The Importance of Vitamin D

While we are all aware of the importance of vitamin D for its important role in bone metabolism, recent research has shown us that vitamin D might play an important role in many chronic health conditions.  A new review article on the non-classical roles of vitamin D in human health was published just a few days ago and while it is free to download and read by everyone, I wanted to take this opportunity to briefly summarize some of the information in the paper.

• Vitamin D Production - Under normal conditions, we can get all or close to all the vitamin D we need from sunlight.  However, the amount of sun we get is effected by a number of factors including season, geographical location, weather conditions, clothing choices, sunscreen use, and more.

• Vitamin D Status - Despite the fact that our skin has the ability to produce enough vitamin D for our needs, many of us are deficient in vitamin D.  Many researchers suggest that blood levels of 50 nmol/L is an adequate amount of vitamin D and that anything less is insufficient.  Based on this blood level recommendation,  between 50 - 90% of people across the globe are vitamin D deficient.

• Health Impact - According to this review paper, vitamin D might be important for improving muscle function, supporting a healthy blood pressure, promoting normal blood sugar health, and supporting normal hearth health in obese individuals.

• Adequate Vitamin D Levels - The author of this review paper suggests that optimal blood levels of vitamin D are between 75 - 372 nmol/L.  Depending on an individuals current vitamin D blood levels, daily intake of about 50 micrograms/day might be needed to increase blood levels to the proposed optimal levels.

In regards to the optimal amount of vitamin D blood levels, it is important to remember that the doses potentially required to reach these levels are substantially higher than the daily recommended intake set forth by the Institute of Medicine, which ranges from 5 - 15 micrograms/day depending upon an individual's stage of life.  The 50 microgram/day dose discussed above is actually the current recommended upper intake level.  However, this review is correct that research supports the use of higher amounts of vitamin D for a variety of health benefits.  The research as a whole has been strong enough to convince the Institute of Medicine to re-evaluate its vitamin D recommendations with potentially new recommendations to be revealed this summer.  The NIH's Office of Dietary Supplments has an excellent Fact Sheet on vitamin D based on current recommendations and makes a good companion read to this new review article.

Getting enough vitamin D, whether it be through exposure to sunlight or daily consumption, is an important lifestyle choice we all need to make.  Another important lifestyle choice for which we should all strive is maintaining a healthy body weight.  My diet plan is a simple way to manage one's body weight, whether looking to lose weight or simply maintain a healthy body weight.