When most people think of vitamin D, the first thing that usually comes to mind is bone health.
That’s well proven. Vitamin D is necessary for your bones to absorb calcium. If your levels are low, you’re more likely to experience bone loss, fractures, demineralization and osteoporosis.
But the sunshine vitamin goes well beyond the health of your bones.
For example, did you know that your vitamin D levels are associated with your risk of dementia?
It’s true!
There was recently a 10-year study involving over 12,000 people. All of them were dementia free when they signed up, and had an average age of 71.
After a decade, it turned out that the people who supplemented with vitamin D had a 40% lower risk of dementia compared to those who didn’t supplement. (Out of the dozen or so pharmaceutical drugs out there, none of them can match this level of success.)
And sadly, three out of four people who did not take a vitamin D supplement developed dementia over those same 10 years.
Multiple other studies that tie vitamin D insufficiency with cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease support these results.
Unfortunately, if you live north of Atlanta, it’s nearly impossible to maintain adequate levels of vitamin D year-round. And, unless you love salmon, it’s very difficult to get enough vitamin D from the foods you eat. So the best way to get more of it is through supplementation.
In the meantime, there is other great news about vitamin D.
What Else Can Vitamin D Supplementation Do For You?
When you wake up in the morning do you have to move around for a while to get rid of morning stiffness? As the day wears on, do aches, pains and tender points plague you? Do you get headaches, feel fatigued or suffer from poor sleep?
Interestingly, vitamin D deficiency causes weakness and cramps in the muscles. It also contributes to vague aches and pains, fatigue, and can even make your bones hurt. As such, it’s no wonder that low levels of vitamin D are common in patients who suffer chronic pain or have fibromyalgia.
But guess what happens when people plagued with chronic pain – even fibromyalgia – boost their vitamin D levels?
Their pain levels improve. Their energy levels and physical strength increase. They wake up refreshed and get moving around more quickly. Overall, they show improved physical function and fewer tender points.
And did you know that patients with autoimmune disorders tend to have low levels of vitamin D?
I’m talking about life-changing conditions that destroy quality of life, like multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and the most common form of lupus, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Vitamin D could greatly reduce the onset of these types of health conditions, improve symptoms in patients who have already been diagnosed and, in some cases, even help send it into remission.
Here’s another thing. Depleted levels of vitamin D raise your risk of several deadly forms of cancer. I’m talking about colon cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and even skin melanoma.
As if all of that is not enough, vitamin D deficiency is associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and depression. Even if you’re only moderately deficient, your odds of all of these age-related health problems will increase. So it’s extremely important to keep your vitamin D levels up to par.
How Much Vitamin D Should You Take?
Vitamin D is one of my favorite nutrients. I take 5,000 international units (IU) a day, or 10,000 each day if people around me are getting sick. My numbers are at the top of the bell curve, and I haven’t been sick in years.
If you like living in good health, I recommend getting tested for vitamin D insufficiency. All you have to do is ask your doctor for a 25-hydroxy vitamin D test. Set your goal for maintaining levels of at least 50-60 ng/ml.
However, if you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, closer to 75 to 85 ng/ml is better. These higher levels will also help boost your immune response against viral infections, which is something we all want to do these days.
- If your levels are 30 ng/ml or lower, take at least 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 in the cholecalciferol form each day and retest in three months. (For best results, look for one that has a low dose of vitamin K2 between 45-100 mcg and if you can find it, and vitamin A between 1,000-2,000 IU, too).
- If your levels are 31 to 40 ng/ml, supplement with 5,000 IU daily for three months. Then retest.
- If your numbers are over 40, you’re not deficient. Still, it’s a good idea to take 2,000-4,000 IU daily to maintain sufficient levels.
Don’t count on getting your vitamin D from the sun or your food. During the winter months, the sun is too far south in more than half of the states in the U.S. for people to even generate vitamin D. And as I mentioned previously, the only appreciable food source is salmon.
The test is easy, insurance typically pays for it, and vitamin D supplements themselves are inexpensive. So please, there are so many good reasons to get tested. Make yourself healthier with one small capsule of sunshine daily.
SOURCES:
Ghahremani M, Smith EE, Chen HY, Creese B, Goodarzi Z, Ismail Z. Vitamin D supplementation and incident dementia: Effects of sex, APOE, and baseline cognitive status. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2023 Mar 1;15(1):e12404.
Zhang XX, Wang HR, Meng-Wei, Hu YZ, Sun HM, Feng YX, Jia JJ. Association of Vitamin D Levels with Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies. J Alzheimers Dis. 2024;98(2):373-385.
Yilmaz R, Salli A, Cingoz HT, Kucuksen S, Ugurlu H. Efficacy of vitamin D replacement therapy on patients with chronic nonspecific widespread musculoskeletal pain with vitamin D deficiency. Int J Rheum Dis. 2016 Dec;19(12):1255-1262.
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Yang CY, Leung PS, Adamopoulos IE, Gershwin ME. The implication of vitamin D and autoimmunity: a comprehensive review. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2013;45(2):217-226.
Kostoglou-Athanassiou I, Athanassiou P, Lyraki A, Raftakis I, Antoniadis C. Vitamin D and rheumatoid arthritis. Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab. 2012;3(6):181-187.
Savastio S, Cadario F, Beux S, Giorgi A, Genoni G, Bagnati M, et al. Vitamin D and Type I Diabetes. Open Rheumatol J. 2018;12(Suppl-1,M8):289-299.
Grant WB, Al Anouti F, Boucher BJ, Dursun E, Gezen-Ak D, Jude EB, Karonova T, Pludowski P. A Narrative Review of the Evidence for Variations in Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentration Thresholds for Optimal Health. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 2;14(3):639.
