Health benefits of Vitamin D

In the northern hemisphere, it’s that time of the year when we get less of that big yellow ball in the sky and the accompanying benefits of the sun’s rays in the form of vitamin D (also known as the sunshine vitamin). Sun exposure has had a bad rap up until very recently and yes excessive sun exposure is ageing and does raise your risk of skin cancer – but did you know that not enough sun then raises your risk of other, more internal cancers? We are opportunist omnivores who evolved in a tropical climate and the sun/vitamin D is essential to our health and well-being.

In spite of the name, vitamin D is considered a pro-hormone and not actually a vitamin. This is because the body is capable of producing its own vitamin D through the action of sunlight on the skin, while vitamins are nutrients that cannot be synthesised by the body and must be acquired through the diet or supplements.

Vitamin D is produced when sunlight converts cholesterol on the skin through various processes involving the liver and kidneys into the active form of vitamin D. So as such, statins and other medications or supplements that inhibit cholesterol synthesis, liver function or kidney function can impair the synthesis of vitamin D. It is estimated that sensible sun exposure on bare skin for 5-10 minutes 2-3 times per week allows the body the ability to produce sufficient vitamin D, but vitamin D has a half-life of only two weeks, meaning that stores can run low, especially in winter. Vitamin D deficiency is common, especially in the elderly, infants, people with dark skin and people living at higher latitudes or who get little sun exposure.

Health benefits of Vitamin D:

1) Vitamin D for healthy bones
Vitamin D plays a substantial role in the regulation of calcium and maintenance of phosphorus levels in the blood, two factors that are extremely important for maintaining healthy bones. We need vitamin D to absorb calcium in the intestines and to reclaim calcium that would otherwise be excreted through the kidneys.

2) Reduced risk of diabetes
Several observational studies have shown an inverse relationship between blood concentrations of vitamin D in the body and risk of type 2 diabetes. In type 2 diabetics, insufficient vitamin D levels may have an adverse effect on insulin secretion and glucose tolerance.

3) Healthy pregnancy
Pregnant women who are deficient in vitamin D seem to be at greater risk of developing preeclampsia and needing a cesarean section. Poor vitamin D status is also associated with gestational diabetes mellitus and bacterial vaginosis in pregnant women. It is also important to note that vitamin D levels that were too high during pregnancy were associated with an increase in food allergy of the child during the first two years of life

4) Healthy infants
Low vitamin D status has also been associated with a higher risk and severity of atopic childhood diseases and allergic diseases, including asthma, atopic dermatitis and eczema.

5) Cancer prevention
Vitamin D is extremely important for regulating cell growth and for cell-to-cell communication. Some studies have suggested that the hormonally active form of vitamin D can reduce cancer progression by slowing the growth and development of new blood vessels in cancerous tissue, increasing cancer cell death and by reducing cell proliferation and metastases.

Vitamin D deficiency has also been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma severity and swine flu.

I recommend you get a vitamin D test at your GP’s to see where your levels are at then (unless you are doing sunshine breaks regularly during winter) ensure you take a Vitamin D supplement from October through until May.

These are the kind of things my clients learn when working with me, so contact me today “here” or email jackie@age-drop.com to learn more about how I can help you look fabulous, feel fantastic and love the body you are in!

Resource: Medical News Today