Vitamin D: Immune Sistem critical factor
Vitamin D is crucial for the activation of the immune system: without it, the T cells are not able to react and fight more serious infections that threaten the organization is what some researchers have found the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, in a paper published recently in the journal Nature Immunology.
Most vitamin D is naturally produced by exposure of skin to the sun. It is also contained in fish oil, eggs, fatty fish like salmon, herring and mackerel, or can be taken by consuming dietary supplements. There are no definitive studies to determine the optimal dosage of vitamin D, although current guidelines recommend taking a daily dose between 25 and 50 micrograms per day. It is estimated that most people have low blood concentration of this important element.
According to current immunological model, in order to protect the body from the threat of viruses and bacteria, the immune system's T cells must first be exposed to traces of the pathogen. This happens when they are "presented" by other immune cells of the body, macrophages. T cells can thus bind to fragment and divide continuously, giving rise to hundreds of identical copies, each specialized in recognizing and destroying the same foreign agent.
"When a T cell is exposed to a pathogen, exposes a signaling device known as a receptor for vitamin D, which means that the T cell should be provided with vitamin D, or activation will cease. If T cells do not unable to find sufficient vitamin D in the blood, never begin to take action. "