Vitamin D is widely known for its benefits to bone health; however, it also plays an integral part in relieving depression and decreasing risk for various cancers, heart attacks, and illnesses.

Your body turns sunlight and food sources into vitamin D through absorption of UVB rays and conversion into the active form, calcitriol.

Sun exposure

Sunlight triggers our skin’s production of vitamin D, an essential nutrient for calcium absorption and immune system functioning. Children who do not get enough vitamin D could develop rickets – an illness which weakens bones through softening and softening. Studies are increasingly pointing to vitamin D and its active metabolite 25(OH)D having significant health benefits beyond just bone health. William Grant, director of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center, speculates that higher concentrations of 25(OH)D corresponding with increased sunlight exposure may help protect against autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), asthma and infectious diseases like influenza or tuberculosis. His theory stems from vitamin D’s ability to stimulate production of cathelicidin polypeptide – an antiviral defence substance which protects against viral and bacterial infections.

Your body’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight depends on factors like season, time of day, amount of sunshine, smog and cloud cover conditions, skin melanin content and use of sunscreen; plus age; also consider diet; sources include fatty fish, egg yolks and fortified milk and cereal products as sources.

Vitamin D has also been linked to lower blood pressure, which in turn may decrease risk for heart disease and stroke. Furthermore, it promotes better sleep by setting circadian rhythms that promote weight management.

Adults should consume 200 micrograms of vitamin D daily; most will meet this need through diet and exposure to sunlight between late March/early April and September 30. As autumn and winter approach, when sun does not provide sufficient UVB radiation to stimulate vitamin D synthesis, many individuals require taking daily vitamin D supplements. Unfortunately, high doses can be toxic, leading to kidney failure, soft tissue calcification including lung and coronary arteries calcification, cardiac arrhythmias and even possibly fatal coma – it is therefore vital that one follow their physician’s advice in taking this dose of Vitamin D.

Foods to eat

Sunshine Vitamin D is vital to healthy bones and teeth as well as increasing our resistance to certain diseases, as well as believed to impact mental wellbeing. Unfortunately, however, its effect varies depending on season and individual.

While sunlight is the main source of Vitamin D, food sources also play an important role. Many fortified products contain this essential nutrient – fish such as salmon and sardines can contain high concentrations; dairy products also contain this vitamin; as do plant-based foods like mushrooms, bok choy and taro root.

Foods contain several forms of vitamin D, including its parent form as well as 25(OH)D metabolite. Conversion from diet into biologically active form depends on factors like age and body fat storage [7].

From late March/early April through September, most people can get all of the Vitamin D they require through sunlight on their skin. From October to early March however, sunlight alone does not supply sufficient Vitamin D and we must instead turn to other sources for our vitamin needs.

In the United States, approximately 20% of White adults and 75% of Black adults have insufficient levels of vitamin D in their blood, leading to resurgences of bone-weakening diseases like Rickets in children as well as osteomalacia in adults. This trend has led to problems such as fractured and painful bones as a result of osteomalacia in adults.

Researchers have linked low vitamin D levels with an increased risk of heart disease, autoimmune disorders, cancer and other health conditions. A 2018 population-based data from the Multiethnic Cohort Study (MEC) concluded that women with lower 25(OH)D levels were more likely to suffer from atherosclerosis–an atherosclerotic condition found within heart tissue–than women with higher 25(OH)D levels.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient and its absorption depends on how well one’s digestive tract absorbs fatty acids. Malabsorption is often present in conditions like Crohn’s disease, celiac disease and cystic fibrosis, increasing risk for deficiency if not enough fortified foods are consumed regularly.

Foods to avoid

Vitamin D is a crucial nutrient, aiding your body in its ability to absorb calcium. Furthermore, it supports bone health while regulating cellular functions.

Vitamin D is not found naturally in many foods but does make an appearance in some fish and fortified milk and cereal products. Your body creates vitamin D when sunlight hits your skin and converts calciferol, an inactive chemical into active calciferol – however supplements may also provide this essential nutrient.

The committee that established Recommended Dietary Allowances for vitamin D did not find enough evidence that vitamin D had any measurable impact on a variety of potential health outcomes, except measures related to bone health. However, several studies suggest it could help protect against cancer and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis.

Too much vitamin D can raise calcium levels in the blood (hypercalcemia). High calcium levels may lead to confusion, kidney failure and the calcification of soft tissues such as arteries and heart valves (vascular hypercalcemia). Most instances of vitamin D toxicity occur when people exceed the recommended daily amount of supplemental vitamin D supplements.

From about late March/early April until September in the UK, most people can produce enough vitamin D from sunlight on their skin and eating a nutritious balanced diet to make up their needs for vitamin D. From October through March however, most should take an oral vitamin D supplement providing 10 micrograms a day, or drops for babies and young children.

Most vitamin D can be found through fortified food sources. Plant milk alternatives, like soy, almond and oat milk alternatives are often fortified with equivalent levels of vitamin D to those found in cow’s milk (3 mcg [120 IU]/cup). Orange juice, breakfast cereals and margarines made from these products often include additional Vitamin D in each serving; please refer to Nutrition Facts labels to see exactly how much is present per serving of these products. Furthermore, certain brands of fish oil capsules and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines contain vitamin D content as well.

Supplements

Vitamin D, commonly referred to as the sunshine vitamin, is produced naturally in our skin in response to sunlight. It also occurs naturally in some food products – such as fish liver oils and egg yolks – and supplements can also contain it. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium from intestinal tract and is necessary for healthy bones; current guidelines recommend 600 international units (IUs) daily below age 71 with dosage increasing gradually afterward up to 800 IU per day thereafter; higher dosage may provide added benefits; however too much may prove toxic.

Many individuals may be at risk of not getting enough vitamin D, including those living far from the equator or spending limited time outdoors, those with darker skin who cannot produce as much D through exposure due to melanin pigment acting like a natural sunscreen and keeping production of cutaneous D down, as well as people living with certain health conditions such as kidney disease or inflammatory bowel disease who do not produce enough D from diet alone; for these individuals supplementation of D is recommended.

Vitamin D in its active form – 25(OH)D – is the major biologically active form found in blood plasma and tissues. When converted to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D or calcitriol by specific enzymes in kidney and other tissues, its role becomes elevated plasma calcium and phosphate levels as well as bone formation and maintenance. Furthermore, it serves other purposes including vasodilatation nerve transmission and secretion of hormones.

Every individual should consider taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day throughout the year for maximum benefit, especially those at higher risk for not receiving sufficient amounts. For more information about vitamin D supplementation visit U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central website which lists food nutrient contents including Vitamin D; for pregnant and breastfeeding women it may also be prudent to speak to their doctors about taking supplements of Vitamin D during this timeframe.