Why do we need Vitamin D?

What is Vitamin D, and how does it work in our body?

Vitamin D is making sure your muscles, heart, lungs and brain work well. It is very important for overall health, giving us strong bones and helping our body to fight against infection.

The level of Vitamin D in our body depends on how much we get from the sunlight we are exposed to and the type of food we eat. Also, supplementation can play a big part in providing us a good level of Vitamin D. Your body will use it to take care of calcium in your blood, bones and gut and your body cells.

Your body needs this Vitamin to keep your body in good health and to fight illness and heal well. Sunlight can help your body to produce Vitamin D and to make your bones stronger. The recent research shows that Vitamin D plays a very important role in the fight against some long-term health issues. When your body produces Vitamin D, it turns into a hormone called “Activated Vitamin D” or “Calcitriol”.

Exposing your skin to sunlight regularly doesn’t mean that your body will produce sufficient Vitamin D you need. You also need to get it from the food you eat, and the best way is to take supplements regularly. Calcium and phosphorus are essential for developing your healthy bone structure. We need Vitamin D to absorb these minerals in our body to maintain our bones in good condition.

Some of the functions of the body that vitamin D helps with include:

• Immune system, which helps you to fight infection

• Muscle function

• Cardiovascular function, for a healthy heart and circulation

• Respiratory system –for healthy lungs and airways

• Brain development

• Anti-cancer effects

When your body doesn’t get enough Vitamin D, it is called Vitamin D deficiency, which can cause a condition called ‘Rickets’ for children and ‘Osteomalacia’ for adults. Both cases will cause soft, thin and brittle bones. It can also be linked to cancer, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease.

Daily, your liver receives Vitamin D when you expose your skin to the sunlight, eat foods or take supplements. Your liver will use the Vitamin D and change it into a substance called 25(OH)D. It helps to manage calcium in your blood, bones and gut. Also helps cells all over your body to communicate properly. Therefore, or lack of Vitamin D, your body can’t perform at its best.

How do I get the Vitamin D my body needs?

Although you can get Vitamin D from sunlight, because large amount of Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) is made in your skin when you expose your skin to the sunlight. It only takes a short time to make between 10,000 to 25,000 IU (International Units) of Vitamin D your body needs in one day. You also have to consider the area of your body that receives the sunlight, either in large areas when you are sunbathing or just your face and arms. But depends on your skin type and the risk of getting a burn, and in the worst case, you can suffer skin cancer.

The amount of vitamin D you get from exposing your bare skin to the sun depends on:

• The time of day – your skin produces more Vitamin D during the midday sun

• Depends on where you live – how many hours a day sunlight is available

• Depends on your skin colour – darker skins make less Vitamin D than pale skin

• Depends on your skin's exposure to the sunlight – the larger areas of exposure will get more Vitamin D

Other factors which can affect the amount of Vitamin D your body produces from exposure to the sunlight too:

• Your age – the older you are, your skin produces less Vitamin D

• If you are using sunscreen, it will block a lot of Vitamin D production

• The altitude you are at – sunlight is more intense on top of the mountain, and you get more Vitamin D

• If it is a cloudy day, less UVB reaches your skin, blocked by the cloud, and you get less Vitamin D

• Air pollution – it soaks up the UVB, which will reflect into the space, so you get less Vitamin D

• Behind glass – again, it blocks all UVB from your skin, so you can’t make Vitamin D

Most are concerned that exposing your skin to the sun too much will either cause a burn or lead to skin cancer. But protecting your skin from the sun will not get the Vitamin D your body needs. You can never get enough Vitamin D from what we eat daily. Therefore, the best way to get Vitamin D into your body is through supplementation. It can be from tablets and capsules or even liquid forms. Vitamin D3 is the best kind of supplement to take.

The amount of Vitamin D you should take daily can be varying recommend from different organisations. Some recommend taking a larger amount, but for those with health problems or who are currently taking certain medicines, you may need to take extra care.

Different organisations recommend different amounts of vitamin D supplements to take each day. The Vitamin D Council recommends taking larger amounts of vitamin D each day than other organisations, because smaller amounts aren’t enough to give you what your body needs. Most people can take vitamin D supplements with no problems. However, if you have certain health problems or take certain medicines, you may need to take extra care.

Recommended daily intakes from various organisations:

Various organisations Food and Nutrition Board

Infants 400 - 1,000 IU/day 400 IU/day

Children 600 - 1,000 IU/day per 600 IU/day

25 lbs of body weight

Adults 1500 - 5,000 IU/day 600 IU/day, 800 IU/day

for seniors

Depending on which country you are living in, you need to find out their daily recommendation.

Why are the recommendations so different? Some researchers believe that there isn’t enough evidence to support taking higher amounts of vitamin D yet. On the other hand, some researchers believe that research is proving, or will prove, that taking lower amounts isn’t enough.

Can I take more than the recommended amounts?

Yes, you can, but you have to make sure to pay attention and follow the upper limits below

Upper limits set by various organisations:

Various organisations Food and Nutrition Board

Infants 2,000 IU/day 1,000-1,500 IU/day

Children 2,000 – 4,000 IU/day per 2,500-3,000 IU/day

25 lbs of body weight

Adults 10,000 IU/day 4,000 IU/day

Please be aware that Vitamin D is fat-soluble; therefore, your body will have a hard time getting rid of it if you take too much. The upper limit for adults should not be more than 10,000 IU / day. Don’t forget with little or more sun exposure also gives you more Vitamin D too. So watch your limit and avoid Vitamin D toxicity, which can be harmful if your body exceeds 40,000 IU / day for a couple of months. However, in some extreme cases of disease like multiple sclerosis and prostate cancer, research has shown there may be a benefit in taking larger amounts of Vitamin D. If you do, please work with your doctor and test your Vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels every 3 months.

Questions and Answers:

Q. What form of Vitamin D should I take, and how do I take it?

A. You should take Vitamin D3 because your body produces this kind of vitamin from sun exposure. The other Vitamin D is not. However, if you are a vegetarian, then you have to take Vitamin D2 instead. It really doesn’t matter whether they are tablet, capsule or liquid drop form, you can take any of these and don’t worry about what time of the day, before or after a meal or not.

Q. What if I’m having trouble absorbing vitamin D supplements?

A. If your body is having a problem absorbing your Vitamin D intake, then you should consider trying these options:

• Take vitamin D under your tongue rather than swallowing it (sublingually).

• Try relying on more sun exposure.

• Increase your intake, but make sure you test your Vitamin D level every 3-6 months.

Q. Can anyone take vitamin D supplements?

A. Anyone can take Vitamin D supplements except in the following situations:

• If you are currently taking certain medications for irregular heartbeat, hydrochlorothiazide, or treatment for high blood pressure. Don’t take high doses of Vitamin D, and check your digoxin level closely.

• If you have any kidney, liver or hormonal disease, hyperparathyroidism, or granulomatous disease or any illness that concerns you, then you must get advice from a specialist.

• If you have high blood calcium levels.

• If you are taking any medication that interferes with Vitamin D, again, if in any doubt, seek advice from a specialist.

Q. Can I get sun exposure and take supplements?

A. Yes indeed. In fact, we should have both regularly.

Q. Can I get vitamin D from my diet?

A. There are small amounts of vitamin D in a few foods, which makes it nearly impossible to get what you need from food. However, these foods include:

• Fatty fish

• Beef liver

• Egg yolks

• Fortified milk and orange juice

• Fortified cereals

• Infant formula

I hope you find the above information useful and seriously consider taking the Vitamin D3 supplement daily. I would welcome the opportunity to be able to have an informal chat with you anytime.

Cary Lam

Liked this article? I would so appreciate it if you'd share it with a friend, family member, or colleague!

Share your thoughts on this article below. I want to hear from you!