Vitamin D is both an essential nutrient that we eat and a hormone our bodies make. It helps the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus, which are critical for bone health.
Often referred to as the "sunshine vitamin," it's primarily produced in your skin in response to sunlight. Vitamin D is in a few foods such as fatty fish (cod liver oil, trout, and salmon), milk, mushrooms, and eggs.
It's a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it will absorb along with fats in the diet (peanut butter, fatty fish, soy, avocado, nuts/seeds, olive oil, etc.)
Experts have advocated for or disagreed with raising the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin D, while the Vitamin D Council recommends a high RDA: 1,000 IU for infants and kids and 5,000 IU for adults, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has a recommendation of 600 IU for children and adults under age 70 [1]. Many of these experts agree that the tolerable limit is 4,000 IU.
|
Age |
Food and Nutrition Board |
Vitamin D Council |
|
Infants |
400 IU/day |
1,000 IU/day |
|
Kids and Teens |
600 IU/day |
1,000 IU/day per 25 lbs of body weight |
|
Adults |
600 IU/day, 800 IU/day for seniors |
5,000 IU/day |
According to a study from 2012, it's estimated that "1 billion people worldwide, across all ethnicities and age groups, have a vitamin D deficiency." [2]
Lifestyle plays a huge factor in this. Those with indoor jobs, or who spend their leisure time inside (nerds like us), or both, are more prone to deficiency, even with a diet that includes vitamin D fortified foods.
Environmental factors (e.g., air pollution or climates with less sunlight) can also play a role in reduced exposure to sunlight (which is sometimes referred to as seasonal affective disorder [SAD].).
Vitamin D deficiency increases your risk for:[3]
- Several bone diseases
- Muscle weakness
- More than a dozen types of cancers
- Multiple sclerosis
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
- Depression[4]
Vitamin D also plays a role in synthesizing serotonin and dopamine in the brain, which relates to depression. Though mixed studies are showing this, researchers suggest that "evidence exists that low levels of dopamine and serotonin are linked to depression. Therefore it is logical that there may be a relationship between low levels of vitamin D and depressive symptoms," said Kimlin, a Cancer Council Queensland Professor of Cancer Prevention Research. Studies have also found depressed patients commonly had lower levels of vitamin D." [5]
The comment mentioned above about mixed studies linking depression and vitamin D reigns true. However, I implore you to go on Amazon and read verified reviews of a few vitamin D products.
You'll find many customer anecdotes of positive mood changes and an increase in an overall sense of well-being from supplementation. "Effective detection and treatment of inadequate vitamin D levels in persons with depression and other mental disorders may be an easy and cost-effective therapy which could improve patients' long-term health outcomes as well as their quality of life." [6]
With vitamin D being very affordable, I believe everyone should supplement with the RDA amount. You can find products of different dosing on Amazon. Most are 5,000 IU, which is what we carry. If you take a multivitamin, check the dosage of vitamin D before additional supplementation.
As always, consult with your physician before beginning any supplement regimen.
See you in Verdansk.
References:
[1] Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; Huffington Post; "How Much Vitamin D? Why Many Experts Take Issue With The IOM's New Recommendations;" December 2010
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356951/
[3] Grant WB, Holick MF; Alternative Medicine Review; "Benefits and requirements of vitamin D for optimal health: a review;" June 2005
[4] https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
[5] University of Georgia. "Vitamin D deficiency, depression linked in international study.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 December 2014.