Are you feeling exhausted, run-down, or sick often? Do you have bone pain, muscle pain, or feel chronically achy? These are just a few symptoms that you might be experiencing Vitamin D deficiency. Estimates indicate that about 77% of the population is deficient in Vitamin D (Ogan and Prichitt, 2013). Vitamin D can be obtained through direct sunlight, in the foods you eat, and with supplementation. For most Americans, receiving the appropriate amount naturally is not possible due to the depleted soils used to grow our foods, and the lack of time we are able to spend in the direct sunlight. Understanding the importance of “the sunshine vitamin” and how you personally can reach an optimal level, may have a huge impact on your ability to live your healthiest life.
Vitamin D is essential for many functions in our body. Most people have heard that Vitamin D is essential for calcium and bone health, but new studies show that it plays a vital role in “signaling gene response, protein synthesis, hormone synthesis, immune response, plus, cell turnover and regeneration” (Ogan and Prichett, 2013). With 77% of us not receiving adequate amounts, it is easy to understand why we have so many individuals living in chronic pain, unable to obtain adequate sleep, concerned about hormonal imbalances, and constantly feeling run-down. There are plenty of other reasons for many of the above concerns and some of them may be much more serious, but Vitamin D is a great place to begin your search for improved or optimal health.
If you have your Vitamin D tested during your routine exams (and many primary care providers do not test for this), an adequate result is in the range of 30-100. What your lab results should say is that this range is the average range within the population, not the optimal range. Most studies are now showing that the optimal range is greater than 40 and functional medicine practitioners have found that a range of 60-80 is ideal. The Institute of Medicine and the Endocrine Society recently increased their ranges to include a much higher optimal vitamin D level. IOM now states that individuals are vitamin D deficient below 30, insufficient between 30-50, and sufficient at greater than 50. The endocrine society also states that the cutoff for Vitamin D deficiency is 50 and optimal is considered at levels greater than 75.
Many people believe they are getting enough if they drink milk, add milk to their coffee or eat it in fortified foods. Unfortunately, Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, which means that it needs to be taken or eaten with fat to be absorbed properly. If you drink skim milk, due to the lack of fat in the milk, the added vitamin D is essentially useless. Vitamin D is optimally absorbed if it is ingested (or contained within) with high-quality fats like olive oil. The best sources of Vitamin D are, salmon, herring and sardines, other fatty fish, egg yolks, organ meat, and mushrooms. However, most Americans do not eat enough of these sources or get enough sunlight and need to supplement for optimal health. You can read about the suggested levels or supplementation here.
If you need a high-quality Vitamin D, you can order one through my provider website and can contact me for additional information.
Follow me over the next 5 weeks to discuss in more detail the importance of Vitamin D and the impact to athletes, the importance in the role of breast cancer prevention and treatment, bone health, depression and mood disorders, and sleep.
Ogan, D. and Pritchett, K. “Vitamin D and the Athlete: Risks, Recommendations, and Benefits.” Nutrients Jun; 5(6) (2013): 1856-1868. US National Library of Medicine. Accessed February 19, 2019 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5802611/doi: 10.3390/nu5061856
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