The Role of Vitamin D in the Body

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient your body requires to build strong bones and support your immune system. Additionally, it regulates many other cellular processes within the body.

Vitamin D is primarily obtained through UV exposure on your skin. Unfortunately, many people don’t get enough of it during autumn and winter when sunlight levels are lower.

Vitamin D and Calcium

The Role of Vitamin D in Bone Health

Calcium and vitamin D work together to keep bones strong and healthy. Without adequate amounts of these essential nutrients, your bones could become brittle and break easily – leading to fractures, breaks, or osteoporosis.

Fortunately, you can get enough calcium and vitamin D by eating the right foods. Dairy products, fortified foods, and other sources of these minerals are great ways to ensure you’re getting your daily recommended amounts of each nutrient.

For those who find it difficult to obtain enough calcium and vitamin D from their food intake, taking supplements can be an effective solution. Many different kinds of calcium and vitamin D supplements exist, such as citrate or carbonate versions that can be taken with or without food.

While some calcium and vitamin D supplements can be purchased without a prescription, it’s always wise to consult your doctor before beginning any new medications or supplements. Some drugs can interfere with calcium absorption while affecting how much vitamin D you take – so it’s best to check in with your provider prior to making changes.

Your doctor can administer a blood test to check your calcium and vitamin D levels. This test can indicate whether you are vitamin D deficient, as well as determine if additional supplements are necessary.

Adequate levels of vitamin D and calcium are essential for maintaining healthy bones, teeth and muscles. Furthermore, having adequate levels of these two vitamins may lower your risk for heart disease and certain cancers.

Vitamin D is essential for immune system health and can help lower your cholesterol level. Furthermore, it may reduce the risk of breast and colon cancers.

The IOM conducted a comprehensive review of the latest research on these nutrients to establish Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). This process included evaluating all available evidence, conducting an extensive risk assessment and recognizing any potential health outcomes that might be connected to vitamin D and calcium intakes.

Vitamin D and Bone Health

Vitamin D is essential for bone health, yet many people lack this vital nutrient. It helps our bodies absorb calcium – essential for strong bones and muscles – without it, our bodies cannot keep up with calcium loss which may result in weak or fragile bones.

It regulates various cellular functions within the body, such as immunity, muscle function and brain cell activity. Furthermore, research has linked it to health benefits like decreased cancer risks and cognitive decline.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, naturally found in certain foods such as fatty fish, fortified milk and cereals. For those unable to get enough of the vitamin through food sources alone, supplements may provide a reliable solution.

Researchers have discovered that high amounts of vitamin D are essential for children’s strong and sturdy bones. Without it, children may develop rickets – a condition characterized by bone weakness and bowed legs.

Vitamin D deficiencies in adults can lead to osteomalacia, or softening of the bones. To determine if you are deficient, take a blood test.

If your doctor discovers you are deficient in vitamin D, they may suggest taking a supplement or eating more foods that contain this important nutrient. They’ll also check your 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels – an indicator of how much of this essential nutrient is present in your system – to see what needs to be done to address the issue.

Your body’s required amount of vitamin D depends on age and other factors such as whether you have celiac disease or another digestive disorder that makes it difficult for the body to absorb the nutrient. As a guideline, adults should consume 400 IU daily for infants, 600 IU for children, and 800 IU per adult.

Research has demonstrated that vitamin D and calcium can reduce the risk of fractures, so some people take a dietary supplement with both. However, recent research indicates that supplementing with just vitamin D isn’t beneficial for those who already have normal levels.

Vitamin D and Mental Health

Studies have discovered that people with certain mental health disorders tend to have low levels of vitamin D in their blood. This could be because many who struggle with these issues spend less time outdoors and thus don’t get enough sun exposure to produce adequate amounts of this essential nutrient.

Studies have also indicated that individuals with low levels of vitamin D are more prone to depression and other psychiatric illnesses and conditions. This may be because vitamin D helps the body regulate healthy concentrations of mood chemicals like serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine; additionally it corrects calcium and glutamate-g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) imbalance in the brain.

Research suggests that high levels of vitamin D may help alleviate depression in those suffering from it. This is because high doses of Vitamin D have been found to enhance expression of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) in the brain, which could promote serotonin production and lessen symptoms associated with depression.

Unfortunately, our understanding of the effects of vitamin D on mental health remains somewhat incomplete. Nonetheless, several meta-analyses have been conducted specifically for depression which suggest that taking this supplement may reduce symptoms associated with this disorder.

One meta-analysis revealed that vitamin D supplementation was linked with a significant reduction in depressive symptoms when combined RCTs were included. This finding suggests that supplementation may have an effect on symptoms, though it’s uncertain whether this effect is due to the different intervention types used.

Another meta-analysis, which considered a wide array of studies and patient samples, also discovered that vitamin D supplementation could help alleviate depressive symptoms in some individuals. Although the evidence wasn’t as compelling as that found by the first meta-analysis, it still suggests that supplementation may have some beneficial effects in certain individuals.

Finally, a study in an older Korean population revealed that those with lower levels of vitamin D were more likely to experience depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that people suffering from depression should consider getting routine vitamin D testing and supplementation to make sure they’re getting enough of this important nutrient to prevent the onset of clinical depression.

Vitamin D and Weight Loss

The Role of Vitamin D in the Body

Vitamin D not only supports bone health, but it can also make it harder for fat cells to form and store themselves within the body. This could aid those living with obesity in losing weight and managing their condition better.

The National Institutes of Health recommend that adults get 600 IU of vitamin D daily to stay healthy. You can obtain this essential nutrient through sunlight exposure or certain foods.

Researchers have observed that overweight and obese individuals often have lower levels of vitamin D in their bloodstream due to fat cells blocking its absorption into the body. Conversely, studies have revealed that overweight people who take supplements of vitamin D tend to have higher concentrations than their sedentary counterparts, according to one 2013 study.

Another reason obese individuals often have low vitamin D levels is that their liver and kidneys cannot produce enough of the enzymes necessary to convert vitamin D into a form that the body can utilize. This leads to lower active amounts of Vitamin D in the body, so those who suffer from these conditions may require higher dosages of supplements in order to reach and sustain a healthy level.

There’s also evidence linking vitamin D deficiency and depression. A 2017 review of studies revealed that lower moods were observed when vitamin D levels were low.

Women who are vitamin D deficient during pregnancy are at greater risk for various complications, such as preterm birth or gestational diabetes.

Deficits in calcium may also lead to rickets, which causes soft bones and skeletal deformities in infants and children.

According to the National Institutes of Health, pregnant women who are vitamin D deficient should receive extra supplementation as part of their prenatal care plan. This can help reduce the risks for pregnancy-related weight gain, bacterial vaginosis, and gestational diabetes.

A randomized clinical trial found that vitamin D supplementation significantly increased serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OHD3), and calcitriol (Vitamin D3) levels at two years’ follow-up. However, this increase was significantly lower among participants with higher BMI categories – including obese individuals – at baseline.