Vitamin D – What to Do?
You are probably hearing a lot about Vitamin D right now. It has rightfully come into the spotlight due to Covid-19.
So, should you be taking vitamin D? Let’s talk about that.
Vitamin D is known for its role in healthy immune function and healthy bones. It also is involved in blood sugar balance and insulin sensitivity.
Deficiency of Vitamin D is often found if those with depression, Hashimoto’s, elevated blood sugar, diabetes, obesity and chronic bone and muscle pain.
This year low Vitamin D levels have been found in those who tested positive, and in some cases, in those who faired more poorly with Covid-19.(1,2,3) This is not surprising. There has been research well before 2019 indicating that Vitamin D was associated with protection against acute respiratory tract infection.(4)
I think we can easily agree that Vitamin D deficiency may put one at greater risk of getting sick with Covid, and possibly greater risk of getting much more seriously sick.
So, should you take Vitamin D, and if so, how much?
If some is good, then more is better, right?
Not so fast. There is such a thing as Vitamin D toxicity.
The problem is that if you aren’t deficient and you take high doses of Vitamin D, you may reach toxic levels. Then you have too much calcium in your blood, because that’s part of what D does. It increases the absorption of calcium in the gut.
This is a good thing, to a point. But if there is too much calcium in your blood your body stuffs the excess into your soft tissues. So your blood vessels, heart and kidneys literally calcify. This can lead to kidney stones and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Ok, then. What’s a body to do?
Best to test. A blood level of 25(OH)D will give you an idea of where you stand. There are still some variables to consider so it is best to test with a functional medicine provider who can better test, interpret, and suggest dosing if supplementation is indicated.
If you don’t want to test and you have NOT SUPPLEMENTED recently with Vitamin D then you can probably safely take 1000-4000iu of Vitamin D3 per day. This dose is associated with a mild mood boost for many, which can come in handy if you have winter blues.
I would not suggest going higher than this without testing and guidance. Another thing to know is that Vitamin D works in coordination with other nutrients, particularly Vitamin A and K2. So it is important that you are getting these in sufficient amounts when supplementing Vitamin D. Our bodies are all about balance. So we are careful about taking large doses of any one nutrient.
Also, vitamins A, D and K2 are all fat soluble so they need fat present in order for your body to absorb them and use them. Best to take with a meal.
Remember, your body makes Vitamin D when skin is exposed to sunlight. This is probably how we were meant to get Vitamin D and is still the best way when practical.
Just so you know, full-body exposure to midday summer sun will produce roughly 10,000 IU of vitamin D in about half the time it takes for your skin to turn pink. That’s a lot. However, when was the last time you sunbathed nude anytime of day or year? Right.
Vitamin D rich foods can help, particularly during any months of the year you aren’t exposing large parts of skin to the sun. Cold-water fish, pasture raised eggs and cod liver oil are high in D. Cold water fish include salmon, herring, rainbow trout, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and anchovies. Pasture raised chicken eggs have 400-700iu’s of D as opposed to conventional chicken eggs with about 120iu.
It is not just a coincidence that these foods are really good for you to be consuming regularly anyway. It is recommended that each person consume one half to 1 pound of cold-water fish per week due to its high omega-3 and DHA content.
Wild caught fish is always preferable. Norwegian farmed salmon is a reasonable substitute when you can’t get or afford wild. But I cannot recommend any kind of fish farmed in the US. Inflammatory grains, high in omega 6, are the primary diet on these farms, rendering the fish a poor nutrition choice.
So the take-away is…
Sun exposure when you can
Wild and pasture raised foods high in D, or cod liver oil
Low level supplementation if you want
Or test if you want more information.
I am always happy to help you assess and plan your way to better health.
Contact me if you’d like to talk about Vitamin D, immunity against covid, or any other health concern.
Sources
1) Association of Vitamin D Status and Other Clinical Characteristics With COVID-19 Test Results. Meltzer, D et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(9):e2019722.
2) Short term, high-dose vitamin D supplementation for COVID-19 disease: a randomised, placebo-controlled, study (SHADE study). Rastogi, A, et al. Postgraduate Medical Journal: 12 November 2020.
3) Vitamin D and survival in COVID-19 patients: A quasi-experimental study. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Volume 204, November 2020.
4) Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. BMJ 2017; 356:i6583