How Does Vitamin D Affect Your Immune Health?

Why is Vitamin D so important to our immune health?

How do you get your vitamin D?

Picture by Bhupendra Singh

Usually, when you think of Vitamin D, you automatically visualize the sun although there are other sources where Vitamin D can be found. 15 minutes a day in the sun and you might get all the vitamin D your body needs. That’s assuming you live near the equator or take a lot of sunny vacations and don’t wear sunscreen for those fifteen minutes. Of course, you might want to wear sunscreen for other reasons such as avoiding a skin-damaging sunburn and you might not live near the equator or get enough vacation time to get all of the vitamin D that you need. 

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that has been associated with retaining cellular health, supporting bone and tooth growth, supporting muscle strength and coordination, and assisting with a balanced immune function.

Our bodies convert ultraviolet rays into a vital substance that acts like a vitamin and a hormone to support our health – natural Vitamin D. Many tissues and cells in your body have vitamin D receptors and they all require it to function properly including skin, muscles, thyroid, brain, central nervous system, adrenal glands, colon, and prostate. Vitamin D unquestionably exerts a significant influence on many-body systems. When you think of healthy bones and teeth, you probably think of calcium but other nutrients such as vitamin D are equally important. Vitamin D also supports a healthy, balanced immune system by regulating and creating specialized immune cells. Receptors for vitamin D are found on most types of immune cells and when vitamin D binds to those receptors, they can turn on production of even more vitamin D to increase to the optimum level.

By Gustavo Fring

About half of the general population is vitamin D deficient and in Canada and the US that number rises to about two thirds of the population who don’t get enough vitamin D. Low vitamin D has been linked to poor health outcomes and there are a number of factors that can contribute such as 

• time spent indoors 
• where you live 
• your age 
• your skin colour 
• your weight
• your diet.

Most people spend a lot of time indoors and fear skin cancer and premature aging which have resulted in people wearing sunscreen and covering up when outdoors which has led to a significant decline in natural Vitamin D production in our bodies. North Americans live in locations where sunlight hits the atmosphere at more of an angle, blocking out ultraviolet rays, especially during the fall and winter months.

Also, as we age, the skin loses its ability to absorb as much vitamin D and the kidneys become less effective at converting vitamin D from the sun into the form used by your body. 

Those with darker skin are at a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency because skin pigment has a direct correlation with how much vitamin D is made by the body. Some research suggests that those with darker skin may need up to ten times more sun exposure than those with lighter skin to produce a comparable amount of vitamin D. 

By Karolina Grabowska

You can add vitamin D to your daily diet with some foods such as fatty fish (salmon and trout), milk (dairy, almond or soy), yogurt, egg yolks, red peppers, and fortified orange juice but the amount in these foods is pretty low.

Vitamin D is fat-soluble and it determines how well your body will absorb the multivitamin based on your body type. If you are overweight/obese you require much more Vitamin D compared to a healthier individual.     

How do you know if you’re getting enough vitamin D? If you’re feeling down, moody, or if you have muscle cramps, pain, weakness, and fatigue, it may be that you have a Vitamin D deficiency. The only way to know for sure is to have your doctor order a Vitamin D test. 

What if you are Vitamin D deficient? Most experts agree that supplements are a smart and safe way to increase your Vitamin D. As for me – hopefully my doctor will order me to take a nice sunny vacation for the rest of the year. 

What are some signs of Vitamin D deficiency?

Who is more likely affected by Vitamin D?

If you have missed any of the articles in our series or our videos not to worry click below:
                 Vitamin D: Blog   Video
                 Exercise & Meditation: Video
                 Nutrition: Blog     Video
                 Hydration: Blog    Video
                 Sleep: Blog     Video
                 Laughter: Blog    Video

                 Vitamin C: Blog   Video

The Healthy Way Vibes –Health Warriors

Please comment below, like, and share