Recently, I’ve been writing about getting enough nutrients in order to achieve optimal health. I already mentioned that one of the more important nutrients to pay attention to is Vitamin D. But just how important is Vitamin D anyway?
I’ll give you a short list of what it does to keep our bodies healthy. But I’ll also show you the risks of having a deficiency, or low levels, of this very important Vitamin. Getting enough Vitamin D is pretty simple these days. Not getting enough can impact you in ways you can’t imagine!
I’ll always recommend a healthy diet first to try to get what you need for nutrients. Unfortunately, Vitamin D can be very difficult to get naturally from your diet. This is why it’s so important to pay attention to what you’re doing and eating on a daily basis.
Related article: Are you getting enough nutrients for good health?
What is Vitamin D?
Although we call it Vitamin D, this “vitamin” is actually more of a hormone. Not that that really matters to most of us! I’m just trying to be clear!
We absorb some of this vitamin through some foods that we eat. But not a lot of foods contain it. Most of the natural D we get comes from being out in the sun. When we get sun exposure our bodies make it for us. That’s how important Vitamin D is!
But because we’re always told to cover ourselves and/or wear sunscreen, most of us aren’t getting enough Vitamin D. In addition, those of us that live further from the equator can’t get enough of it most of the time. Therefore, many of us are deficient, or just low, in this important nutrient.
In fact, some people say that around 75% of us aren’t getting enough Vitamin D. This comes from the book “What you must know about Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs and so much more” by Pamela Wartian Smith, MD, MPH. This is a great comprehensive book on vitamins that I use as a reference.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, as are Vitamins A, E and K. This means that it can’t be absorbed without some fat to go along with it. So if you’re taking a supplement, you should take it with a little food that contains fat. I usually make sure I eat a few nuts before taking my pill in the morning.
How does Vitamin D affect us?
Vitamin D plays an important role in many of our necessary bodily functions. Here’s a short list of how it helps us.
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- It’s needed to absorb calcium for strong bones and teeth
- It helps us to absorb phosphorus which is also needed for healthy bones
- It helps the pancreas release insulin to control our blood sugar levels
- It helps our blood to clot
- It’s an anti-inflammatory
- It helps to regulate gene expression
- It helps our thyroid to function normally
- It reduces the risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Vitamin D deficiency symptoms include:
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- an increased rate of bone loss, leading to osteoporosis
- neurodegenerative decline (meaning your ability to think!)
- muscle spasms
- an increased risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- some cancers are associated with a Vitamin D deficiency
- heart disease and high blood pressure
- infections and immune system disorders (hello, Covid!)
Obviously, Vitamin D is really important! My motivation for health comes in part from wanting to avoid cancer. Therefore I find it interesting that people with cancer commonly have a Vitamin D deficiency. I also find it interesting that the rates of MS are higher the further one gets from the equator.
Neither of these facts points to a cause-and-effect relationship between Vitamin D deficiency and these diseases. But it does mean that it’s one factor to consider in treatment or prevention. Given this information, I would rather not let my D get too low.
Get your levels tested
If you’re worried about what your levels might be then you just need to get a simple blood draw. I ask for this when I go in for my yearly exam. Yes, I have to pay for it myself because insurance won’t for some mysterious reason. But I think it’s worth it to know where I stand.
All you have to do is go to the office, have some blood drawn, then they send it in to be tested and send your doctor the results. Why guess when you can know for sure with a simple test?
I usually get tested in the summer. That way I know how much Vitamin D I’m getting at the most optimal time of year. This is how I figured out that even when I’m spending more time in the sun I’m still not getting optimal amounts of it.
If you know your levels then you can adjust your habits or intake accordingly. Easy peasy.
Getting more Vitamin D
We can get Vitamin D naturally from some foods. Some oily fish have good amounts of D in them, such as salmon, herring, sardines and tuna. Just be sure to eat wild-caught fish if you can. You can also get your D from egg yolks (a small amount) and mushrooms. Healthline.com gives a more thorough report of the foods containing D and their levels.
You have the option to eat or drink fortified foods to get more Vitamin D in your diet. But in my opinion, that’s really the same as taking a supplement. It’s your choice. If you choose to take supplements, look for the USP symbol on the label. This means it’s been tested by the U.S. Pharmacopeia.
Hopefully, you want to avoid skin cancer. And if you’ve already had it you probably want to stay out of the sun as much as possible. Some people feel that it’s best to get your Vitamin D naturally from daily sun exposure. Others feel that it’s never OK. This is a highly debated topic so you need to do the research to make the best decision for yourself.
One study showed that getting 30-60 minutes of sun on 3 days a week wasn’t usually enough to raise a deficient level of Vitamin D to normal ranges. But using a supplement was very effective. So supplementation may be safer. You just need to make sure you’re getting quality supplements rather than just cheap ones.
I still believe you should eat the best diet possible first. Supplements are meant to “supplement” a healthy diet, not replace one. I follow Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s advice on eating GBOMBS as often as possible. After you’ve done that, then you can consider supplementing depending on what your needs are.
My final thoughts
You should know your situation and make decisions based on your own values and beliefs. The information I give isn’t meant to tell you what to do but to inform you of some things to consider.
In writing these blogs I’ve learned that for every opinion on a topic there is an opposing opinion from someone else. And they all seem like experts! But with more reading, you get a better idea of where the truth actually lies and what motivates their opinions.
What you should NOT do is simply follow your doctor’s advice without having the facts yourself. Did you know that most medical schools in this country don’t even require one nutrition class for their students? So unless doctors decide to focus on nutrition and educate themselves after medical school, they don’t know any more than anyone else.
This is why it’s so important to educate yourself and be aware of where the information is coming from. You’re the expert on your body, not someone else. Take charge and be informed!