How do our bodies make Vitamin D?

Vitamin D comes mainly from our skins reaction to sunlight and not food but the skin’s vitamin D production depends on several factors, only some of which you can control. The sun’s rays are more direct between noon and late afternoon. However, the further you live from the equator, the less UV-B radiation you receive and consequently the less your body is able to metabolise Vitamin D. This is why approximately half of adults in the northern hemisphere may be Vitamin D deficient.

Vitamin D is also found naturally in a few different food sources, namely fatty fish like cod, swordfish, and tuna. Fortified milk, yoghurts, and cereals can be fortified, but cheese and ice cream are not fortified and will probably only have traces of Vtamin D.

People who live north of 77 degrees latitude can’t make any Vitamin D from sunlight between November and March. Even if they spend a day outside during the winter months, the earth tilts away from the sun, leading to fewer sun rays hitting the ground. In addition, as we age, our bodies become less efficient at transforming UV-B light into Vitamin D.

So people who live in areas far away from the equator and don’t eat enough of the foods outlined above should be taking Vitamin D supplements to bring them up to the optimum levels. ImmuneX365 provides you with the extra Vitamin D needed to reach these levels.

Benefits of Vitamin D

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has acknowledged the following beneficial effects of Vitamin D

• • • Maintenance of normal bone and teeth
    • Normal absorption and utilisation of calcium and phosphorus and the maintenance of average blood calcium concentrations
    • Normal cell division
    • Normal function of the immune system and healthy inflammatory response
    • Maintenance of normal muscle function

Who is at risk of Vitamin D deficiency?

Some people are at greater risk of Vitamin D deficiency than others, some of which are listed below:

People who

• • Have dark skin tones.
    • Melanin is the pigment that makes the skin darker and exists to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays. However, it also slows down the synthesis of cholesterol to Vitamin D. Therefore, the darker your skin, the less Vitamin D your body will produce.  

• • Are older.
    • As we get older the synthesis of cholesterol to Vitamin D slows down, as does the kidney’s ability to produce Vitamin D.

• • • • • Don’t eat fish or dairy.
        • Live in areas that have little year-round sunshine.
        • Work indoors.
        • Work night shifts
        • Vegetarians.

Symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency

Although most diseases can be attributed to a lot of combined factors, the ailments mentioned below might be caused by Vitamin D deficiency:

Bone Ache.

If your bones ache for no apparent reason, this might signify Vitamin D deficiency.

Chronic fatigue.

Frequent viral diseases.

If you seem to get more colds and flu than your family or close friends, it might be due to a Vitamin D deficiency. Some other indications of possible insufficient levels of Vitamin D are;

• • Bones break easily.
    • If you break a bone due to an innocuous contact, it may signify that your bones are brittle and you are Vitamin D deficient.
  • Non-clinical depression.
  • Wounds take a long time to heal.
  • Muscle aches.
    • If your muscles ache for no apparent reason, it might signify Vitamin D deficiency.

What are some effects of vitamin D on health? (1)

Scientists are studying vitamin D to better understand how it affects health. Here are several examples of what this research has shown:

Bone health and osteoporosis.
Long-term shortages of vitamin D and calcium cause your bones to become fragile and break more easily. This condition is called osteoporosis. Millions of older women and men have osteoporosis or are at risk of developing this condition. Muscles are also important for healthy bones because they help maintain balance and prevent falls. A shortage of vitamin D may lead to weak, painful muscles.

Getting recommended amounts of vitamin D and calcium from foods (and supplements, if needed) will help maintain healthy bones and prevent osteoporosis. Taking vitamin D and calcium supplements slightly increases bone strength in older adults, but it’s not clear whether they reduce the risk of falling or breaking a bone.

Cancer
Vitamin D does not seem to reduce the risk of developing cancer of the breast, colon, rectum, or lung. It is not clear whether vitamin D affects the risk of prostate cancer or chance of surviving this cancer. Very high blood levels of vitamin D may even increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Clinical trials suggest that while vitamin D supplements (with or without calcium) may not affect your risk of getting cancer, they might slightly reduce your risk of dying from this disease. More research is needed to better understand the role that vitamin D plays in cancer prevention and cancer-related death.

Heart disease
Vitamin D is important for a healthy heart and blood vessels and for normal blood pressure. Some studies show that vitamin D supplements might help reduce blood cholesterol levels and high blood pressure—two of the main risk factors for heart disease. Other studies show no benefits. If you are overweight or have obesity, taking vitamin D at doses above 20 mcg (800 IU) per day plus calcium might actually raise your blood pressure. Overall, clinical trials find that vitamin D supplements do not reduce the risk of developing heart disease or dying from it, even if you have low blood levels of the vitamin.

Depression
Vitamin D is needed for your brain to function properly. Some studies have found links between low blood levels of vitamin D and an increased risk of depression. However, clinical trials show that taking vitamin D supplements does not prevent or ease symptoms of depression.

Multiple sclerosis
People who live near the equator have more sun exposure and higher vitamin D levels. They also rarely develop multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that affects the nerves that carry messages from the brain to the rest of the body. Many studies find a link between low blood vitamin D levels and the risk of developing MS. However, scientists have not actually studied whether vitamin D supplements can prevent MS. In people who have MS, clinical trials show that taking vitamin D supplements does not keep symptoms from getting worse or coming back.

Type 2 diabetes
Vitamin D helps your body regulate blood sugar levels. However, clinical trials in people with and without diabetes show that supplemental vitamin D does not improve blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, or hemoglobin A1c levels (the average level of blood sugar over the past 3 months). Other studies show that vitamin D supplements don’t stop most people with prediabetes from developing diabetes.

Does vitamin D interact with medications or other dietary supplements?

Yes, vitamin D supplements may interact with some medicines. Here are several examples:

• Orlistat (Xenical® and alli®) is a weight-loss drug. It can reduce the amount of vitamin D your body absorbs from food and supplements.
• Cholesterol-lowering statins might not work as well if you take high-dose vitamin D supplements. This includes atorvastatin (Lipitor®), lovastatin (Altoprev® and Mevacor®), and simvastatin (FloLipid™ and Zocor®).
• Steroids such as prednisone (Deltasone®, Rayos®, and Sterapred®) can lower your blood levels of vitamin D.
• Thiazide diuretics (such as Hygroton®, Lozol®, and Microzide®) could raise your blood calcium level too high if you take vitamin D supplements.

Tell your doctor, pharmacist, and other healthcare providers about any dietary supplements and prescription or over-the-counter medicines you take. They can tell you if the dietary supplements might interact with your medicines. They can also explain whether the medicines you take might interfere with how your body absorbs or uses other nutrients.