Most of us know vitamin D is good for us, especially in the UK – Sunlight can be hard to come by. Many of us therefore aren’t getting enough all year round.
Research has shown that the UK population is at risk of not having enough vitamin D. Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to fatigue, aches, and muscle weakness.
Now let’s get on to the nitty gritty. Why does having the right amount important? And what does it do for your body?
WHAT IS VITAMIN D GOOF FOR?
- Weight loss: Research has shown vitamin D’s potential to improve weight loss was discovered that people with lower vitamin D levels are more likely to have a higher body weight. The same study confirmed findings that those which took vitamin D supplements after a weight loss diet exceeded the weight loss by the placebo group. Due to the “appetite-suppressing effect”.
- Bone Health: Vitamin D helps your gut absorb calcium and phosphorus from your diet, which in turn help build and maintain strength in your bones.
- Immune Support: Vitamin D helps build immunity by fighting off harmful bacteria and viruses.
- Oral Health: vitamin D helps absorb calcium which plays a vital role in supporting oral health, lowering the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
- High Blood Pressure: Vitamin D can help raised BP and treat hypertension.
- Mood: Researchers have found a significant relationship between depression and vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D comes from food and sunlight, but supplements can help.
SUNLIGHT:
- When your skin is exposed to the glory of natural sunlight, UV radiations helps your cells convert a molecule called 7- dehydrocholesterol into vitamin D.
- For some people 10-30 minutes of sunlight on your face and arms several times a week may suffice. But for the wonderful UK population, this can be hard to achieve, especially in the winter and autumn months.
FOOD:
- Vitamin D can be naturally found in some foods such as dairy sources (milk and cheese), vegetables (mushrooms), oily seafood (salmon), red meat, liver and lastly fruit (aka COLD PRESSED JUICE).
- For many individuals who have certain diet preferences whether it be vegan, veggie, pescatarian etc. sometimes we can’t guarantee we are fuelling ourselves with Vitamin D every day. This is where supplements come into play.
Now how much vitamin D do you need? And yes, you can have too much.
SUPPLEMENTS:
- NHS guidelines recommend from late March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight.
- Children from the age of 1 year and adults need 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day.
- Government advice is that everyone should consider taking a daily supplement of Vitamin D during the autumn /winter
Because you can’t necessarily find out if you have a vitamin D deficiency on your own, the best thing to do is to consult a media expert. Have your blood levels tested and find out if your blood vitamin D level is within the adequate range.
This well help determine if a supplement is enough for you and if so, the proper dosage of supplemental vitamin D.