3 Surprising Ways Vitamin D Levels Affect Your Health

• 

Vitamin D levels are closely associated with the hormone that your parathyroid produces and your body’s calcium levels.

Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) May 12, 2014

While there is debate within the medical community in regard to the benefits of vitamin D supplementation, and new research in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology suggests that vitamin D supplements are unlikely to reduce health problems, vitamin D still plays a vital role in proper bodily functions. Dr. Babak Larian of the CENTER for Advanced Parathyroid Surgery in Beverly Hills commented today on ways vitamin D levels affect your health.

“Vitamin D levels are closely associated with the hormone that your parathyroid produces and your body’s calcium levels,” Dr. Larian explained. “Excessive parathyroid hormone production can lead to a condition known as hyperparathyroidism. High blood calcium is a result of hyperparathyroidism, and the body suffers when too much calcium is present. One of the most effective ways to treat hyperparathyroidism is minimally invasive parathyroidectomy.”

Low Vitamin D Levels and the Parathyroid Gland

The four parathyroid glands produce parathyroid hormone to help regulate blood calcium levels. It is important to remember that measuring vitamin D levels has nothing to do with diagnosing hyperparathyroidism. If blood calcium levels are persistently high, a person most likely has hyperparathyroidism. If calcium is high and vitamin D is low, the person still most likely has hyperparathyroidism.

“Vitamin D helps our intestines absorb calcium from the foods we eat and increase the amount of calcium in our bodies,” Dr. Larian said. “It's also needed for bone growth and remodeling. Vitamin D is essential to our body's proper function, so patients are susceptible to a number of medical conditions if they have low vitamin D. Parathyroid conditions will limit the amount of vitamin D your body produces.”

Blood Calcium Levels

Since vitamin D helps absorb calcium into the body, when calcium levels in the blood are too high, it will stop producing vitamin D in attempt to regulate the abnormality. While low vitamin D levels may indicate a problem with one or more of the parathyroid glands, the body does not correct hyperparathyroidism on its own.

The Cause of Hyperparathyroidism

“The most common cause of hyperparathyroidism is a benign tumor,” Dr. Larian explained. “To treat hyperparathyroidism, the tumor needs to be removed by an expert parathyroid surgeon as soon as possible; there are a number of health problems caused by high blood calcium. While low vitamin D levels will never cause high calcium levels, removing a parathyroid tumor will almost always correct the low vitamin D level.”

About Dr. Babak Larian

Dr. Babak Larian, the Director of the CENTER for Advanced Parathyroid Surgery in Beverly Hills, is a highly experienced and reputable board-certified head and neck surgeon. Dr. Larian is nationally renowned for his expertise in minimally invasive surgery techniques involving parathyroid disorders and is considered a pioneer in his field. Currently, Dr. Larian holds the prestigious honor of Chief of Head & Neck Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at UCLA.

For additional information regarding Dr. Larian and the various services offered at the CENTER for Advanced Parathyroid surgery, please call 310-933-4210, or visit the expert parathyroid surgeon on the web.

PDF Print