Vitamin D is basically a hormone. Vitamin D is produced in the skin when exposed to sunlight. This is also the reason why we speak of the sun hormone. Its chemical name is cholecalciferol.

Metaphorically speaking, vitamin D brings light into the cells. For vitamin D to work, it needs to be activated in two more steps.
The first activation step takes place in the liver. From vitamin D, the 25-hydroxy vitamin D is created.

In the second activation step, 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25-DHCC) arises which is also called calcitriol. This second activation step, contrary to the earlier opinion, does not take place only in the kidney. Immune cells and many other body cells in the breast, prostate, intestine, pancreas, brain and other tissues also can activate vitamin D.

The result is the “bioactive vitamin D hormone”. Only from this can the critical effects emerge. At the moment, much is being discussed about the use of maximum doses of vitamin D.

But how does vitamin D work?

Let’s take a look at vitamin D on its journey from the skin to its resultant effect. As described above, some activation steps are necessary.

But how are the great, versatile effects of vitamin D explained?

Vitamin D has, as research shows, an influence on our genetic material. It is interesting to know that the vitamin D cannot achieve these effects directly. It requires another important structure in the human body or in the body cells.

Vitamin D targets a specific substance, and there it docks like a key in a lock. This is the vitamin D receptor or VDR for short. This extraordinary place is a so-called nuclear receptor. It is a transcription factor. Transcription at the genetic level means the reading of genes on the genetic material (DNA).

So the VDR acts at the DNA level and thus controls the formation of the corresponding gene products.
This happens when certain substances dock at the VDR. Although the name implies it, not only vitamin D is active and effective on the vitamin D receptor.

The effects of important plant substances can now be explained, as they also have a significant effect on the VDR.
These include the yellow “wonder root” curcuma with its active ingredient curcumin, resveratrol, known for its many effects, and the flavonoid quercetin.

Also beta-glucan and natural vitamin E in the form of tocotrienols have an important influence. These substances act inter alia as so-called ligands, that is, they can just like vitamin D, bind directly to the vitamin D receptor and thus activate it. But they can also increase the formation of the VDR. This leads to a higher VDR receptor density. Thus, the vitamin D can work better. As a result these substances act as a so-called VDR receptor “sensitizer”. A dulling effect (resistance building) or insensitivity of the VDR receptor is under discussion. The above-mentioned plant substances such as resveratrol, curcuma, quercetin etc. could thus prevent the receptor insensitivity for vitamin D.

One should not underestimate the special effect of natural plant substances on the vitamin D activating enzymes. The enzyme “1-alpha-hydroxylase” is necessary for the last and most important conversion step from vitamin D to the bioactive hormone. The effects of the vitamin D receptor signaling pathway are numerous and are currently the subject of intense scientific research. These include, among others, the immune response, regulation of the calcium balance, detoxification and the control of malignant cell growth. The key “lever” of the vitamin D action is the docking of the biological activated vitamin D3 to the vitamin D receptor.