Vitamin D

Now that the weather is warmer and the days are longer, many of us are spending more time outside.  The benefits this time of year can bring to our mood and health are self-evident. One of the reasons we experience this health boost is due to higher naturally obtained Vitamin D levels. But what is vitamin D and why is it so important to our health? 

Vitamin D is an essential fat-soluble vitamin that is not abundant nor naturally found in foods.  The good news is that our bodies can make Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.  It acts as a hormone and modulates many immune functions. Individuals who increase their vitamin D to optimum levels experience a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, heart failure, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, kidney failure and all-cause mortality over a given period of time.   Low levels of Vitamin D can lead to increased inflammation. 

At an extreme, Rickets is a condition that occurs with exceptionally low levels of Vitamin D. Rickets is no longer common in the US thankfully, due to fortification of foods with Vitamin D such as milk and cereals. Flesh of fatty fish is one such natural source of vitamin D. However, the best way to obtain a healthy level of Vit. D is through skin absorption of sunlight.  Unfortunately, most of us spend a huge portion of our days indoors where there may be artificial fluorescent or poor light sources.  It seems that nature intended for us to spend more time outdoors.  The good news is that even with our modern lifestyles we can boost our Vitamin D to healthy levels through supplementation.  Baseline levels can be obtained through a common blood test performed by your primary care physician, and the effects of your supplementation can be easily monitored. While it’s true that one can have too much of a good thing, levels of vitamin D that are excessive and toxic are rarely observed at levels of daily supplementation below 10,000 IU’s. 

So perhaps when going outdoors this summer you will be more aware of how you are doing your body good by increasing your vitamin D levels.