Vitamin D supplementation is more important than ever
You may or may not know that when your skin is exposed to sunlight, it makes vitamin D from cholesterol. When the sun’s rays hit your skin cells, it energizes the synthesis of vitamin D. Yet, it’s one of the most common vitamin deficiencies, affecting 42 percent of the US population. This is likely because not enough of us see the sun every day.
Due to the covid-19 lockdown, most of us haven’t spent much time outdoors for the majority of the year. As a nutrition counselor I believe that vitamin D supplementation is more important now than ever. So I’ve rounded up the benefits of vitamin D and why you need to be taking it.
What is vitamin D?
Vitamin D has a plethora of key functions in the body, despite its name, it’s actually considered a hormone. It plays an integral role in more than 1,000 different genes and serves as a substrate for sex hormones like testosterone, human growth hormone and estrogen, is responsible for absorbing calcium from the gut into the bloodstream and is closely linked to immune function.
Where do you get vitamin D from?
Humans make vitamin D on their own via the sun, but to get sufficient you’d need 30 minutes a day of direct sun exposure, which is why according to this article, it’s the most important supplement to take, based on the high rates of deficiency. Essentially - if you don’t live in a year round sunny climate and spend time outside each day, skin exposed to the sun, then chances are you are deficient.
You can also get vitamin D from your diet, but only an estimated 10 percent of vitamin D is absorbed from food. Nonetheless, dietary sources of vitamin D include:
Fatty fish
Fortified foods like some cereals and dairy products
Cheese
Egg yolks
Mushrooms
Why is vitamin D particularly important now?
Vitamin D protects you from free radical damage and moderates immune function and inflammation, which is the route of all illnesses and chronic diseases. Without enough vitamin D, you’re more likely to get a number of health issues including breast cancer, heart disease, depression and weight gain, amongst others. Research shows that individuals with higher levels of vitamin D are less likely to develop a chronic disease, which suggests that vitamin D plays a critical role in the development of disease.
In the current global climate of coronavirus, we’re not leaving our houses very much, so not getting much sunlight. Plus, with a pandemic virus going around, we’re more at risk for getting sick so can’t take any risks with our immune health. Due to the close link between vitamin D and immune function, ensuring you have sufficient vitamin D levels means that if you do get sick, you are best able to fight it and recover from it.
Studies show that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased autoimmunity and susceptibility to infection, particularly respiratory infections. A study that looked at more than 25 studies on vitamin D examined the results to ascertain whether vitamin D supplementation was able to decrease the prevalence of colds and flu. The researchers found that it was an effective preventative step to stay healthy during times of community sickness; in fact, for individuals who had been vitamin D deficient prior to starting the study, upon supplementation, their risk of infection was cut in half.
if you want to stay healthy and avoid infection in this time of covid-19, vitamin D supplementation is key. It will boost your immune function and help you fight off free radical damage and pathogens, to keep your body working properly despite the prevalence of infection surrounding us all.
If you want more tailored advice, please contact me today for nutrition counseling. Stay healthy!