Vitamin D can help maintain your immune system and support strong bones, but did you know it is actually a hormone rather than a vitamin? Confused? Don’t be. Here is all you need to know about the ‘Sunshine Vitamin’.
As we are spending more time in our homes, a daily dose of Vitamin D has never been more important to help you and your family stay well.
When your body gets Vitamin D (from sunlight, food, or supplements), it turns the Vitamin D into a hormone. This hormone is called activated Vitamin D, or calcitriol, which is very important to your overall health and wellbeing.
Your body makes around 90% of the Vitamin D it needs, but this can only happen when your skin gets enough direct UV light from sunshine.
The other 10% of your Vitamin D intake comes from foods rich in the vitamin. If you do not get a lot of sunlight, or if you usually stay covered up, a quality Vitamin D supplement will help you.
What does Vitamin D actually do in my body?
Vitamin D is important for a huge number of functions in the body, from supporting strong and healthy bones to maintaining your immune system.
Most of your body’s Vitamin D comes from getting enough sunlight on your skin. For many people, this is a challenge, which is why new Government guidelines recommend a daily Vitamin D3 supplement.
It has also been shown to support the immune system. So taking Vitamin D during the winter months, when you may be more likely to feel under the weather, could help support your immune system, which is integral in fighting off bugs.
5 surprising facts about Vitamin D
1. It helps build strong bones
Our bodies need vitamin D to extract calcium properly from the food we eat, but a vitamin D deficiency means we cannot absorb enough calcium.
Over time, this can contribute to osteomalacia – a condition where the bones become weak and more likely to fracture. But upping your vitamin D levels helps remineralise bone structures, making them stronger.
It could also help prevent osteoporosis. While osteomalacia is caused by poor bone structures being built, osteoporosis is caused by bone breaking down.
Some studies have found that the vitamin can also slow down bone loss, warding off osteoporosis and keeping you stronger for longer.
2. It can protect against gum disease
Finnish researchers recently discovered that low vitamin D levels are linked to periodontitis, or gum disease. Their study found those with chronic gum disease also had very low levels of vitamin D in the blood.
A further study in Norway has also found a link between tooth loss and exposure to sunlight – only 11 per cent of those living in the south of the country lost teeth, compared with 65 per cent in the north. If only we could get summer holidays on prescription…
3. It can help keep your muscles strong
Muscle weakness may be another side effect of low vitamin D levels, especially in the elderly.
Numerous studies have found that taking supplements of this vitamin significantly improves muscle performance, in turn decreasing the number of injuries suffered from falls.
In one particular trial, residents in a nursing home who received this healthy vitamin and calcium supplements suffered 72 per cent fewer falls than those taking a placebo.
4. It may help improve heart health
A recent study – and the largest ever done on the subject – concluded that a vitamin D deficiency is linked to heart disease.
Over 70 per cent of nearly 1500 patients undergoing investigation for narrowing arteries had a vitamin D deficiency, and there was a 32 per cent higher occurrence of coronary artery disease in those patients with the lowest vitamin D levels.
The results were so clear, the team now want to investigate the effects of taking vitamin D on boosting heart health.
5. It can support brain function
This vital vit could have benefits for both mind and body; evidence shows there are links between low vitamin D levels and dementia.
It can be found in brain tissue and two large studies recently suggested that low vitamin D levels could increase the risk of developing dementia. Researchers now agree that large-scale studies should be carried out to fully investigate the link.
Summary
Did you know? Vitamin D:
helps build strong bones
can protect against gum disease
helps keep your muscles strong
may improve heart health
can boost brain function
How does sunlight give us Vitamin D?
When we get sunlight on our skin, our body produces a substance called cholecalciferol.
This is then turned into calcidiol and then calcitriol by the liver and kidneys.
Calcitriol (the active form of Vitamin D) is what your Doctor would measure to assess your Vitamin D levels.
There are three ways to get enough Vitamin D:
from exposure to enough sunlight on your skin
from food sources
from a good Vitamin D supplement
During sunny months, your body might make excess calcidiol. But it will not go to waste. Any extra will be stored in your body fat as a kind of back up for those grey winter days.
Experts think that just 10 minutes of sunlight on your skin is enough to avoid Vitamin D deficiency. So get outside when you can!
What are the symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency?
A vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets in children and osteomalacia or osteoporosis in adults.1 It causes the bones to become soft and weak, often leading to deformities and a higher risk of fractures. Other symptoms include:2
growth problems
bone and joint aches
greater risk of infections
gum disease
constipation
How much vitamin D do I need?
We need 10mcg of vitamin D a day.3 Between April and September, around 15-20 minutes of direct sunlight can provide you with enough vitamin D, but this will vary according to your skin type.4 In autumn and winter the sun isn’t strong enough in the UK for us to produce vitamin D, so it is recommended that everyone from the age of one takes a daily supplement of 10mcg.5 For vulnerable groups who do not get enough sunshine – people with darker skin, those aged 65 or older, people who cover up for religious or cultural reasons, for example – a year-round vitamin D supplement is advised.6
How much vitamin D do children need?
Babies under the age of one need 8.5mcg to 10mcg a day. Older children need the same amount of vitamin D a day as adults.7
Vitamin D2 and D3
The most important forms of Vitamin D for the human body are D3 and (to a lesser extent) D2.
Make sure you cover your bases by choosing a quality vitamin supplement and eating some foods fortified with D3.
What is the difference between vitamin D2 and D3?
Vitamin D2 and D3 are the two most important forms for your health.
There are 2 main forms of vitamin D:
Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) made by plants, with wild mushrooms and those grown under a UV light being the best source
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) made by our skin when we are exposed to enough sunlight. Animal products like fish, meat, eggs and dairy as well as a vegan-friendly fungus called lichen also naturally contain this type of vitamin D
Fortified foods can contain either form.
Is vitamin D3 better than vitamin D2?Studies show that Vitamin D3 is far more important for our health than Vitamin D2. So either choose a Vitamin D3 supplement, or one which contains optimal levels of both forms. Vitamin D2 on its own is not enough.
Experts used to think that vitamins D2 and D3 were of equal importance for human health. But this was based on outdated studies of rickets in children. These days, we know lots more about Vitamin D. And it is clear that D3 is far more important – and more effective – for our health and wellbeing.
We need to look at how the body absorbs Vitamin D to understand why Vitamin D3 is more important. There are lots of biological processes involved. A specific enzyme in the liver helps Vitamin D3 metabolise into the bioactive form of Vitamin D. This process takes much longer with Vitamin D2.
All about Vitamin D2
Plants produce this form of Vitamin D when they are exposed to UV light (in much the same way as our bodies naturally produce Vitamin D).
The most common example is wild mushrooms or mushrooms produced under UV light. Dairy-free milk (including soya, coconut, and almond milk) are often boosted with D2.
All about Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 is the biologically active form of the vitamin, found in our bodies and in animals. When sunlight hits exposed skin, a reactive process converts cholesterol into Vitamin D3.
Although you need both forms, Vitamin D3 is more important for your health and wellbeing. Our bodies absorb and use Vitamin D3 better, and it is more effective at treating diseases.
Studies have shown that it is Vitamin D3, not D2, which maintains levels of Vitamin D in our body even over winter months.
It is important to note that dietary sources of Vitamin D3 can only be found in animal products. So if you are vegan, you need to pay extra attention to supplementing your diet with Vitamin D3.
Summary
Vitamin D comes in two forms: D2 and D3
Studies show that Vitamin D3 is more important for our health and well being
Dietary sources of D3 can only be found in animal products
Vegans are therefore advised to supplement their diet with D3