Vitamin D: Hormone Extraordinaire

Pop music is aspirin and the blues are vitamins. -Peter Tork

Vitamin D deficiency, hypovitaminosis D, is a very common disorder. Especially here in the Chicagoland area with our long winters spent indoors. We are meant to absorb Vitamin D from the sun but complications arise - either we don’t get to see the sun, we cover up when we’re in the sun or we use sunscreen to block the vitamin D from getting to our skin. 10-15 minutes/day in “bathing suit” attire will provide approximately 10,000IU of Vitamin D. If that’s not part of your regular routine read on to find out how and why to supplement!

Although usually found through a blood test, some symptoms of the deficiency include everything from aches and pains to depression and bone demineralization problems. Vitamin D is fundamentally important for the regulation of how your body functions. Over 200 genes in your body are controlled by Vitamin D. At least 35 different tissues in the body have Vitamin D receptors! For instance your pancreas has Vitamin D receptors that regulate your blood levels of insulin. 

Testing is recommended every 6 months to determine if you’re supplementing with enough Vitamin D to make an impact on your levels and your health. Look for a physician or lab that will perform a 25(OH)D test. The ideal blood range for Vitamin D should be 50-70ng/dl; about 20% higher if you’re trying to treat cancer or heart disease.  

Some common conditions Vitamin D supplementation can improve are: blood pressure, depression and low back pain. If you’re looking to boost your immunity, vitamin D may be the answer! It controls the immune response in autoimmune conditions like diabetes, MS and arthritis. Meaning your body doesn’t attack itself. Vitamin D boosts the immune response your body has to invaders like bacteria and viruses.

Are you currently pregnant or looking to become pregnant? Both mom and baby can benefit from taking Vitamin D. It increases sperm motility and women with higher rates of Vitamin D are correlated with better IVF success rates.  Lower levels of Vitamin D in a mother can result in autism in a child; high dose vitamin D can reduce autistic behaviors in children.

As you can see, we should all supplement with a high quality vitamin D3 with K on a daily basis. A good rule of thumb is to take 1000IU per 30 pound of body weight - ie if you weigh 150 pounds you should supplement with 5000 IU of Vitamin D for maintenance. We recommend clients take double that if their blood test shows them to be deficient. Supplementing with Vitamin K is recommended to avoid kidney stones. 

We recommend a liquid as the digestion and absorption of D will begin immediately in the mouth. Please consult your functional medicine physician to see if D deficiency may be the key to some of your health concerns. We recommend testing by Spectracell to determine your exact supplementation needs.

Have questions - let us know how we can help!  Interested in adding Vitamin D to your daily routine, shop here!