Why Is Vitamin D Important to Our Health? – Lost Creek Chiropractic & Wellness

Why Is Vitamin D Important to Our Health?

Vitamin D is the only nutrient needed by every cell in the human body, making it one of the most important nutrient. From the heart to the brain, Vitamin D plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy and functional body. That’s why it can be extremely dangerous to suffer from a Vitamin D deficiency.

Considering that every cell in the body needs Vitamin D, an insufficient amount of vitamin D puts every bodily function in danger of malfunctioning. This means that a Vitamin D deficiency could be the cause of any disease that may occur to the body. Could any disease or symptom be an indicator for vitamin D deficiency? The cardiovascular system, endocrine system, digestive system, etc., could all be affected by a Vitamin D deficiency and lead to autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disease is a condition where the body produces antibodies that attack its own tissues, leading to the deterioration of the body’s tissues. Autoimmune diseases include lupus, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes. Although Vitamin D deficiency can have many dangerous effects, it is very easy to prevent.

How would you know if you’re actually Vitamin D deficient?

What are the symptoms? Could you be tested?

There is no symptom that is a diagnostic for Vitamin D deficiency. There can be many “problems” that a person may notice happening to them specifically, when they are vitamin D deficient, like a tender scalp to name one. Since Vitamin D deficiency can cause many problems in the body, it is difficult to determine if a Vitamin D deficiency is the actual cause. The only way to know for sure if a person is vitamin D deficient is to take a blood test.

The blood test (called 25-hydroxyvitamin D) detects whether the body’s vitamin D supply is deficient. It is not overly expensive and easy to conduct. The ideal blood level wanted is between 50 and 75 nanograms per milliliter of blood, but a blood level above 35 nanograms per milliliter of blood is sufficient. Clinically, a Vitamin D blood test level of 50 nanograms per milliliter or above greatly reduces the body’s risk of developing autoimmune diseases, which is why it is very important to get tested.

People should take the test twice a year, especially during the summer and winter. In the summer, when the heat is at its peak, most people absorb sunlight. That is why it is recommended to get tested in that season. Knowing if vitamin D deficiency is a problem, at the time of year when a person should be getting more sunlight than normal, would better help adjust how much sunlight he should take when the sun isn’t out as much, like winter. People tend to go out less during the winter, meaning the body would be absorbing less vitamin D from the sun. To make sure the body doesn’t fall behind in vitamin D, it is good to get tested and make sure enough is being absorbed. If not, an adjustment could be made before it becomes a problem.

The 2 sources to acquire Vitamin D:

The sun.

Spending time outside while the sun is out, allows the body to absorb vitamin D from the sun rays. Depending on geography, the amount of time needed to spend in the sun can change. Not much time is needed to get the proper dosage of vitamin D. Experts recommend about fifteen minutes of direct sunlight is sufficient to absorb the proper dosage, but in Australia, the amount of time can reduce.

Supplementation

Are all Vitamin D supplements equal?

There is a vast array of vitamin D supplements that can be bought to make up for the body’s lack of vitamin D absorption, the best being micellized vitamin D. Originally vitamin D supplements were just vitamin D, but in the 1990’s, emulsified vitamin came out. Emulsified vitamin D is vitamin D that has had its molecules shrunk to make it easier for cell absorption to occur. Later in the early to mid-2000’s, micro-emulsified vitamin D was released, which was made of even smaller molecules of vitamin D. Finally, in the late 2000’s, micellized vitamin D was developed, which is currently the smallest vitamin D commercially available. Micellized vitamin D is a very easy way for the body to receive vitamin D because the vitamin D molecules emulsified. The vitamin D molecules are made smaller, making it easier for the cells to absorb. If a vitamin D test is conducted, after taking micellized vitamin D, the results will show the body has absorbed five times more than using emulsified vitamin D.

Note: A lot of times, I see vitamin K mixed in a vitamin D supplement. Why would you need Vitamin K in your Vitamin D supplement?

Vitamin K deficiencies are running rampant in the United States because of the lack of green, leafy vegetables not being eaten enough. We know that vitamin D and calcium are important when promoting bone growth, but vitamin K is also an essential component of building new bone cells. A vitamin K deficiency in the body is like emergency brakes being put on any machine. The whole process of building bones is halted. As soon as the vitamin K enters the body, the body starts up again and helps the body absorb minerals and nutrients better, like calcium and vitamin D.

The sequence: How does Vitamin K helps the body absorb vitamins, like vitamin D, much easier?

Vitamin K improves and maintains the elasticity of the blood vessels. This elasticity helps the blood pump more blood. As the heart pumps blood, the blood vessels expand, allowing more blood to flow from the heart with less effort. When the body has a vitamin K deficiency, the blood vessels lose that elasticity and become more rigid. When the blood vessels are more rigid, more strain is put on the heart to pump blood out to the rest of your body, causing problems like high blood pressure. When the blood vessels are more elastic, less strain is put on the heart because it becomes much easier for blood to flow throughout the body. Blood flow is very important with transporting nutrients throughout the body. Having Vitamin K mixed in a Vitamin D supplement helps fight against Vitamin K deficiency. This in turn, helps increase blood flow and make Vitamin D’ absorption, in the blood stream, go smoothly.

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