What are the health risks of vitamin D?
as there could be interactions with other medications or health conditions, such as kidney stones for vitamin D or excess bleeding risk [for] fish oil if taking anticoagulants, and supplements with safety seals should be selected.” “That being said ...
What are the benefits of taking vitamin D?
Vitamin D has been found to have a variety of benefits in the body, including the following:
- Improved bone health and strength
- Faster wound healing
- Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and all-cause mortality
- Alleviation of depression and anxiety
- Increased muscular strength
How to prevent negative vitamin D side effects?
Steps To Help Minimize Vaccine Side Effects
- One hour before being vaccinated, take a dose of a fish oil supplement. ...
- Immediately before vaccination (or as soon as possible) Take a calcium supplement. ...
- Immediately after a vaccine injection. ...
- Within two hours of vaccination. ...
- Finally, and as part of the healing process, include these supplements. ...
How to get more vitamin D from your food?
8 Fantastic Foods to Boost Your Body’s Vitamin D (Plus Recipes!)
- Salmon. Salmon is a great source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D. ...
- Rainbow trout. It packs in a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and protein. ...
- Mushrooms. Mushrooms are a delicious source of vitamin D that offer several B vitamins and potassium, too. ...
- Egg yolk. ...
- Canned tuna. ...
- Sardines. ...
- Swiss cheese. ...
- Cod liver oil. ...
What is the benefits of vitamin D?
Vitamin D has several important functions. Perhaps the most vital are regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and facilitating normal immune system function ( 1 ). Getting enough vitamin D is important for typical growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as improved resistance to certain diseases.
How does vitamin D affect the body?
Vitamin D has a lot of health benefits. It's key in absorbing calcium to maintain bone health and strengthen your bones. It also helps support a healthy brain, heart, teeth and lungs. Vitamin D keeps your immune system strong and can help regulate insulin levels.
What are the 10 benefits of vitamin D?
Vitamin D BenefitsIt strengthens the immune system. ... It might prevent certain types of cancer. ... It boosts your mood. ... It can aid in weight loss. ... It can lower the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. ... It lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. ... It can help lower blood pressure. ... It might reduce the risk of heart disease.
What are symptoms of low vitamin D?
Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can include muscle weakness, pain, fatigue and depression....Can you ever have too much vitamin D?Nausea.Increased thirst and urination.Poor appetite.Constipation.Weakness.Confusion.Ataxia (a neurological condition that may cause slurring of words and stumbling).
Does vitamin D give you energy?
Low energy or fatigue is a common symptom of vitamin D deficiency. That's because vitamin D seems to help mitochondria—the part of a cell that generates energy—use oxygen and power various parts of the body, including muscles. Large studies on otherwise healthy people taking a daily vitamin D supplement are lacking.
Is it good to take vitamin D everyday?
All things considered, a daily vitamin D intake of 1,000–4,000 IU, or 25–100 micrograms, should be enough to ensure optimal blood levels in most people. According to the National Institutes of Health, the safe upper limit is 4,000 IU.
Is vitamin D good for hair?
One role vitamin D plays is stimulating new and old hair follicles. When there isn't enough vitamin D in your system, new hair growth can be stunted. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to alopecia, the autoimmune condition that causes bald patches on the scalp and other areas of the body.
Does vitamin D help with weight loss?
"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," Vigna's team wrote. The researchers suggest that all overweight and obese people should have their vitamin D levels tested.
What is vitamin D?
Vitamin D is famous for its bone-building and strengthening powers. “vitamin D promotes absorption of calcium in your gut, which ultimately allows for normal mineralization of your bones,” Jackie Newgent, RDN, culinary nutritionist and author of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook, tells Health.
Why is vitamin D important for bone growth?
Its main job, according to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements, is to promote calcium absorption, making it necessary for bone growth and bone remodeling (when mature bone tissue is removed and new bone tissue is formed). Because of that, a lack of vitamin D can lead to thin, brittle, or misshapen bones.
How much sunlight should I take a day to get vitamin D?
If you find out you are deficient or lacking in vitamin D intake, there are a few key ways you can up your daily dosage—staring with getting around 20 minutes of sunlight several times a week, according to Newgent.
How much D3 should I take daily?
According to Dr. Boyd, many doctors now consider a daily dose of 1000-2000 IU of D3 safe and will assure optimal levels for most adults.
Is vitamin D fat soluble?
As for when to take it, because vitamin is fat soluble, he suggests pairing it with your largest meal of the day, “containing fat to assure maximal absorption.”. But again, check in with your doctor before you decide to try vitamin D in supplement form.
Does vitamin D help with falls?
Vitamin D can help strengthen muscles. Along with its bone-building abilities, vitamin D is also influential in strengthening muscles. “Lack of vitamin D in the body can increase the risk of having weak muscles, which in turn increases the risk of falls,” Lana Nasrallah, MPH, RD, clinical dietician at UNC Health, tells Health.
Does vitamin D make bones thin?
Because of that, a lack of vitamin D can lead to thin, brittle, or misshapen bones. But vitamin D offers a range of other benefits too, ranging from positives for both physical and mental health. Here are nine vitamin D benefits you need to know about—including ways to get more of the vitamin in your daily diet.
What are the benefits of vitamin D?
However, more studies are needed to determine the benefits of vitamin D supplementation for cognitive health. Inherited bone disorders. Vitamin D supplements can be used to help treat inherited disorders resulting from an inability to absorb or process vitamin D, such as familial hypophosphatemia. Multiple sclerosis.
How does the body make vitamin D?
Your body also makes vitamin D when direct sunlight converts a chemical in your skin into an active form of the vitamin (calciferol). The amount of vitamin D your skin makes depends on many factors, including the time of day, season, latitude and your skin pigmentation.
What is the best vitamin for psoriasis?
Applying vitamin D or a topical preparation that contains a vitamin D compound called calcipotriene to the skin can treat plaque-type psoriasis in some people. Rickets. This rare condition develops in children with vitamin D deficiency. Supplementing with vitamin D can prevent and treat the problem.
What happens if you don't get enough vitamin D?
If you don't get enough vitamin D through sunlight or dietary sources, you might need vitamin D supplements.
Why is vitamin D important for bone?
That's because your body can only absorb calcium, the primary component of bone, when vitamin D is present. Vitamin D also regulates many other cellular functions in your body. Its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties support immune health, muscle function and brain cell activity.
Does vitamin D help with osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis. Studies suggest that people who get enough vitamin D and calcium in their diets can slow bone mineral loss, help prevent osteoporosis and reduce bone fractures. Ask your doctor if you need a calcium and vitamin D supplement to prevent or treat osteoporosis. Psoriasis.
Is it safe to take vitamin D?
Taken in appropriate doses, vitamin D is generally considered safe. However, taking too much vitamin D in the form of supplements can be harmful. Children age 9 years and older, adults, and pregnant and breastfeeding women who take more than 4,000 IU a day of vitamin D might experience: Nausea and vomiting.
Why is vitamin D important for bone health?
That’s why getting enough vitamin D is critical for warding off bone diseases, such as rickets in children, osteomalacia in adults, and osteoporosis in the elderly. (1) Rickets is a rare disease in the United States. It is marked by soft and weak bones in children and is typically associated with developing countries, ...
How many IU of vitamin D is in 8 oz of milk?
Even drinking milk fortified with vitamin D will get you only 100 IU per 8-ounce glass, and the same goes for most plant-milk substitutes that are fortified with vitamin D. (1) That’s why many people take vitamin D supplements.
Does vitamin D help with depression?
While vitamin D’s potential role in helping prevent or manage clinical depression is still un clear because of limited research, researchers believe that a person's vitamin D level may indeed play a role in the risk of seasonal affective disorder, or seasonal depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health . ( 11) People with seasonal affective disorder appear to produce less vitamin D, which may affect the activity of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Does vitamin D help with calcium absorption?
It’s clear that vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium. Without enough vitamin D in the body, there will not be enough of calcium's active form, the hormone calcitriol, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ( 5) Calcium absorption allows the body to maintain a sufficient level of that element as well as phosphate, ...
Does vitamin D help prevent fractures?
Vitamin D supplements don’t prevent fractures or falls, or have any clinically meaningful effect on bone mineral density, according to large review of more than 81 clinical trials published in October 2018 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
Is vitamin D a cure all?
But one thing’s for sure: Vitamin D is no cure-all, so don’t start taking supplements with the hope that all your health woes will vanish.
Does vitamin D help with autoimmune disease?
Researchers have long been fascinated with the potential effect that vitamin D may have on autoimmune disorders because of the nutrient’s role in regulating the immune system, according to Harvard University. ( 22) But as is the case with much of the research on vitamin D, more study is needed.
Why is vitamin D important for bone health?
One of the jobs of vitamin D is to help your gut absorb the calcium and phosphorus from your diet. These minerals in turn help build and maintain the strength of your bones. Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to stress fractures and other problems with the bones.
How does UV light help your body?
When your skin is exposed to sunlight, UV radiation helps your cells convert a molecule called 7-dehydrocholesterol into vitamin D. For some people, getting 10 to 30 minutes of midday sunlight on the face and arms several times a week may allow their body to produce enough of the vitamin. But for people living in a colder climate, this can be hard to achieve in the wintertime. And for others, especially those with darker skin, sunlight alone may not produce healthy levels.
Can low vitamin D cause musculoskeletal injuries?
Because these rates of low vitamin D are higher than what's seen in the general population, they suggest a link between low vitamin D and musculoskeletal injuries. More research is needed to confirm this connection.
Can low vitamin D levels cause bone fractures?
Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to stress fractures and other problems with the bones. But vitamin D has many other functions as well. I describe it to my patients as a delicate symphony of everything that goes on in your body. If one of the instruments — in this case, your vitamin D — is off, it can throw off the whole symphony.
Is vitamin D low in the blood?
Because these rates of low vitamin D are higher than what's seen in the general population, they suggest a link between low vitamin D and musculoskeletal injuries. We found that nearly 66% of them had low levels of vitamin D in the blood; about three-fifths were insufficient and the rest were actually deficient.
Does vitamin D affect men?
Vitamin D may have different effects in men and women. One thing not fully understood is the role that gender may play. There are more questions than answers right now, but we do know that women are at higher risk of having low bone density, as well as having stress fractures and ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries.
Does vitamin D help with knee pain?
Vitamin D affects how your body responds to inflammation and pain. Our study also found that patients who had pain, including a type of knee pain known as patellofemoral-related pain — frequently called runner's knee — often had low levels of vitamin D.
What is vitamin D?
Depression. Vitamin D is involved in various brain processes, and vitamin D receptors are present on neurons and glia in areas of the brain thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of depression [ 128 ].
Why is vitamin D important for muscle growth?
Vitamin D is also needed for the normal development and growth of muscle fibers. In addition, inadequate vitamin D levels can adversely affect muscle strength and lead to muscle weakness and pain (myopathy) [ 1 ].
What vitamin deficiency causes rickets?
Associated with vitamin D deficiency, which can lead to rickets in infants and children and osteomalacia in adults. 30 to <50. 12 to <20. Generally considered inadequate for bone and overall health in healthy individuals. ≥50. ≥20. Generally considered adequate for bone and overall health in healthy individuals. >125.
What is the recommended vitamin D for infant formula?
Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals often contain added vitamin D, as do some brands of orange juice, yogurt, margarine, and other food products. The United States mandates the fortification of infant formula with 1–2.5 mcg/100 kcal (40–100 IU) vitamin D; 1–2 mcg/100 kcal (40–80 IU) is the required amount in Canada [ 1 ].
What is the vitamin D in animal food?
An animal’s diet affects the amount of vitamin D in its tissues. Beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks have small amounts of vitamin D, primarily in the form of vitamin D 3 and its metabolite 25 (OH)D 3. Mushrooms provide variable amounts of vitamin D 2 [ 17 ].
Where does vitamin D come from?
Vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, foods, and supplements is biologically inert and must undergo two hydroxylations in the body for activation. The first hydroxylation, which occurs in the liver, converts vitamin D to 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25 (OH)D], also known as “calcidiol.”.
Does vitamin D help with muscle cramps?
Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and maintains adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal bone mineralization and to prevent hypocalcemic tetany (involuntary contraction of muscles, leading to cramps and spasms).
What are the benefits of vitamin D?
According to a 2019 review, benefits of vitamin D are thought to include support for bone health and immunity, as well as resistance against chronic conditions, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and depression — along with infections and viruses.
Why do we need vitamin D?
There’s evidence that humans need enough D in order for macrophages, white blood cells that attack pathogens, to do their job properly. Vitamin D benefits seem capable of helping to strengthen the immune system by decreasing the ability of some viruses to replicate and grow.
How is D2 made?
Well, manmade D vitamin is made one of two ways: D2 is created by irradiating yeast and other molds (known as vegetarian vitamin D2) or by irradiating animal oils and cholesterol, creating vitamin D3. The type our bodies naturally make is called cholecalciferol, which is vitamin D3.
How to maintain vitamin D levels?
You can also safely increase your vitamin D level by eating vitamin D-rich foods, such as fish, cod liver oil, eggs, dairy products, liver and some mushrooms, to obtain vitamin D benefits.
What percentage of people lack vitamin D?
Given all of these vitamin D benefits, it’s unfortunate that so many people (at least 40 percent to 80 percent of Americans, depending on race, for example) are lacking in this essential vitamin. It’s estimated that up to 95 percent of most people’s vitamin D comes from casual sunlight exposure.
What are the two nutrients that help the body maintain its health?
Calcium and vitamin D are two important micronutrients that work together in the body to support overall health. The complex vitamin D and calcium relationship is especially crucial when it comes to bone metabolism, as both are integral to maintaining the strength of the skeleton.
What is the chemical that is converted into vitamin D3?
Humans evolved to spend time outdoors in the sun. The body converts sunshine into chemicals that are then used by the body. In particular, when UV-B sunshine rays land on the skin, a substance in the skin called 7-dehydrocholesterol is literally converted into vitamin D3 (the more active form).
14 possible benefits of vitamin D
Vitamin D has long been regarded as a critical nutrient for overall health and may include the following health benefits.
Does taking vitamin D supplements help fight COVID-19?
According to research findings and robust data, optimal levels of vitamin D may help fight against COVID-19 .
Top What Are the 14 Benefits of Vitamin D Related Articles
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How does vitamin D help the body?
In this form, it assists the body in absorbing calcium. Your body acquires vitamin D through sun exposure. Certain foods and supplements can also be sources of vitamin D. Dark-skinned people have a high level of melanin. It’s the component that determines coloring in the human and animal world.
How does vitamin D work?
Your muscles, heart, brain, and immune system have vitamin D receptors. The body transports the vitamin to the kidneys and liver, where it converts into an active hormone. In this form, it assists the body in absorbing calcium. Your body acquires vitamin D through sun exposure.
Why do people with depression need to spend more time with others?
Additionally, people dealing with depression have a hard time taking care of themselves properly. They may not eat properly and may not get vitamin D supplements for themselves.
What are the health problems that can arise from vitamin deficiency?
Other health problems that can arise from the deficiency include: Low bone density. Bone softening. Heart disease. Rickets in children. Cancer.
Which group is most likely to have a vitamin D deficiency?
Many groups at a high risk of depression are also likely to have vitamin D deficiency. Adolescents, people with obesity, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses are the most prone to having vitamin D deficiency. They are also at a higher risk of depression.
Is vitamin D deficiency a medical problem?
Medically Reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on March 30, 2021. Vitamin D deficiency leads to both medical and psychosocial problems. It has re-emerged as an epidemic that mainly affects the minority populations.
Does vitamin D deficiency cause depression?
Preventing Vitamin D Deficiency. Vitamin D is as vital for mental health as it's essential for physical health. There is sufficient research to show that not having enough of the vitamin can lead to depression-like symptoms. People with depression have higher chances of having vitamin D deficiency.
Sources
- Vitamin D is a nutrient your body needs for building and maintaining healthy bones. That's because your body can only absorb calcium, the primary component of bone, when vitamin D is present. Vitamin D also regulates many other cellular functions in your body. Its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties support immune health, ...
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