Stay inside! Avoid the beach! Stay away from parks! Messages like these have been hammered into our heads during the coronavirus pandemic. But being cooped up inside while we quarantine is taking a toll—not just on our mental well-being, but also by preventing us from getting much-needed vitamin D from the sun.
The ABCs of Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is derived from foods, supplementation, or sun exposure. This last one is why people often call it the “sunshine vitamin,” but vitamin D could actually be called the “immunity vitamin.” A 2011 review on vitamin D and the immune system in the
Journal of Investigative Medicine detailed a wealth of scientific findings showing its protective effects on immunity. Vitamin D also plays an essential role in overall brain health, mood, memory, weight, and other important bodily processes.
With the threat of COVID-19 and the emotional challenges that come with quarantine, vitamin D is more important than ever. The bad news is, most Americans aren’t getting enough of it. According to a report in the
Archives of Internal Medicine, more than 75% of American adults have low levels of vitamin D.
How can you tell if you’re one of them? Get your level checked at your next doctor’s appointment and optimize it if necessary. It’s a simple blood test called 25-hydroxyvitamin D level. Here’s what the results mean:
Deficient: <30 ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter)
Normal: 30-100 ng/mL
“Low-Normal”: 30-50 ng/mL
Optimal: 50-100 ng/mL
Take note that many traditional doctors will simply tell you whether or not you fall into the normal level. But you should ask for your exact number. Having a low-normal level isn’t good enough. It’s recommended that you aim for the optimal level.
7 Reasons to Supplement Your Diet With Vitamin D
1. Boost immunity.
With the pandemic, a healthy immune system is essential. Emerging research is showing that low vitamin D levels may increase the risk of dying from COVID-19. In a
pre-print cohort study (pre-print means it is not yet peer-reviewed) from Indonesia, researchers looked at the influence of age, sex, pre-existing conditions, and vitamin D levels on outcomes in 780 patients with COVID-19. The majority of deaths were among older males with pre-existing conditions and who had below-normal vitamin D levels. The researchers concluded that when controlled for age, sex, and comorbidity, vitamin D level is strongly associated with the risk of mortality from COVID-19.
An article published in a 2020 issue of the journal
Nutrients presents evidence that vitamin D supplementation could reduce the risk of infections and deaths from COVID-19. This paper details several mechanisms through which vitamin D can reduce the risk of infections.
2. Reduce the risk of respiratory illness.
Considering that COVID-19 affects the respiratory tract, finding ways to protect against respiratory infections is key. In 2017,
BMJ published a review of 25 controlled trials involving 11,231 participants ages 0 to 95 and found that vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of acute respiratory tract infections among all participants.
3. Achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
Did you know that higher body-fat percentages are linked to lower levels of vitamin D? That’s what a study in the
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found when they analyzed vitamin D levels in 410 women. The researchers suggest that people who are obese may need higher supplementation with vitamin D to achieve healthy levels. Results of a 2012 study in
Nutrition Journal found that taking vitamin D can aid in reducing body fat in overweight and obese individuals.
This is especially important in the current pandemic because
obesity is one of the biggest risk factors for serious illness and hospitalization from COVID-19, according to a
pre-print study of over 4,100 people in New York.
4. Brighten moods.
The lower your vitamin D levels, the more likely you are to suffer from the blues. Decades of research point to an association between low levels of vitamin D and mood problems, such as depression. Supplementation may help, according to a 2008 study in the
Journal of Internal Medicine that followed 441 overweight and obese adults with depression for one year. In this study, individuals who took vitamin D (20,000 IU or 40,000 IU per week) reported a significant decrease in their depressive symptoms, but those who took a placebo did not see such improvement.
5. Protect cognitive function.
Receptors for vitamin D are found throughout the brain and play a critical role in learning and making memories. Research in a 2015 issue of
JAMA Neurology found that older adults with low levels of vitamin D experienced cognitive decline at a faster rate than people with healthy vitamin D levels. Promising research on humans in the
Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease has shown that vitamin D may stimulate the immune system to rid the brain of beta-amyloid, the plaques seen in Alzheimer’s disease.
6. Promote physical health.
Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to approximately
200 conditions. Serious illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, are associated with low levels of the nutrient. These 3 diseases are also among the
top 10 co-morbidities seen in people who died from COVID-19, according to statistics compiled by the state of New York.
7. Support your mental health.
The link between vitamin D and mental health is strong, as over half of all psychiatric inpatients are deficient in vitamin D, according to research in
Currents in Psychiatry. Below-normal levels of vitamin D have been associated with depression (as you saw above), as well as autism and psychosis.
Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting to get treatment until the pandemic is over is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
