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Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for the body, commonly known to promote calcium absorption. However, studies also reveal this nutrient offers other benefits such as reducing risk of osteoporosis and protection from respiratory tract infections.

Vitamin D: A Background

The human body naturally produces vitamin D when the skin is exposed to the sun for a certain period. What happens is that the sunlight synthesizes a chemical found in the skin into what is commonly known as calciferol. Despite this natural process, prevalence of vitamin D-deficiency around the globe affects an estimated 1 billion people. In Canada, more than 70% people have prevalence of Vitamin D-insufficiency due to lack of sunlight available around the year in certain regions.

It is a common occurrence to develop vitamin D-deficiency because the vitamin is found in few types of food like fatty fish, egg yolks, mushrooms, and liver. Staying mostly indoors will also limit exposure to the sun thus vitamin D-deficiency has higher incidence in Canada.

Why do you need it

Vitamin D is essential to the body because it is linked to many functions, such as:

• Calcium absorption in the gut
• Maintenance of adequate calcium and phosphate levels in the body
• Growth and strengthening of bones

However, studies in recent years discovered how Vitamin D plays a key role in reducing your risk of certain conditions like multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and the flu. Research also shows how it may affect regulation of mood and prevention of depression.

Vitamin D-deficiency can affect your immune function and increase your risk of developing acute respiratory tract infections. With the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the past year, experts around the globe continue to mount research to know the potential of vitamin D for protection against severe COVID-19 or even death.

While definitive and confirmatory research data have yet to be published, several “quasi-experimental studies” show promising results. In one study mounted in the United Kingdom, they used cholecalciferol booster therapy in hundreds of COVID-19 patients which was associated in the reduction of severity and deaths.However the confirmation of role of Vitamin-D in COVID-19 patients treatment is unclear. It is important to take all this emerging research with a grain of salt because COVID-19 is a novel disease and many factors surrounding it are still unknown.

How much vitamin D is enough

The U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report on the review of the  Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for vitamin D on November 30, 2010.  The review was jointly commissioned and funded by the U.S. and Canadian governments.

The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for vitamin D are based on maintaining skeletal health and have been set using the assumption that sun exposure is minimal.

The DRIs for vitamin D, which can also be found in the DRI tables, are as follows:

To ensure you have enough vitamin D in your body, remember to eat healthy, expose yourself to the sun through outdoor activities, and take your vitamins and supplements as necessary. Consult your doctor about vitamin D and how this can benefit your health. It is important to remember that vitamin D supplementation should not be used as one course of action against any disease or condition, but rather used to ensure your body is functioning optimally.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, becomes prevalent as people get older—regardless of gender. However, there is a noticeable difference in hypertension incidence in men and women depending on age.

What is hypertension

Your heart is responsible for pumping blood to your blood vessels so that oxygen and essential nutrients are transported to vital organs in your body. As the blood is pumped by the heart, pressure builds on your blood vessels. This is what is called blood pressure. It is a measure that rises and falls throughout the day as activities also vary in level of exertion or effort. However, if it is consistently higher than the normal range, then it is likely you have hypertension. Once you are hypertensive, the more at risk you are for life-threatening conditions such as stroke or heart attack.

Blood pressure is measured in two numbers: systolic and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is pressure felt when your heart pumps blood into your blood vessels. Diastolic pressure is the pressure felt as your heart rests in between beats. When written down, systolic pressure is written at the top and diastolic pressure on the bottom; they are separated by a line. A blood pressure written as 120/80 mm Hg is read as 120 over 80 mm Hg (millimeter of mercury).

Please visit https://guidelines.hypertension.ca/ for guidelines to measure blood pressure and to determine the stage of as per Canadian health standards.

When your blood pressure is first found to be elevated, your physician may advise you to continue monitoring and to make certain lifestyle changes. As your blood pressure becomes higher, treatment becomes more complex.

The role of gender in hypertension

High blood pressure becomes prevalent as people get older—regardless of gender. However, there is a noticeable difference in hypertension incidence in men and women depending on age.According to a study published in Annals of Clinical Hypertension about hypertension and gender, “Although both men and women develop hypertension, distinct gender differences in the incidence and severity of hypertension are well established where men have a higher incidence of hypertension compared with women of the same age until the sixth decade of life.”

Men are more likely to develop hypertension earlier vs. women who develop the condition more in their later years. It is important to remember that the condition develops not just because of age, but because of biological and behavioral factors. Some of those risk factors are listed below.

How to treat and prevent hypertension

Those diagnosed with hypertension may be prescribed a change in lifestyle, and those in more severe stages may need to take medications. The medicine prescribed is based on the physician’s assessment of the person’s health status, and assessment for presence of other conditions such as diabetes and heart diseases.

Prevention of hypertension may be possible by removing behavioral risk factors in your life. Please refer to prevention and treatment guidelines of Hypertension Canada at their website https://guidelines.hypertension.ca

There are also other things you can do to help maintain good health overall:

• Limit alcohol intake. While it is okay to enjoy an alcoholic drink every now and then, avoid making drinking alcohol a part of your daily routine.
• Avoid stress. In stressful situations, your body reacts with hormone spikes and can temporarily cause an increase in blood pressure. It is best to avoid exposure to situations or things that regularly trigger your stress.

Being diagnosed with hypertension requires commitment from the patient to make better lifestyle choices in order to prevent the development of life-threatening conditions such as heart attack, stroke, etc. You can still make adjustments to your lifestyle at any stage of hypertension you are in, and your physician will be able to help you manage this condition with appropriate treatment plans.

Whether you are at risk for hypertension or any other condition, it is important to seek regular check-ups, to undergo annual physical examinations, and to make smarter choices in the way you eat, move, and rest.

The above information is only guidelines to learn more about healthy lifestyle and controlling blood pressure, but this is not treatment. Please talk to your doctor for any diagnosis and treatment about your health.