The Rogue Pharmacist: Vitamin D—More Than a Vitamin

ASCP Esty Talk

In this episode of The Rogue Pharmacist, Benjamin Knight Fuchs and Maggie Space/Spacek discuss why vitamin D functions more as a hormone tha

Key takeaways

• Hormones are defined as activators that 'arouse to activity,' whereas vitamins primarily act as helpers in biological processes.
• Vitamin D can be synthesized through a chemical reaction between sunlight and cholesterol within the skin.
• Proper cell differentiation is essential to prevent uncontrolled cell division, which can lead to conditions like psoriasis or cancer.
• Vitamin D serves as the master control switch for calcium absorption into the bloodstream via the intestines.
• Deficiencies in vitamin D are linked to systemic issues including cardiovascular problems, digestive issues, and insulin resistance.

Main topics

• Distinction between vitamins and hormones
• Vitamin D and cell differentiation
• Skin conditions: Psoriasis, Eczema, and Acne

Notable quotes

Vitamins are helpers. Hormones are activators. Hormones do the work.

Conclusion

The episode provides a scientific foundation for understanding how vit

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:00) Hey Esty, have you ever posted or thought about posting anonymously on those other social media platforms because you're afraid of the backlash? Then this community is for you. Join the HHP Collective where your opinion is appreciated and the education is elevated. Visit hhpcollective.com for more information and use code ASCP26 to browse your first month for free. That's hhpcollective.com. And don't worry about writing it down. You can find the link in the show notes. Hello Speaker 3 (0:34) and welcome to ASCP and the Rogue Pharmacist with Benjamin Knight Fuchs. In each episode, we'll explore how internal and external factors can impact the skin. I'm Maggie Spacek, ASCP's program director, and joining me is Ben Fuchs, skincare formulator and pharmacist. Hi, Ben. Hello, Speaker 1 (0:50) Maggie. Good to see you. Speaker 3 (0:51) Ben, we tend to think of vitamin D as simply a vitamin, but you often describe it as more of a hormone or chemical messenger. Why is that distinction important when we're talking about what vitamin D actually does in the body? Speaker 1 (1:04) So important. First of all, vitamins are helpers. Hormones are activators. Hormones do the work. The word hormone actually means I arouse to activity. Hormeo in Greek, I arouse to activity. So hormones make things happen. Vitamins help things happen. That's the major distinction between the two. In terms of vitamin D and vitamin A, which are the two, we call them vitamins because you got to get them in the diet. It's kind of weird when you think about it, that we actually have hormones in the body that you have to eat, that you can't actually, that you can't make. Usually we make hormones, but vitamin A and vitamin D are considered to be, are called vitamins because you have to eat them. Or in the case of vitamin D, you can actually make it via a reaction between the sun and cholesterol, as it turns out, a form of cholesterol in the skin. And so between this interaction of cholesterol and the sun and the requirement for ingestion of vitamin D, you have a very active hormone, a very active molecule, a hormone, that you have to get from the outside. Imagine if you had, say, thyroid hormone, and you couldn't make thyroid hormone, and you had to eat it. That would be really difficult, right? You'd be in a world of hurt. Well, likewise, with vitamin A and vitamin D, they're essential to ingest because you can't make them, but... They're really, really important. And they actually work together, by the way. You've heard of vitamin A and D ointment. Obviously, most people have heard of that. And what is vitamin A and D ointment used for? Speaker 3 (2:27) I Speaker 1 (2:28) don't know. To heal. It's diaper rash and burns and traumas, et cetera. So that tells you right there that you've got a healing substance. Vitamin A and vitamin D are both healing substances. In the case of vitamin D, it's been known for decades