Vitamin D| Monica’s Archives

Vitamin D is both a nutrient we eat and a hormone our bodies make. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, promoting growth and mineralization of our bones. It helps control infections and reduces inflammation.

Vitamin D is also known as the sunshine vitamin because our bodies can make and absorb Vitamin D from sun exposure. Sun exposure of 5-30 minutes up to 3pm twice a week to the face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen is usually enough to help Vitamin D intake. This process varies widely depending on the season, time of day, cloud cover, skin color (darker skin needs more exposure), and sunscreen use, so eating food sources of vitamin D is also important.

 There are two forms of vitamin D in the diet:

·         Vitamin D2 – found in a plant source, mainly in mushrooms

·         Vitamin D3 – found in oily fish, fish liver oils and egg yolks.

However, many people still do not get enough of this important vitamin. For instance, the skin makes less vitamin D as we age. Use of sunscreen and sun avoidance also lowers the skins’ production of vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density (size and strength), broken bones (fractures), muscle weakness, and the bone-thinning disease, osteoporosis. Severe vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Both problems cause soft, weak bones, as well as pain in the bones and muscles.

The best way for doctors to measure how much vitamin D is in your body is with a blood test called the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D test. Experts recommend it for people at risk of vitamin D deficiency. Your doctor will tell you if you need this test. A test result below 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) shows you do not have enough vitamin D. 

Some signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency:

1.       Getting sick and infected often

2.       Fatigue and tiredness

3.       Bone and back pain

4.       Depression

5.       Impaired wound healing

6.       Bone loss

7.       Hair loss

8.       Muscle pain

Vitamin D deficiency is very common. Fortunately,  vitamin D deficiency is easy to fix. You can either increase your sun exposure, eat more vitamin D rich foods or you can take Vitamin D supplements. The supplements should be taken as per your doctor’s advice. It can be taken daily, weekly, monthly as per your requirements.

Getting enough vitamin D may also play a role in helping to keep you healthy by protecting against the following conditions and possibly helping to treat them. These conditions include:

·         Heart disease and high blood pressure

·         Diabetes

·         Infections and immune system disorders

·         Fall in older people

·         Some types of cancer, such as colon, prostate and breast cancers

·         Multiple sclerosis (a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system, especially the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves).

The role of vitamin D in the treatment of COVID-19 is considered to be twofold:

First, vitamin D supports the production of antimicrobial peptides in the respiratory epithelium, making it less likely to be infected with the virus and to develop COVID-19 symptoms.

Second, vitamin D can reduce  the inflammatory response to the infection, which has a positive effect on patients’ outcomes.

NOTE: Please consult your doctor before you go for a vitamin D test and follow his/her instructions for taking the supplements of the same.

                                                                Stay happy and safe!