What Is Vitamin D?
Despite the name, vitamin D is not a regular vitamin, but rather a steroid hormone that the body is designed to obtain primarily through sun exposure. This essential hormone, which is also nicknamed “the sunshine vitamin,” is credited with helping the body fight infections -- including colds and influenza -- by regulating the expression of genes that influence the immune system to fight off bacteria and viruses. Vitamin D also helps our bones absorb calcium, and maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D can help prevent osteoporosis.
Why Is Vitamin D So Important?
Maintaining an optimal level of vitamin D can also protect against the following diseases:
Cardiovascular Disease: Vitamin D reduces hypertension, atherosclerotic heart disease, and may reduce risks for heart attack and stroke.
Autoimmune Diseases: Vitamin D is an immune modulator and may help prevent autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) or inflammatory bowel disease.
Infections, Including Influenza: Because of vitamin D’s role in activating the body’s immune system, maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D can help with the ability to block and heal from a wide range of infections, including influenza.
Vitamin D deficiency, thanks to the development of cost-effective technology to measure levels of the hormone, has been studied extensively for the past 15 years. And as these studies were completed, the extent to which our population is affected has become clear. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32 percent of children and adults in the U.S. are vitamin D deficient. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found even higher figures: they found that 50 percent of children ages one to five, and 70 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 are deficient or insufficient in vitamin D levels.
Research has also noted that adults who always use sunblock -- which blocks vitamin D absorption and production -- or who limit outdoor activity are at an increased risk for vitamin D deficiency. Also at risk are people with increased skin pigmentation (those whose ancestry traces back to Africa, the Middle East or India), whose bodies can require up to 10 times as much sun exposure to produce the same amount of vitamin D as a fair-skinned counterpart. Estimates show that as much as 95 percent of American senior citizens may be deficient in vitamin D, both because they don’t have as much sun exposure and because vitamin D production decreases in old age.
If the benefits of spending an hour a day in the sun aren’t enough to get you to spend your lunch hour outdoors or go for a morning jog or afternoon walk, here are some signs that you might be vitamin D deficient that may get you out of your office:
You Have a Dark Skin Tone
The melanin (the body’s primary skin pigment) you have in your skin acts as a natural sunscreen. Those with higher levels of melanin, including African Americans, Indians and those with heritages tracing back to the Middle East, may need as much as 10 times the sun exposure as a fair-skinned person to create the same amount of vitamin D.
You’ve Got the Blues
Serotonin, one of the brain hormones associated with mood elevation, increases with exposure to light. If you aren’t getting enough sun to have an optimal level of vitamin D, your serotonin levels aren’t where they should be, either.
You’re Tired All Day
A 2012 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that lower levels of vitamin D were linked to daytime sleepiness. Instead of dozing, try getting outside and going for a walk. Both the exercise and the sun exposure will boost your energy.
You’re Older than 50
As we age, our bodies don’t produce as much vitamin D in response to sun exposure. And as we get older, kidneys become less efficient in converting vitamin D into the form our body uses, meaning that we are at a higher risk of being vitamin D deficient in our golden years.
You’re Overweight or Obese
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble hormone, meaning the body collects and stores it in fat cells. If you’re overweight or obese, you likely need more vitamin D than a slimmer person.
Your Bones Ache
Vitamin D aids in the body’s ability to absorb calcium into the bones, fortifying them and protecting against osteoporosis later in life. A vitamin D deficiency may cause throbbing or aching bone pain as a result of a defect in the body’s ability to put calcium in the collagen matrix in your skeleton.
You Experience Muscle Weakness
A vitamin D deficiency may cause decreased muscle size in muscle and nerve tissue.
You Have a Troubled Gut
If you have a gastrointestinal condition that affects your body’s ability to absorb fat -- including Crohn’s disease, gluten sensitivity and inflammatory bowel disease -- then your body may have difficulty absorbing fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin D.
Let the Sun Shine
Do any of the above signs sound like you? The great news about vitamin D deficiency is that the treatment is free and readily available. Take a look at your schedule and see how you can fit in some time in the sun, whether it means getting up 30 minutes earlier to go for a morning walk or eating your lunch outdoors. If you absolutely can’t spend time out in the sun, consider taking a vitamin supplement to boost your vitamin D levels.