REVIEW: Vitamin D – the Sun Hormone. Life in Environmental Mismatch

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H. Göring^* and S. Koshuchowa

Göring Consulting, Mahlsdorfer Strasse 91, De12555 Berlin, Germany; E-mail: horst-goering@online.de

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received March 23, 2014; Revision received May 15, 2014

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While some representatives of the animal kingdom were improving their biological mechanisms and properties for adapting to ever-changing life conditions, the genus Homo was developing backward: human individuals were losing their adaptation to life areas conquered earlier. Losing step-by-step their useful traits including the body hair cover, the primitive genus Homo retained his viability only under very favorable conditions of the equatorial Africa. Protection from UV radiation danger was provided only by pigmentation of skin, hair, and eyes. However, “impoverished” individuals of this genus gained the ability to walk upright. Their hands became free from participation in movement and became fine tools for producing useful instruments, from the stone knife to the computer. The major consequence of upright movement and hand development became the powerful development of the brain. A modern human, Homo sapiens, appeared capable of conquering very diverse new habitats. The human’s expansion on the Earth occurred somewhat limited by his dependence on vitamin D. His expansion into new areas with lower Sun activity was partially associated with the loss of skin pigmentation. But there is an open question, whether under these new conditions he is satisfactorily provided with vitamin D. This paper discusses the following problems: how can we ensure a sufficient intake of vitamin D, how much does an individual require for his existence and optimal life, what will be consequences of vitamin D deficiency, and what are the prospects for better provision with vitamin D?

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KEY WORDS: vitamin D (deficiency), vitamin D (supply), cholecalciferol, ergocalciferol, UV radiation

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297915010022

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