The ultimate guide to vitamin D the hero of vitamins and why it's so critical to your overall health and menopause journey. Explore why you need this vitamin, how much you need, signs you might be low, how to increase your levels and if you should get your vitamin D levels tested.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin more correctly it’s a hormone. It’s naturally presents in a few foods such like oily fish (salmon, sardines, fresh tuna, trout, halibut, mackerel, et.), high-quality cod-liver oil, egg yolks and liver. Do not be fooled into thinking the fortified foods are the same or have similar benefits. Fortified foods (like cereals, margarine and some yoghurts) contain a synthetic version of the vitamin known as D2 (the natural form is D3). Research shows this is less effective at raising levels of vitamin D in the blood. The best source is from the sunshine.
If vitamin D levels are too low, this can eventually lead to osteopenia, brittle bones or osteoporosis, tuberculosis, heart disease, cancer, chronic inflammation (more difficult for us to control with the changes in hormones), diabetes and dental problems in week teeth. Vitamin D is also critical to your immune system as it contributes to keeping the balance between your TH1 & TH2 immune cells. If this scale tips more towards TH1 this is when autoimmune conditions can occur such as Rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis can occur.
As our oestrogen levels begin to drop during menopause this has an impact on the quality of our bones. We have always been led to believe that just lack of calcium is the issue, but that is only part of the picture, without the right amount of active vitamin D (calcitriol) you cannot absorb the calcium effectively in the gut. This key vitamin also plays a role in supporting cognitive function and deficiency can lead to a decline in your cognitive function long term. Research shows you’re 11 times more likely to be depressed if you have low vitamin D levels.
WHY MIGHT MY VITAMIN D BE LOW?
Sun cream. Your body makes vitamin D after contact with the sun’s UV rays but, as we’re a nation of sun cream fanatics (and this covers the skin, blocking the rays of sunlight from getting through), you might not be getting enough straight-up sun.
Age. Among other things that go a bit wrong as you get older, your body is less good at turning the rays from the sun into vitamin D. Specifically, the kidneys are less good with age at turning it to the active form of calcitriol.
Kidney or liver disease of any kind also means vitamin D is not converted to the active form.
Tummy troubles. Problems with the digestive system can impact what you absorb you may have a problem absorbing fats which could impact your fat-soluble status of vitamin D.
Obesity (technically that’s a BMI or body mass index of 30+) has the fat cells in your body hoover up the vitamin D. So then it’s stored – unusable – in your fat cells and is not whizzing around your body in your blood.
Lack of sleep. Just as you need sunlight to make vitamin D, you need sleep to actually use it.
Stress. The presence of the stress hormone cortisol reduces the uptake of vitamin D by special vitamin D receptors. It literally sits there, in the body, without being able to be used. What a waste!
Your skin colour. The darker your skin, the less vitamin D you will make. This is due to the higher levels of melanin in your skin that protect against UV light. By blocking the sun’s rays, it also curbs the body’s ability to make the pre-cursor to the active vitamin D.
Nightshift workers and anyone else who doesn’t spend much time in the sunlight, including children wearing sun cream all the time and babies. Quite simply, you need the sun on your skin.
If you work in an office even in the summertime you may be low in vitamin D without even knowing.
10 SIGNS YOU MIGHT HAVE A VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
Depression or anxiety (including mood changes or irritability)
Bone softening (low bone density), fractures
Feeling tired all the time/ decreased performance
Muscle cramps and weakness
Joint pain (especially back and knees)
Difficulty regulating your blood sugar levels/ post lunch energy crash
Low immunity
Slow wound healing
Low calcium levels in the blood
Unexplained weight gain
Symptoms like these are commonly overlooked because they don’t feel life threatening, and they’re often dismissed as normal, everyday aches and pains you have to deal with. But you don’t have to put up with these symptoms of ill health!
SHOULD I GET MY VITAMIN D LEVELS TESTED? -YES
The official test for Vitamin D is referred to as (25 OH). I encourage all of my clients to test their levels, because it is so key to your overall health, but also as a fat-soluble vitamin this can be stored therefore yes there is always a case of too much of a good thing and you don’t want to have toxic levels of vitamin D.
The NHS recommend that people supplement with vitamin D but again its key to know your levels first. Your GP may be happy to test this for you but if not, there is a simple finger prick test you can do at home. There are many companies that you can use. An easy test to use is by Betteryou they send out the test kit to you and then provide a report on whether your levels are to low or optimal and give you a range. They will recommend how many IU to supplement with and you get a discount when ordering the spray from them. You can take vitamin D in a tablet form, capsule, liquid drops, spray and as part of a multi vitamin. The key thing here is if you have gut issues then you may want to select a liquid or spray so that you don’t have to rely on your gut breaking down the capsule to absorb the vitamin D. If you take a multi vitamin just make sure the level in their correlates with the amount you need for optimal vitamin D status.
If you do take a test and you’re very low, you’ll need an intense 4-6 weeks supplementation at a high dose and then re-testing to see the impact it’s had. There is such a thing as too much vitamin D (known as vitamin D toxicity). You’d have to be going some way to get there, but it is possible, which is why it is essential you know your levels before you start guzzling any supplements and talk with your GP and/or nutritional therapist.
I know what you’re thinking. Here’s a few of those ‘yes, buts’ you have going on…
· I already take a vitamin D supplement.
· I go out in the sun quite a bit
· Wouldn’t my doctor ask to test me if they thought it were a problem?
· I’m too busy to take time off to take a test.
It really is best to get this tested and take all the guess work out of the equation especially with such a critical vitamin that is key to your overall health and mental wellbeing.
HOW TO UP YOUR VITAMIN D
Get yourself some sun. Recommended sunlight exposure is between 10 and 30 minutes a day with no sun cream. Do this safely before the sun gets high in the morning so you don't burn. Judge this why your personal skin tone and risk factors.
If getting out in the sun is not an option, sit in front of a light box that supplies 10,000 lux of full-spectrum light for 30 minutes every morning. This is an especially good option for winter months, for night shift. Bit of a faff, but it’s an option.
Take a supplement. You can take a generic 1,000 IU dose as an adult (but not children without consulting your GP) BUT, if you’ve no idea what your blood levels are, how to you know how much you should be taking? If you decide to supplement, ensure you get D3 this is the most absorbable form and preferably D3+K2 which you can get in most supplements. K2 helps the calcium get into your bones. However you should avoid taking K2 if you are on blood thinning medication so always check with your GP first.
Eat naturally vitamin D-rich foods like oily fish (salmon, sardines, fresh tuna, trout, halibut, mackerel, et.), high-quality cod-liver oil, egg yolks and liver. Do not be fooled into thinking the fortified foods are the same or have similar benefits. Fortified foods (like cereals, margarine and some yoghurts) contain a synthetic version of the vitamin known as D2 (the natural form is D3). Research shows this is less effective at raising levels of vitamin D in the blood. [source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22552031].
APPS TO HELP
This spring I discovered a lovely little app for my phone called D minder. It helps you track your levels of vitamin D by entering your test results and filling in details like whether you supplement and how often you go out in the sun. It will track your sun exposure and its impact on your vitamin D levels.
If you are struggling with your vitamin D levels or would like further advice, please drop me an email at katie@nutritioushealth.co.uk or book at review below.
BOOK YOUR COMPLIMENTARY 30 MINUTE MENOPAUSE REVIEW WITH ME TODAY 'BOOK HERE'
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