Vitamin D is a vitamin that we mostly get from the sunrays and we need to maintain its levels in order to preserve our optimal health, which is not always the case. Although this is not a particular problem for the warmer days, during the winter months, the sun is less present and we go out less frequently due to the cold temperatures, resulting in a lot of people lacking this pivotal nutrient.
According to experts, optimal levels of vitamin D are associated with lower risk of death from any cause by half! This is because vitamin D has an impact on almost 3,000 of the 24,000 genes through the vitamin D receptors located in different parts of the body.
Why Do We Need it so Much?
- It helps us fight off infections and inflammation
- It keeps us safe from colds and the flu
- It creates more than 200 antimicrobial peptides, a naturally occurring antibiotic
Vitamin D Can Alleviate the Following Conditions:
- Diabetes type 1 & 2
- Strokes
- Heart illness
- Viral and bacterial infections
- Autism
- Alzheimer’s
- Breast cancer
The Importance of Vitamin D for Crohn’s Disease Sufferers
Research has linked vitamin D deficiency with a higher chance of Crohn’s disease and it indicates that improving your vitamin D levels may make the symptoms less severe. Moreover, serum vitamin D levels were much lower in Crohn’s disease patients and of the 7 DNA sequence variations that were examined, 2 were connected with the vitamin D amount in the people with Crohn’s whereas 4 were connected to the vitamin D levels among control groups.
This means that his vitamin can influence the genetic expression that is connected with this illness and it can make it better or worse, which depends on your amounts of it.
Vitamin D & Cancer Prevention
More and more research points out the protective role of vitamin D in specific types of cancer, i.e. lung, ovarian, prostate, breast, skin, and pancreatic. A study from 2007 found that a serum 25 D level higher than 33 ng/mL had to do with 50 percent lower chance of colorectal cancer. What’s more, another study from the same year concluded that the women who received 1,110 IU of vitamin D and 1,450 mg of calcium on the daily had a 77 percent higher risk of survival.
The RDA for Vitamin D
Adults need around 8,000 IUs on a daily basis to reach a serum level of 40 ng/mL. The best option to get this pivotal vitamin is through regular exposure to the sun. You can also opt for supplements, but make sure you also increase your vitamin K2 levels as well if you decide for supplementation. Also, get your vitamin D serum levels tested every 6 months. The end goal is to reach a serum level of 60 to 70 ng/mL and to keep it throughout the whole year.
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