Despite its name, Vitamin D is a hormone, not a vitamin. Our bodies need it to function at their best. It increases bone health and even helps out the nervous system. As of 2010, the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin D is 600 IU for healthy adults, children, and pregnant or nursing women.
vitamin D Deficiency:
One of the most common health problems in the world today is vitamin D deficiency. Around 1 billion people worldwide and 40% of Americans are deficient in this important vitamin.
A vitamin D deficiency is associated with multiple chronic conditions including the leading causes of mortality. Vitamin D deficiencies have been found to play a role in many conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis, and many other health conditions. Having optimal levels of vitamin D is critical for good overall health.
Vitamin D is often called the “sunshine vitamin” because the primary source of Vitamin D is exposure to the sun. When sun exposure is limited, it is important to obtain vitamin D from other sources. The best food sources of vitamin D are egg yolks, fatty fish, liver, and grass-fed cheese and butter.
However, for many people, supplementation may be necessary to increase their levels of vitamin D to optimal levels. It is important to test your level of vitamin D regularly to ensure it is optimal and to prevent health issues associated with deficiencies.
What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is unique in that it functions as a prohormone (1). Prohormones are substances that the body converts to a hormone.
Vitamin D is the only vitamin that can be produced by our bodies (2). While other vitamins must be taken in through diet or supplementation, our bodies produce vitamin D when our skin is exposed to UV rays from the sun.
Vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements is biologically inert and must be activated by the body. Two hydroxylations are required for activation. The first occurs in the liver and converts vitamin D to 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], or calcidiol. The second occurs primarily in the kidneys and forms the physiologically active 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D], or calcitriol (“activated vitamin D”).
Vitamins are either water soluble or fat soluble. Vitamin D, along with vitamins A, E, and K, are fat soluble which means they need a source of fat to be absorbed. Fat soluble vitamins can accumulate in the body’s tissue.
Serum 25(OH)D is the best marker of vitamin D status (3). It reflects vitamin D produced by the body and that obtained from food and supplements. 25(OH)D has a circulating half-life of 15 days.
Two Types of Vitamin D
There are two main types of vitamin D, D2 and D3. They are different in several ways.
Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is sourced from the UV irradiation of ergosterol. Ergosterol is a steroid found in some plants but largely in fungi. The best source of D2 is mushrooms grown in UV light. D2 is synthesized by plants and is not produced by the body.
Vitamin D3 (or cholecalciferol) is synthesized by UV irradiation of 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D3. Specifically, ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from sunlight triggers the formation of vitamin D3. D3 is also found in animal-sources such as salmon, egg yolks, and beef.
Both D2 and D3 must be converted into active compounds through the same two-step process, resulting in calcitriol. Studies have shown that vitamin D3 has a more significant and positive effect in raising serum 25(OH)D concentrations than D2 (1).
Why is Vitamin D So Important?
Vitamin D plays an important role in overall health and well-being. It is best known for promoting bone health and healthy calcium metabolism, but researchers have found that vitamin D is critical for all systems of the body.
Vitamin D plays a central role in the immune system, muscle function, cardiovascular function, the respiratory system, and brain development. Once activated, Vitamin D works by managing calcium in your blood, bones and gut. It also helps cells all over the body communicate properly. Here are some of the ways vitamin D benefits the body.
1. Modulates The Immune System
Vitamin D plays an important role in both innate and adaptive immune responses. The active form of Vitamin D plays a key role in maintaining immune homeostasis.
D3 is an immunomodulator targeting various immune cells, including monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, as well as T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. Several epidemiological studies have linked inadequate vitamin D levels to a higher susceptibility of immune-mediated disorders including chronic infections and autoimmune diseases (4).
An autoimmune condition occurs when the body’s immune system malfunctions. It mistakenly identifies healthy cells and tissues as foreign invaders and starts attacking and destroying them. This can happen in almost any part of the body, including the brain, muscles, skin, and other organs. Autoimmunediseases associated with low vitamin D include multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), diabetes mellitus (DM), inflammatory bowel disease and lupus.
2. Protects Against Cancer
Vitamin D has demonstrated cancer-protective and anti-cancer properties (5). These properties include triggering apoptosis (programmed cell death), inhibiting cancer cell growth, and reducing metastatic potential.
Multiple studies show an increased risk of cancers, including colon, breast, ovarian and prostate cancers, among people with vitamin D deficiency (6). Studies have also linked higher levels of vitamin D with a lowered risk of certain cancers and a better cancer outcome.
3. Induces Autophagy
Vitamin D3 is a key hormonal inducer of autophagy. Autophagy is your intracellular recycling system and cellular self-degradation process where your body cleans out debris and recycles damaged cell components. This leads to the regeneration of cells.
Cells use autophagy to maintain biological function, homeostasis, quality-control of cell contents, and to eliminate old proteins and damaged lipids and organelles. Autophagy enables cells to survive external stressors like nutrient deprivation and internal stressors like pathogens.
Vitamin D signaling can regulate autophagy at different levels, including induction, nucleation, elongation to maturation, and degradation (7). To learn more about autophagy and ways to enhance it, read this article.
4. Prevents Cognitive Decline
Dementia is a syndrome (group of symptoms), usually chronic and progressive, associated with the loss of memory and other cognitive functions (8). It is caused by different brain illnesses that affect thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, judgment, behavior, and memory without a lack of consciousness. These symptoms are severe enough to interfere with a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks.
Numerous studies have shown that vitamin D may reduce the risk of cognitive decline. In a 2014 study, researchers found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a substantially increased risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s (9). Individuals with severe vitamin D deficiency (less than 10 ng/mL) had a 122% increased risk of dementia and Individuals deficient (less than 20 ng/mL) in vitamin D had a 51% risk of dementia. Vitamin D3 has neuroprotective effects including the clearance of amyloid plaques.
5. Improves Chronic Fatigue
Low vitamin D levels are highly prevalent in people with chronic fatigue (10). Chronic fatigue is when you are tired, worn out, drained and depleted most of the time.
This profound and unrelenting exhaustion typically develops over time and it can be hard to pinpoint when it first started (11). It impacts your physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing. Optimizing your vitamin D levels can improve chronic fatigue.
6. Promotes Bone Health
Vitamins D3 and K2 work synergistically to promote bone health and reduce the incidence of fractures (12). They work synergistically to play an essential role in calcium uptake into skeletal bone tissue. This can help to prevent osteoporosis and osteopenia which occur when bones become weak and lose minerals.
Osteocalcin is a bone-building protein that is necessary for maintaining calcium homeostasis in bone tissue. It works with osteoblast cells to build healthy bone tissue. The combination of vitamins D3 and K2 enhances the accumulation of osteocalcin greater than either nutrient alone. Increased osteocalcin formation significantly improves bone mineral density. D3 and K2 also work together to increase Matrix GLA protein (MGP), which protects blood vessels from calcification.
7. Improves Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health issues in the United States. Often experienced together, 40-60% of people with anxiety have signs of depression. Vitamin D is an important factor in the prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression (13).
Optimizing levels of certain nutrients like vitamin D is a natural strategy to improve anxiety, depression, and irritability. Along with vitamin D, important nutrients for optimal brain function and good mental health are magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, iron, selenium, iodine, zinc, B vitamins, and amino acids. Correcting any deficiencies of these nutrients can improve or even eliminate your symptoms. This article discusses 14 nutrients for emotional support.
8. Reduces Joint Pain
Vitamin D is an important nutrient for healthy joints. Joint pain is discomfort, pain, or inflammation in any part of a joint. The underlying cause of joint pain is inflammation, and vitamin D is a key immunoregulator for inflammation.
Deficiencies in vitamin D have been linked to osteoarthritis and decreased cartilage thickness (14). Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis affecting around 10% of the American population. It occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of your bones wears down over time leading to pain, stiffness, swelling, and pain in the joints. To read about more natural strategies for improving joint pain, check out this article.
9. Sleep Apnea
Low vitamin D levels are linked to obstructive sleep apnea and the activation of numerous inflammatory processes (15). Sleep apnea is a common condition in which a person’s breathing is interrupted or paused during their sleep. Sleep apnea is most common in men and older people. This condition is linked to obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, and other health conditions.
Low levels of vitamin D can contribute and worsen the impact of sleep apnea on glucose metabolism. Abnormal glucose metabolism is one of the main health issues associated with sleep apnea (16). Supplementing with vitamin D has been shown to improve abnormal glucose metabolism and inflammation in people with sleep apnea.
10. Prevent Endometriosis and PCOS
Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (17) (18). Endometriosis is a painful condition where the tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside of the uterine cavity. This displaced endometrial tissue leads to cysts, scar tissue, and adhesions. Endometriosis is a chronic and debilitating disease that affects around 10% of all women of reproductive age.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormone imbalance disorder, and one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting women. This devastating health condition has a negative impact on a woman’s health, her ability to have a child, and her physical appearance. Around 70%-80% of women with PCOS are deficient in vitamin D. Low vitamin D levels are significantly correlated with insulin resistance in women with PCOS.
Optimal Levels of Vitamin D
The ideal range for your vitamin D3 level is between 50-80 ng/ml. Studies have found that around 40% of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D (6). It is estimated that globally, about 1 billion people have low vitamin D levels. This is found in all ethnicities, genders, and age groups.
With vitamin D being so important to good health, deficiencies in vitamin D can have serious health consequences. Studies have shown that there is a relationship between deficiencies in vitamin D and greater all-cause mortality (19).
In a 2011 study, researchers estimated that doubling vitamin D levels would reduce the vitamin D-sensitive disease mortality rate by 20%. Researchers concluded that increasing serum Vitamin D levels is the most cost-effective way to reduce global mortality rates (20).
Major risk factors for vitamin D deficiency include inadequate sunlight exposure, inadequate intake of foods that contain vitamin D, and malabsorption syndromes such as Crohn’s disease and celiac disease (6).
Healthy Sun Exposure
The sun is the best source of vitamin D. In areas where there is sufficient UVB exposure, there are several factors to consider in determining how much sun exposure is appropriate. These factors include the portion of skin exposed to the sun, the color of your skin, and the strength of the UV rays. If 60% of the body is exposed to the sun, it is ideal to seek 10,000 to 20,000 IU of vitamin D3 from sun exposure.
Intentionally sunbathe no less than 3 times per week according to the following recommendations based on your skin color:
Light skin = 15-20 minutes daily
Medium Skin = 25-30 minutes daily
Dark Skin = 40-45 minutes daily.
Hope this article brought an awareness about importance of Vit D, and sources from which it can be obtained and its health benefits for us see you all in my next article Cheers,
Srikanth Santhanaraman
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