Why You Need Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly common in the Western world. It's estimated that up to 50% of the population have either a Vitamin D deficiency or a Vitamin D insufficiency. People mistakenly think that they aren't at risk of Vitamin D deficiency. We read that our milk or our cereals are fortified, and we assume that those levels of Vitamin D are enough to keep us healthy.

After all, with the Vitamin D we get every minute we're out in the sun and the Vitamin D fortification in our food, we must be chockfull of it.

Well, probably not.

Why you might be deficient in Vitamin D

• The Sunlight: It's difficult to get all your Vitamin D requirements from the sunlight. The form of Vitamin D that comes from the sunlight has to be altered by your body several times before you can utilise it. Not only that, but if you live in a cold country (the UK, North America, Canada) you may get fewer hours of overhead sunlight. In winter, you will frequently not get enough Vitamin D from the sunlight. It is also harder for some groups to get the Vitamin D they require from the sun:
  • People with darker skin: Such as people of African, African-Caribbean and South Asian ancestry. The darker your skin the more sun you need to get the same amount of Vitamin D as a light-skinned person
  • People who need to use a lot of sunscreen: if you burn easily, you need to use sunscreen. The sunscreen blocks Vitamin D from getting though
  • People who cover their body: If you cover your body, for cultural or other reasons, you are more likely to experience Vitamin D deficiency, this is because there is less skin area for the Vitamin to get through
  • People who are housebound: If you stay indoors all or most of the day, you have no opportunity to get your Vitamin D
• Food: Even with fortification, it is nearly impossible to get the correct amount of Vitamin D from food alone
• You don't take supplements: See above for the reason.
• You are at medical risk
  • You are pregnant
  • You are obese
  • You have a gastrointestinal complaint like: Celiac Disease, Crohn's disease, or inflammatory bowel disease (this is because anything that interferes with absorption may prevent absorption of Vitamin D, which is a fat-soluble Vitamin)
  • You are older than 65
  • You are an infant (if fed exclusively on breastmilk and your mother does not take a supplement)

READ The Surprising Factor That Drains Your Body's Vitamin D

Signs of Vitamin D Deficiency

If you have Vitamin D Deficiency, you may notice the following signs:

• You feel sad: A 2006 study of 80 older people found that they were 11 times more likely to be depressed if they had lower Vitamin D levels. That's because Vitamin D impacts on Serotonin, the mood-stabilising neurotransmitter.
• Your bones ache: Patients with vitamin D deficiency tend to be misdiagnosed with Fibromyalgia, when what they really have is Osteomalacia. Osteomalacia means "soft bones" and is caused by Vitamin D deficiency. It can cause; pain in the bone; muscle weakness; partial fractures. Pain is most commonly felt in: the legs, groin, upper thighs, and knees. Movements can become hugely painful. In some cases, patients become so debilitated and their muscles so weak that they can't even get out of bed.
• Your head is sweaty: This is one of the earliest symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency.

But Why Does it Really Matter?

Strong Bones and Teeth

Remember that patient with Osteomalacia I talked about a while back? Crippled with pain and so weak they couldn't even get out of bed? Well, that brings us nicely to our first reason why Vitamin D matters.  Without Vitamin D, our bodies cannot absorb calcium. This leaves us prone to fragile teeth, misshapen bones (rickets) as children, and painful, soft bones (Osteomalacia) as adults.

Protects Against Cancer

• Dr. Horlick studied nurses, and found that nurses with the highest concentrations of Vitamin D had up to a 50% reduced risk of breast cancer.
• A Canadian study by Dr. Knight revealed that women who had taken the most sun as teenagers and young adults had up to a 70% reduced risk of breast cancer (don't bake in the sun: the study doesn't mention their skin cancer risk!)
• Furthermore, Dr. Horlick states: "Studies have shown that if you improve your vitamin D status, it reduces risk of colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and a whole host of other deadly cancers by 30 to 50 percent."

Fights Flu

A Japanese study showed that giving schoolchildren 1200 units of Vitamin D reduced their risk of getting influenza by up to 40%. That doesn't mean you should ditch your flu vaccinations, but it's a nice back-up.

Boosts Cardiovascular Health

Vitamin D reduces your risk of cardiovascular events. One study by Dr. Horlick revealed that a Vitamin D deficiency raises the risk of heart attack by 50%. There is also a much higher risk of death from a cardiovascular event if you are Vitamin D deficient at the time.

A further 2008 study, in the journal Circulation, followed 1739 participants. It found that Vitamin D deficiency was commonly noted in participants with hypertension, but not participants without hypertension. Hypertension is often a precursor to a cardiovascular event, such as heart attack or stroke.

Better Blood Pressure

Researchers from universities across the UK, the US, Norway, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands and Australia conducted a meta-analysis of 35 studies, taking in samples from over 100,000 participants. The research found that every 10% increase in Vitamin D concentration caused:

• reduced systolic blood pressure (the top number) of 0.37mmHg
• reduced diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) of 0.29mmHg
• 8.1% reduced chance of hypertension (high blood pressure)

READ Vitamin D Deficiency: Really Guilty of Causing Obesity?

Helps Weight Management

Dr. Luisella Vigna, of the University of Milan, conducted a study in which 400 overweight or obese adults were divided into three groups.

• One group took 100,000 units of Vitamin D a month
• One group took 25,000 units of Vitamin D a month
• One group took no Vitamin D supplements

All groups followed the same calorie-controlled diet. It was found that those who took 100,000 units of Vitamin D a month lost the most weight, losing an average 11.9lbs in one month. The participants taking 25,000 units of Vitamin D lost 8.4lbs in a month. The ones who took no supplementation lost an average of 2.6lbs in a month. Those taking the highest dose of Vitamin D also lost the most inches around their waist. The researchers concluded: "The present data indicate that in obese and overweight people with vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D supplementation aids weight loss and enhances the beneficial effects of a reduced-calorie diet.”

READ Vitamin D - How Much Do We Need And How Do We Get It?

Reduces Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

In a 2006 study conducted from 1992 through 2004, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, it was found that sufficient amounts of Vitamin D significantly decreased the risks of Multiple Sclerosis in Caucasian Army and Navy veterans. A similarly marked effect was not noted in recruits of African American and Hispanic ancestry.

How do I get enough Vitamin D?

It's recommended that you try to get Vitamin D from all three sources:

• Sunlight: ten to fifteen minutes a day
• Vitamin D rich foods
  • Oily fish, such as salmon, sardines, pilchards, and mackerel (mackerel is very high in mercury and should be avoided if pregnant)
  • Eggs
  • Milk and cheese
  • Meat
  • Cod liver oil
  • "Fortified foods": some foods have added Vitamin D
    • Margarine
    • Breads
    • Cereals
    • Yoghurt
    • Infant formula
• A daily Vitamin D supplement:
  • Children 0-12 months: 400 IU/units/micrograms a day
  • Children 1-8 years: 600 IU
  • Aged 9-70 years: between 600 IU and 4000 IU depending on health and individual circumstances
  • Aged 71+ years: between 800 IU and 4000 IU depending on health and individual circumstances.

If you follow these guidelines, you should start to feel better before you know it.