ARE WE GETTING ENOUGH VITAMIN D?

WHAT IS VITAMIN D?

Vitamin D is formed from cholesterol in skin through photolysis of 7 dehydrocholesterol by UV light (sun light). Vitamin D is vital for healthy bones because vitamin D helps to absorb, phosphate and calcium needed for healthy bones, teeth and muscles, from our diet.

Since Maldives is located in the equator and is known as the “sunny side of life” people might think that we Maldivians will have enough vitamin D needed in our body. However, according to the doctors vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common issues in Maldives right now. Especially, in this lockdown, since everyone is stuck at home in quarantine, we are not getting sunlight for our body to produce vitamin D.

HOW TO TEST VITAMIN D LEVEL?

To check the vitamin D level in our body, after consulting a physician, a blood investigation can be carried out by taking a blood sample from our body.

IMPORTANCE OF VITAMIN D

Vitamin D facilitates the absorption of calcium in the gut in our body, and it also maintains sufficient concentrations of serum calcium and phosphate to avoid hypocalcemic tetany and to enable proper bone mineralization. In addition, vitamin D is also needed for bone growth and bone remodeling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. In combination with calcium, vitamin D also helps to protect older adults from osteoporosis. The body has many other applications of vitamin D, including cell growth regulation and neuromuscular and immune functions. These also help in reducing inflammation. In addition, vitamin D modulates genes which encode proteins that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis.

There are also some studies which show that vitamin D provides immunity against SARS-CoV2 infection. For information on this you can click here to read one of the journal articles done on it. 

HOW MUCH VITAMIN D IS NEEDED?

Infants up to age 1 require 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day (0.0085-0.01milligram). Kids aged one year and above and adults need 10 micrograms (0.01 milligram) of vitamin D per day. This includes women who are pregnant and breastfeeding, and those at risk for vitamin D deficiency.

There are some food sources you might use to get enough vitamin D if you can't get it from the sunlight. Such vitamin D food sources include fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel, beef liver, and cheeses. You can also get vitamin D from mushrooms and egg yolks and if your vitamin D is deficient you can take vitamin D supplements. Doctors usually recommend a sachet of vitamin D powder for 4 weeks each week to be taken with a glass of milk.

VITAMIN DEFICIENCY

When you are not getting enough vitamin D to stay healthy it means that you are vitamin D deficient and it can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and fractures meaning broken bones.

There are many other diseases which can be caused due to severe vitamin D. In children vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets, which is a rare disease that causes the bones to become soft and bend. In adults, severe vitamin D deficiency can lead to Osteomalacia and this disease causes weak bones, bone pain and muscle weakness.

Researchers are studying vitamin D for its possible connections to several medical conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis. More studies need to be done on these before they can understand the relationship between vitamin D and these conditions. Here you can read about a research done to check the relationship between vitamin D with insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus. 

CAN TOO MUCH VITAMIN D BE HARMFUL?

Just like how lack of vitamin D can be harmful to your body, too much vitamin D can also be harmful to your body. Excess vitamin D can cause kidney damages and too much vitamin D can also raise the level of calcium in your blood which raises the level of blood calcium causing confusion, disorientation and problems with heart rhythm. Usually vitamin D level increases too much in your body by taking vitamin D supplements.

So it’s very important to make sure that you get enough vitamin D needed for your body because lately researchers have also been saying that vitamin D could help to protect your body against corona virus by boosting your immune system. Here you can read about it in more details. 

Information sources

·         https://medlineplus.gov/vitaminddeficiency.html#:~:text=Vitamin%20D%20deficiency%20can%20lead,to%20become%20soft%20and%20bend.

·         https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/#:~:text=Vitamin%20D%20helps%20regulate%20the,condition%20called%20osteomalacia%20in%20adults.

·         https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Vitamin%20D-HealthProfessional/