainly check I was getting enough vitamin D.”

But, Kate MacIver of the Pain Research Institute at Liverpool University cautioned that high intake of Vitamin D supplements to prevent or treat chronic pain could result in Vitamin D toxicity and high blood calcium levels.

Technically a hormone, Vitamin D is produced within the body when the skin is exposed to the ultraviolet B (UVB) rays in the sunlight. Known as sunshine vitamin, it is also found in oily fish, egg yolks and margarine.

The basic function of vitamin D is to regulate the levels of calcium and phosphorous in the blood, thus helping to build strong bones and healthy teeth. It’s also believed to strengthen the immune systemdefine and possibly prevent some forms of cancerdefine, including prostate, breast and especially colondefine cancer.

Deficiency of Vitamin D can occur due to inadequate dietary intake of preformed vitamin D, malabsorption of vitamin D, or too little exposure to sunlight. The deficiency can lead to problems such as liver or kidney disorders or hereditary disorders. In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, as well as rickets in children and osteoporosis in pregnant and post menopausal women.

As little as 30 minutes of early morning or late afternoon sunlight on the face, hands and arms two or three times a week can supply the entire Vitamin D one needs. In addition, many experts recommend 400-600 IU a day for people over the age of 50 and 800 IU for those over the age of 70. For younger adults, 200-400 IU a day is probably sufficient.