And here’s why:
- It improves muscle function If you have chronic pain you may want to reassess your vitamin D levels. ...
- It blunts your appetite Beyond the clear impact on our mood, gloomy pre-spring weather can indeed make us fat. ...
- It can protect lung function The sunshine vitamin will not only help you feel better, you’ll breathe easier too. ...
What are the advantages of taking vitamin D?
What are the Advantages of Vitamin D Supplements?
- Vitamin D prevents Certain Types of Cancers. A regular intake of Vitamins D supplements can help prevent certain cancers, especially breast, prostate, and colon.
- Weight Loss is among the advantages of Vitamin D Supplements. ...
- Promotes Bone health. ...
- Mitigates Risk of flu. ...
- Promotes health during infancy. ...
- Healthy pregnancy. ...
How much vitamin D should you take for optimal health?
Vitamin D's Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), which is the maximum daily intake unlikely to cause adverse health effects, is 4,000 IU per day. Some health groups recommend taking from 800 to 2,000 IU per day but some clinicians recommend higher doses such as a 5,000 IU OTC capsule or even 10,000 IU per day without symptoms of toxicity.3,4
What foods and drinks contain vitamin D?
Top Twenty List - highest vitamin d Content per 100g
- Mushrooms, maitake, raw 1123IU
- Fish, halibut, Greenland, raw 1097IU
- Fish, mackerel, salted 1006IU
- Fish, carp, raw 988IU
- Fish, eel, mixed species, raw 932IU
- Fish, salmon, chinook, smoked 685IU
- Fish, mackerel, Atlantic, raw 643IU
- Fish, sturgeon, mixed species, smoked 642IU
- Fish, trout, rainbow, farmed, raw 635IU
- Fish, swordfish, raw 558IU
What are the high sources of vitamin D?
Vitamin D in Fortified Foods
- Cow’s Milk – It usually contains about 130 IU per cup (237 ml), or about 22% of the RDI.
- Soy Milk – One cup (237 ml) typically contains between 99 and 119 IU of Vitamin D, which is up to 20% of the RDI.
- Orange Juice – One cup (237 ml) of fortified orange juice contains up to 142 IU of Vitamin D, or 24% of the RDI.
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?
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What are the benefits of vitamin D?
Eight benefits of vitamin D. Boosts your immune system. Vitamin D can help boost your immune system and prevent the flu. Helps prevent certain cancers. Studies have shown that vitamin D can help prevent certain types of cancer and even slow tumor development.
Why do we need vitamin D?
You need vitamin D for a handful of reasons including keeping your bones strong as it helps with the absorption of other essential nutrients like calcium and phosphorus — the building blocks of your bones. Vitamin D is a hormone your body produces when you come into contact with sunlight. It’s also a fat soluble vitamin found in food like fatty ...
Why is vitamin D important for bones?
Because vitamin D is essential for bone health, you need to make sure you’re getting enough especially as you get older. Your bones can weaken over time, but a proper daily dose of vitamin D will help your body properly absorb calcium to keep your bones strong. Prevents painful muscle spasms and cramps.
What is vitamin D?
Vitamin D is also called the sunshine vitamin. When your skin comes into contact with the sun’s ultraviolet rays (UV rays), the receptors on your skin start synthesising vitamin D production. This makes it an easy nutrient to obtain if you live in a sunny place. If you don’t live in a sunny place, however, it is easy to become vitamin D deficient.
Does vitamin D help with osteoporosis?
People who get enough vitamin D and calcium in their diet are less likely to develop bone diseases like osteoporosis and osteomalacia. People who take calcium and vitamin D are also less likely to get bone fractures.
Does melanin help with vitamin D?
Melanin acts like sunscreen and can prevent your body from converting the sun’s rays into vitamin D. Certain groups of people are at risk for vitamin D deficiency. You can develop a deficiency when you have a low vitamin D intake over a long period of time. At risk for a vitamin D deficiency include:
Does vitamin D help with MS?
Reduces the risk of multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis ( MS) is a degenerative nerve disease. Research shows that long-term vitamin D intake can reduce your risk of developing MS. Low vitamin D levels have also been associated with an increased risk of MS .
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).
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.
