Immunity and Vitamin D
Vitamin D affects cells in the immune system and protects against infection and autoimmune disorders.
It supports immunity by inhibiting B cell proliferation, blocking B cell differentiation, and immunoglobulin secretion.
During the recent viral outbreak, researchers noted that U.S. patients with low levels of vitamin D were more likely to be hospitalized.
A higher incidence of autoimmune disease is linked with insufficient vitamin D in the body.
Vitamin D Deficiency
Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can include:
Muscle weakness
Poor coordination
Bone and muscle pain
Fatigue
Mood disorders like depression
Weak bones can lead to osteoporosis (bone density loss), which can cause bones to break easily, sometimes without falling
Vitamin D deficiency can be caused by lack of sunlight, nutrition, and other factors, along with certain medical conditions that don’t allow the intestines to absorb vitamin D through supplements:
Cystic fibrosis
Crohn’s disease
Celiac disease (gluten intolerance)
Kidney disease
Liver disease
Obesity
Weight loss surgeries may make it difficult for the intestines to absorb certain nutrients, including vitamin D, despite varying supplementation doses
A body mass index greater than 30 is associated with lower vitamin D levels since the nutrient becomes isolated in fat cells and is unusable
Kidney and liver diseases reduce the amount of an enzyme needed to change vitamin D to a form the body can use
Other factors that can lead to vitamin D deficiency are:
Age: The skin’s ability to make vitamin D lessens with age
Skin color: Dark-colored skin is less able to make vitamin D than fair-colored skin
Breast milk contains no vitamin D, and infant formula contains only tiny amounts of vitamin D
Laxative use can deplete vitamins and minerals because they speed food through the digestive tract before it can absorb the nutrients.
Intestinal motility disorders, constipation, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBS)
Anxiety and depression
Steroids and medications
Getting Enough Vitamin D
Before antibiotics, doctors advised patients with tuberculosis to go to sanatoriums where they got plenty of time in the sunshine. They thought sunlight directly killed the disease.
Nannies were notorious for administering cod liver oil, a source of abundant vitamin D, to unhappy children to treat tuberculosis and protect them from infections.
Your skin produces vitamin D by using ultraviolet B radiation the sun emits, and it promotes optimal absorption of calcium from your diet.
The three best ways to get vitamin D are:
Sun
Food
Supplements
Sunlight - Melanin is a pigment in the eyes, hair, and skin. Fair-skinned and younger people convert sunshine into vitamin D more readily than darker-skinned individuals and those over age 50
Ten to thirty minutes several days a week in sunlight is usually sufficient and typically isn’t enough exposure to cause skin cancer.
Getting the radiation you need depends on where you live and the time of day and year due to the ozone layer and the sun’s zenith. Areas near the equator have higher ultraviolet light.
The sun’s rays are most powerful between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. but vary depending on cloud cover and air pollution.
Diet - Vitamin D doesn’t occur naturally in many foods. That’s why we fortify foods like milk.
It may be difficult, especially for vegans or people who are lactose intolerant, to get enough vitamin D from their diets, which is why some people take supplements. Some excellent sources of vitamin D are:
Eel
Trout
Swordfish
Salmon
Tuna
Fortified dairy (orange juice, milk, yogurt)
Fortified cereals
Sardines
Beef liver
Egg yolk
Shiitake mushrooms
Supplements - You can’t get too much vitamin D from the sun, although too much UV rays cause other problems like sunburns, wrinkles, leathery skin, liver spots, cancer, eye damage, and actinic keratosis (scaly patches)
Vitamin D Toxicity
While rare, vitamin D toxicity can be a severe problem. It builds up calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause:
Nausea and vomiting
Increased thirst and urination.
Poor appetite.
Constipation.
Weakness.
Confusion.
Pain.
Kidney problems (stones)
Ataxia (loss of muscle control and stumbling)
Dysarthria (slurred speech due to lack of muscle control)
In conclusion, Vitamin D is essential for the proper functioning of your body and its immune system, but too much can wreak havoc.