Is The Critical Importance Of Vitamin D Under Promoted?

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for keeping a healthy body. It performs many vital functions like enhancing the body’s absorption of calcium and phosphorus, as well as regulating the genetic performance of nerve cell proteins, or maintaining the health of brain cells, among others.

Vitamin D also promotes normal immune system functions, fights inflammation, and improves the body’s ability to fight pathogens like bacteria and viruses.

But, is the critical importance of vitamin d under-promoted? Let’s take a look at some facts about Vitamin D.

A Critical Nutrient for Health

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient to activate the body’s immune system. With insufficient levels of Vitamin D, the killer T cells of the immune system can’t fight off serious infections produced by foreign pathogens and remain inactive. But with sufficient levels of vitamin D, killer T cells activate all their power, and swallow viruses, harmful bacteria, and can even destroy cancer cells.

When T cells are exposed to a foreign pathogen, it extends a signaling device or ‘antenna’ called a vitamin D receptor, with which it looks for vitamin D. This means that the T cell needs to have vitamin D or activation of the cell will not happen.

Vitamin D enhances the absorption of dietary calcium and phosphorus, but its physiological functions extend far beyond mineral assimilation and balance. It triggers diverse and complex effects in the body. In particular, vitamin D regulates the cell cycle, reducing cell division and also causing terminal differentiation to create specialized organ-specific cell types.

Likewise, it regulates the cell self-destruction step called apoptosis, promoting this programmed process of cell death to prevent cancer. Vitamin D also exerts several endocrine effects, such as inhibiting renin and increasing insulin secretion. It also has antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects and increases the body’s defense against bacterial invasion and tumor development and growth.

Vitamin D Deficiency: A Global Health Problem

Despite the critical importance of vitamin D, the levels of deficiency of this nutrient observed throughout the world make it a global health problem.

Vitamin D insufficiency is a pandemic that affects almost half of people worldwide, while one billion people are classified as vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D deficiency represents an independent predictor of total mortality in the general population and, conversely, vitamin D supplementation has been shown to protect against mortality.

Many studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of cancer (for example, colon, breast, and prostate cancer), dementia, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and depression.

This situation is not very understandable, considering that it is a problem that can be easily solved.

Signs of Vitamin D Deficiency

As Vitamin D performs so many functions in the body, deficient levels of it increase the risk of developing a wide range of diseases.

Many studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of cancer (e.g. colon, breast, and prostate cancers), dementia, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and depression.

People with low levels of vitamin D may also have the following noticeable symptoms:

Brain Health

Vitamin D is essential for your brain health. Symptoms of deficiency can include migraine, reduced cognitive function, dementia, and is a factor in Alzheimer’s disease. Research has also found a relationship with depression.

Catching colds easily and Recurring Infections

As widely mentioned before, Vitamin D is very important in the proper function of the immune system. If you often catch colds, it may be due to a lack of vitamin D in your body, which weakens the immune system and the body’s ability to fight viruses.

Vitamin D deficiency can also increase the risk and severity of infection, particularly in respiratory tract infections. It increases the potential risk for severe disease and mortality, especially in those who are critically ill.

Painful and weak bones

Vitamin D regulates the level of calcium in your body, which is critical to protect your bone health.

In children, insufficient intake of Vitamin D will affect the development of bones, making growth relatively slow.

In adults, makes it difficult for the body to absorb calcium, with osteoporosis, joint inflammation, and weak teeth, being its most common effects.

Heart Problems

Clinical studies have shown that Vitamin D improves circulation and can help improve high blood pressure. In some studies, researchers discovered that vitamin D also has a significant effect on the endothelial cells that line your cardiovascular system. They found that it helped balance concentrations of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite, which improved endothelial function.

Aching Muscles

Vitamin D is also needed for the normal development and growth of muscle fibers, and a lack of it may lead to muscle weakness and pain.

About half of adults are affected by muscle pain. Some studies suggest that nerves have vitamin D receptors that affect the perception of pain. Researchers also believe that most adults with muscle pain are deficient in vitamin D.

Slow-Healing Wounds

Vitamin D promotes wound healing and the creation of cathelicidin, a peptide that fights wound infections. Today, chronic wounds are a major public health challenge related to Vitamin D deficiency.

Cramps

Lack of vitamin D affects the absorption of calcium, resulting in hypocalcemia, which may lead to involuntary muscle contractions, thus resulting in cramps.

Depression and Fatigue

Vitamin D is a key regulator of serotonin synthesis in the brain, and low levels of serotonin can cause depression. Defects in serotonin function may also be related to fatigue.

This is a common symptom of a variety of different health conditions, including sleep deprivation. Researchers have found that supplementing cancer patients suffering from fatigue with vitamin D can improve their symptoms.

In one study using adults with fatigue and stable medical conditions, the researchers found 77% were deficient in vitamin D. After normalizing their level, the fatigue symptoms improved significantly.

Replenishing Vitamin D

To overcome this situation of Vitamin D deficiency, it is crucial to know the best sources to provide our body with its appropriate needs.

How is vitamin D effectively replenished?

In addition to the daily diet and supplements, the intake of other nutrients is also very important for it to be synthesized by our body. But there is a simpler and more widely available source.

Let’s see…

The ideal form of vitamin D… it’s free!

Vitamin D also called the Sunshine Vitamin, is a steroid with hormone-like activity.

The skin is responsible for producing vitamin D. During exposure to sunlight, ultraviolet radiation penetrates the epidermis, and Vitamin D is synthesized.

It only takes about 20 minutes in the midday sun, from 10 am to 2 pm, for the body to absorb UVB rays through the skin and turn it into one of the best immune system defenses on the planet. Researches reveal that vitamin D derived from the sun may last in our body for double the time as vitamin D from food or supplements.

But why is there global vitamin D deficiency since the sun shines on all of us?

For those who for any reason are housebound or those who live at locations far from the equator, getting enough Vitamin D from the sun may be difficult. As well as for those that use sunscreens, they’re missing out on an opportunity for the body to generate this priceless nutrient, as sunscreen obstructs the body’s capability to create vitamin D, no matter the level of protection the sunscreen has.

And don’t think that by sitting inside your home near a sunny window or driving in the car on a sunny day you will get enough sunlight to increase your levels of vitamin D. You need to be outdoors, exposing your skin directly to the sun.

Enjoy vitamin D-rich foods

You can enrich your diet by increasing dietary sources of vitamin D. These include egg yolks, beef liver, salmon, herring, sardines, cod liver oil, and mushrooms.

When eating fatty fish like salmon, be sure to select wild fish, as it contains much more vitamin D than farm-raised salmon. Farmed salmon is estimated to contain only a quarter of the amount of vitamin D.

Also, consider cod liver oil as a supplement. People living in northern climates may be familiar with the benefits of this product when sunlight is scarce in winter.

As for eggs, vitamins, minerals, and fats are concentrated in the yolk, and protein is mainly in the whites.

Vitamin D mushroom hack

Mushrooms are also a great source of vitamin D. Like Humans, mushrooms synthesize Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Some research shows that mushrooms can significantly increase their Vitamin D levels when exposed to natural sunlight for 15 minutes, even after being sliced or chopped.

Simply place sliced mushrooms in a pan and place them in the sunlight for about 15 minutes before adding them to a fresh salad or your favorite plate.

Vitamin D supplements

Vitamin D supplements are available in two forms: D2 (made from plants) and D3 (found in animal foods). Vitamin D3 is the type that is naturally produced in the human body and is widely considered to be the optimal form of supplementation.

Look for quality brands. Never skimp when looking for supplementing important nutrients. Check with your doctor or nutritionist to determine the right supplementation for you.

Click to see our Recommended Vitamin Supplement Products

A Common Mistake That Can Frustrate Your Vitamin D Supplement Benefits

Some Research highlights the vital importance of taking magnesium in combination with vitamin D. Magnesium, the fourth most abundant mineral in your body, is a component necessary for the activation of vitamin D, and without enough of it, your body cannot properly utilize the vitamin D you’re taking.

People that take vitamin D supplements don’t realize how it gets metabolized. Without magnesium, vitamin D is not useful. By providing your body with an optimal amount of magnesium, you may be able to lower the risks of vitamin D deficiency.

Without enough magnesium in your body, Vitamin D supplements may be ineffective. Higher magnesium intake lowers the risk of Vitamin D deficiency.

Conclusions

The immune system is critical to our well-being. Research shows that vitamin D is a keystone for immune health by protecting us from infections and helping to prevent an overactive immune system. Since one small vitamin can have such a big impact, getting enough vitamin D should be a priority every day.

The ideal source of Vitamin D is the sun. It’s almost available every day, and almost everywhere… and it’s Free!

Remember that magnesium plays an essential role in the synthesis and metabolism of vitamin D, so be sure to have enough magnesium in your body.

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