Should You Be Increasing Your Vitamin D?

For years, people took vitamin C if they felt they were developing a cold, but ignored vitamin D. The outbreak of the pandemic changed all that. More and more people started realizing just how important vitamin D was for good health and were astounded at how many Americans had a deficiency. Unlike other vitamins, your body makes vitamin D. It uses the rays of the sun and cholesterol to do it. In Chamblee, GA, we’re lucky enough to be able to benefit from the sun’s rays all year and prevent that from happening.

Vitamin D isn’t really a vitamin.

Chemically and structurally speaking, vitamin D resembles a steroid hormone more than it does a vitamin. Like a hormone, the body makes it from cholesterol. It acts as a messenger, which is also what a hormone does. What does this vitamin do for the body? It helps suppress the storage of fat and determines how much fat the body produces. It also increases serotonin, which in turn, aids in controlling appetite. It aids in producing testosterone, which builds muscles, aiding in weight loss. It also boosts the immune system and reduces inflammation.

Vitamin D helps build strong bones and teeth.

You may think that only children need vitamin D since it’s necessary for building teeth and bones, but that’s not true. The body is constantly changing and repairing itself. Teeth can actually repair damage from carries and recalcify if you have enough of the raw materials, including vitamin D. Bones continuously create new cells and need vitamin D to do it. Vitamin D is important for maintaining insulin levels, making it extremely valuable for people with diabetes. It protects the brain, respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous system.

People have different requirements based on various factors.

If you’re older, you need more vitamin D for bone health. People below the age of 70 just need 600 IUs a day, but those older than 70 need 800 IUs daily. Some people can get all they need from exposure to the sun. Chamblee is at the right latitude to do that all year. For people with lighter complexions, it takes careful planning to do safe sunning, exposing the skin at the optimal time for just a few minutes. The darker your skin, the longer you can do safe sunning. It should be done three to four times a week at midday.

• It’s easier to get vitamin D from the sun than from your diet. There are few foods high in vitamin D. Fortified foods, fatty fish, liver, eggs, and cod liver oil all contain vitamin D.
• If you’re deficient in vitamin D, it can create both physical and mental issues. Muscle weakness is one sign of vitamin D deficiency, and so is depression.
• Which came first, vitamin D deficiency or obesity? Scientists know there’s a link between the two but it still isn’t clear whether lack of vitamin D caused obesity or if obesity caused a vitamin D deficiency.
• Vitamin D helps reduce inflammation. Chronic inflammation is a contributor to many serious conditions. Autoimmune disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease are a few of these.

For more information, contact us today at Thrive Sauna Studio