Health Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is often talked about as being important, and we know that it plays some role in our health, but how important is it and what role does it play? 

First of all, what is vitamin D? Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin comprising vitamins D1, D2, and D3. It is crucial to the human tissues as it plays a significant role in your body.

How can you maintain your vitamin D levels naturally? If you are directly exposed to the sunlight, your body naturally makes vitamin D. To further maintain optimal levels of vitamin D in your body due to lack of sunlight or natural production, you can obtain vitamin D through certain supplements and foods. 

What does vitamin D do? Vitamin D performs numerous functions in the body. Among the most important are phosphorus and calcium absorption regulation and augmenting normal immune system activity.

Obtaining sufficient vitamin D is essential for normal bone and tooth development and enhances the fierce reaction to foreign pathogens.

Now that you have the basics continue reading to learn more about vitamin D, its importance to your health, and how to maintain healthy levels of this important  nutrient

Food sources of vitamin D

While some food substances are fortified with vitamin D, others contain the vitamin naturally. The following are food substances that contain significant vitamins:

• Cold liver oil

• Salmon

• Herring

• Sardines

• Canned tuna

• Beef liver

• Shrimp

• Egg yolk

• Orange juice (fortified)

• Oatmeal and some cereals (fortified)

• Milk (fortified)

• Yogurt

Getting vitamin D through supplements may also be helpful since it is very difficult to get enough from sunlight.  Often this just requires taking one tablet per day of vitamin D3 orally.

Health benefits of vitamin D

1. Support weight loss

In an investigation of obese people, those who combine a weight loss program with vitamin D supplement lose more weight compared to their counterparts who only stick to the weight loss program.

In another study where subjects were divided into two, one group took a placebo supplement while the other group combined the supplement with daily vitamin D supplement and calcium. It was observed that the latter group lost more weight than the previous group.

2. Reduce depression and Regulate mood

In a study of 7,534 subjects, it was observed that people with negative emotions that take vitamin D supplements experienced a significant improvement. Therefore depressed people who are deficient in vitamin D can improve when the supplement is provided to them.

Also, some researchers noticed that vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for acute depression, anxiety, and fibromyalgia symptoms.

3. Vitamin D helps fight disease

In an investigation carried out in 2018, it was observed that people deficient in vitamin D had an elevated risk of multiple sclerosis.

Vitamin D deficiency is also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, heart failure, and hypertension.

Vitamin D supplement has also been linked to decreasing COVID-19 and the flu severity. And some studies revealed that vitamin D deficiency is involved in triggering or enhancing acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Also, those with a decreased level of vitamin D are observed to be more susceptible to infections and autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel diseases, type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Conclusion

As you have learned, vitamin D plays an important role in our immune system. It is naturally created by our bodies in response to direct sunlight, however, we should be conscious of the foods we eat and consider taking supplements because many of us do not get enough sunlight. Maintaining healthy levels is important to overall health as well as fighting off a variety of diseases and health conditions. Testing for your vitamin D levels can be done at a lab or talk to your doctor about being tested at your next appointment.