Vitamin D's potential role in birth control methods revealed
Let's Get Our D On:
Hey there! The sun ain't the only thing that boosts your vitamin D levels. Studies show that people who take estrogen-based birth control pills see a rise in their vitamin D levels, while those who stop using these contraceptives may experience a significant drop.
Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, has a crucial role to play in maintaining the right calcium and phosphorus levels in your blood. It's like the bouncer at the club, keeping things in check and making sure everybody gets in where they're supposed to be.
Your body can produce around 90% of its vitamin D naturally, thanks to being a sun-loving creature. But if you're not soaking up rays, food sources like fatty fish, eggs, and fortified milk can help you get your D fix.
A lack of vitamin D can lead to some bad shit like rickets and osteomalacia, which ain't nothing to sneeze at. Since vitamin D plays a significant role in bone formation, it's especially important during pregnancy.
So, why the fascination with contraception and vitamin D levels? Researchers wanted to find out if there was any connection between the two. Scientists led by Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF). The study involved nearly 1,700 African-American women living in and around Detroit, MI, aged 23-34.
The study asked women about their contraceptive use and included questions about outdoor time and any vitamin D supplements they took. In total, 1,662 women provided blood samples to determine their levels of the most common circulating form of vitamin D, called 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
The researchers found that those who were using contraception containing estrogen had higher vitamin D levels than other women, even after controlling for potential confounding factors like seasonal light exposure. Dr. Harmon's team couldn't find any behaviors, like increased time spent outside, that could explain the rise in vitamin D levels.
After adjusting for confounding variables, the use of contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen led to a 20% increase in 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels. Current users of birth control had higher levels of vitamin D, while past users had average vitamin D levels.
If you're planning to become pregnant, it's essential to ensure that you have enough vitamin D, as starting out deficient could lead to some issues. As for why estrogen-based contraception might affect vitamin D levels, Dr. Harmon mentioned that further research is needed to understand the mechanism behind any potential association.
The study only looked at African-American women, but Dr. Harmon believes that the association isn't related to race. In the United States, African-American women are more likely to be vitamin D deficient, so even small increases or decreases in their vitamin D concentrations could be significant.
Dr. Harmon is continuing to follow this group of women to further investigate the relationship and working on another study to look at how vitamin D varies across the menstrual cycle. It's all about getting to the bottom of that vitamin D and contraception connection, so stay tuned!
Bonus Insight: A Kaiser Permanente study in San Diego found that higher vitamin D levels might be linked to lower cancer risk, particularly for colon, breast, and prostate cancer. Keep an eye out for more research on the implications of vitamin D levels on overall health and cancer risk.
- Despite the sun not being the only source, women can boost their vitamin D levels through estrogen-based birth control pills, while stopping their use may lead to a drop.
- Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, plays a vital role in maintaining the right calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood.
- Science has discovered that food sources like fatty fish, eggs, and fortified milk can help women with their D fix if they're not getting enough sunlight.
- Women should be aware of the potential health deficiencies related to a lack of vitamin D, such as rickets and osteomalacia, which can have serious consequences, especially during pregnancy.
- In a study conducted by Dr. Quaker E. Harmon and his team, researchers found that women using contraception containing estrogen had higher vitamin D levels, making women's vitamins with vitamin D of particular interest in the health-and-wellness and nutrition fields.
- Further research is necessary to understand the mechanism behind the potential association between estrogen-based contraception and vitamin D levels, with the goal of addressing women's health and minimizing any deficiencies.
