Who Needs A Vitamin D supplement, And What Are The Benefits?

Vitamin D, also known as the “sunshine vitamin,” is a fat-soluble vitamin. It is known as the sunshine vitamin because your body (skin) naturally produces vitamin D in response to direct sun exposure. The sun emits ultraviolet A and B (UV-A and UV-B) rays, but your body only needs UV-B to produce vitamin D. You can also get vitamin D from certain foods like fatty fish, dairy, etc.

DAILY VITAMIN D REQUIREMENT

According to the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, you need 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily if you are below 70 years. However, infants and people above 70 need 400 IU and 800 IU, respectively.

You can get some vitamin D from the sun and certain foods. But it is not always possible to meet your daily need from sunlight and diet alone. Because few foods have enough vitamin D to meet your daily requirements. For instance, the average amount of vitamin D you can get from dietary sources alone is about 288 IU daily. In fact, drinking an 8-ounce glass of vitamin D-fortified milk will only give you 100 IU – one-sixth of your daily requirement as an adult. Sunshine can also be unreliable in some climates.

Fortunately, taking vitamin D supplements can get you a lot closer to the 600 IU target. According to the Endocrine Society, adults should take 1500-2000 IU of Vitamin D supplements daily to avoid deficiency. Infants and children only need 1000 IU in supplements to prevent deficiency.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF VITAMIN D

Vitamin D can benefit your health in many ways. Perhaps the most crucial benefit is its role in your immune and bone health.

Improves Your Bone Health

According to the National Institute of Health, your body needs vitamin D to absorb the calcium it needs to develop and maintain strong and healthy bones.

This makes vitamin D essential for preventing bone diseases like osteoporosis in the elderly, osteomalacia in adults, and rickets in children.

Fights Off Depression

According to research, vitamin D can help improve your mood and ward off depression. Many studies found that people suffering from depression experience improved symptoms after receiving vitamin D supplements.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, vitamin D can help improve seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder. People that experience seasonal depression appear to produce less vitamin D, which can affect the activity of serotonin – a neurotransmitter that makes you feel good. So, when your serotonin level is out of balance, it puts you at a higher risk for mood disorders. But vitamin D can help you stabilize your serotonin levels.

Another study conducted on people with fibromyalgia found that vitamin D deficiency was more common in subjects experiencing depression and anxiety.

Boosts Your Immunity

Maintaining normal blood levels of vitamin D can help you get fewer respiratory infections (colds and flu) than usual.

According to a review of 25 randomized controlled trials involving about 11,300 participants, vitamin D deficient people experience a 12% reduction in the risk for respiratory infections after taking vitamin D supplements.

Improves Your Cardiovascular Health

A review of 19 studies found a link between adequate vitamin D levels and a lower risk of heart failure, stroke, and other heart diseases. So, maintaining normal body levels of vitamin D can help reduce your risk for stroke, heart failure, and other cardiovascular diseases.

Lowers Your Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

According to some studies, vitamin D may help improve your beta-cell function, increase your tissue’s insulin sensitivity, and even lower inflammation. All these can help lower your risk for type 2 diabetes. It can even help improve your blood sugar levels if you are already diabetic.

Reduces Cancer Death

Vitamin D is starting to gain more attention about its possible ability to fight off cancer. A recent review of 63 studies examined the possible link between vitamin D and breast, colon, prostate, and ovarian cancers. The review found promising results that suggest that vitamin D may be an easy and cheap way to lower your cancer risk.

Another study also found that cancer patients who take vitamin D supplements can reduce their death rate by 25%.

Prevents Dementia and Cognitive Decline

Research has found that there are vitamin D receptors in the brain tissue. This suggests that vitamin D may play a role in cognitive function and risk of dementia.

A study also suggests that vitamin D may help clear up amyloid plaque, a marker of Alzheimer’s Disease (The Most Common Form Of Dementia).

Supports Weight Loss

A study found that subjects taking calcium and vitamin D supplements are able to lose more weight than those taking placebo supplements. Researchers believe this is due to the appetite-suppressing effect of the calcium and vitamin D supplement.

Another study showed that overweight people who take vitamin D supplements daily experience significant improvement in heart disease risk markers.

DO YOU NEED TO TAKE VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTS?

Some people may need more than food and the sun to meet the recommended daily amount of vitamin D. The need for supplements often depends on your diet or lifestyle. Some people that require vitamin D supplements include:

Vegans

Vegans tend to have low vitamin D levels because they generally avoid vitamin D-rich foods like meat, fish, egg, and fortified dairy products. A 2016 study found that vegans had 34% lower blood levels of vitamin D than people who eat dairy products and meat.

However, being a vegan does not mean you have to live with low vitamin D levels. You can incorporate the vitamin into your vegan diet by consuming fortified food products like oat milk. Such milk beverages often contain about the same amount of vitamin D in cow milk (100 IU per cup). You can also boost your vitamin D levels with supplements.

Obese People

According to research, obese people usually have lower vitamin D levels than non-obese people. The lower levels often happen because of poor vitamin D absorption and less skin exposure to the sun. It is even worse among people that have had gastric bypass or bariatric procedures. This explains why some researchers suggest that daily vitamin D recommendations should depend on your body weight rather than having a general recommendation for everyone.

Older People

Old people are more likely to spend more time indoors, which means they experience minimal sun exposure. Research has also shown that your body becomes less efficient in making vitamin D from sun exposure or food as you get older.

Dark-Skinned People

Melanin is the brown-black pigment responsible for dark-colored skin, hair, and eyes. The darker your skin is, the more difficult it is for the sun to stimulate vitamin D production in your body. This means you need more sun exposure to get enough vitamin D from the sun.

Geographical Location

Less UV-B rays reach the earth’s surface during winter. This can affect your blood level of vitamin D. You should consider taking some vitamin D supplements during winter when the sun does not shine a lot.

VITAMIN D TOXICITY OR OVERDOSING

Despite its many health benefits, vitamin D can become toxic if your body gets too much. This is because it is fat-soluble that can be stored in your body. High vitamin D levels can result in vitamin D toxicity or hypervitaminosis D.

Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about toxicity if you get your vitamin D solely from sunlight and diet. Toxicity concerns only come in when you take vitamin D supplements, especially for a long time and at doses higher than 10,000 IU every day.

Ideally, you should not exceed 4,000 IU per day because too much vitamin D can result in serious health issues. Some symptoms of vitamin D toxicity include:

• Excessive thirst
• Frequent urination
• Loss of appetite
• Weakness and tiredness
• Constipation
• Confusion

It can get even more severe if the toxicity results in excessive calcium absorption, putting your heart, kidneys, and blood vessels at risk.

You should call your doctor immediately if you have concerns about toxicity or experience any of these symptoms.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that benefits your health in many ways, from strong bones to a better mood. It can also help you prevent certain diseases. But it is not a cure-all vitamin. So, do not start to take vitamin D supplements hoping it will make all your health issues disappear because no vitamin can do that.

But you should take steps to get the recommended daily amount through your food, sunlight, and supplements. Especially if you are at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. But you should not forget the health risks of prolonged sun (ultraviolet ray) exposure.

You should also talk to your doctor if you have concerns about your vitamin D level being too low or too high.