I've been talking a lot about vitamin D in the past few years. New data suggests that inflammation is the culprit for the incredibly high incidence of deficiency of this nutrient. Low levels of vitamin D have been correlated with high incidences of cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, poorly functioning immune systems, and musculoskeletal disorders.
A new study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that 2 days after knee surgery serum levels of vitamin D dropped 40%, and that three months later levels were still 20-30% below presurgery levels. These researchers showed that this directly correlated with acute inflammation after surgery. Surprisingly, they also found that the study participants were deficient in vitamin D before the surgery--so deficient that they had secondary hyperparathyroidism!
More research is linking vitamin D to musculoskeletal disorders. A recent study in Headache shows that headache increases with latitude and during seasons with shorter days. They correlated this information with evidence that vitamin D has alleviated headaches in some studies to form a hypothesis that Vitamin D deficiency plays a key role in the development of headache in some people.
Another recent study from the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Care found " a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in patients with non-specific musculoskeletal pain, headache, or fatigue."
Inflammation is likely at the root of many cases of vitamin D deficiency, and all chronic degenerative diseases. If your D is low, get a test that compares Arachodonic Acid to EPA--this is a sensitive test for inflammation that compares omega-6's to 3's in your body. If this ration is off it will deplete your vitamin D and erode your health. For more info on omega-3's in health, search my website.
The moral of the story is, get your D tested!