Do You Need to Take Vitamin D? A Thorough Answer

Vitamin D is vital for the human body. So does this mean that you have to start taking in Vitamin D supplements? Probably not.

Every day you are getting Vitamin D naturally by sun exposure. A 15-20 minute exposure in the sun suffices as the sun triggers Vitamin D production inside the body. Moreover, foods such as milk, eggs, and fish contain Vitamin D. So chances are that you have plenty of Vitamin D in your system. However, if you are still concerned about whether you are getting enough Vitamin D, you can have a blood test. If your blood test report shows that your body is deficient in Vitamin D then you can take Vitamin D supplements. However, you must consult with your doctor for the right Vitamin D dosage.

Important functions of Vitamin D

Vitamin D has a number of vital functions. For instance, it aids in calcium absorption. So if you lack in Vitamin D, you will be deficient in calcium because all those calcium you had were not absorbed properly. On the other hand, if you take in less calcium and more Vitamin D, you can be prone to osteoporosis. However, you can treat osteoporosis by taking insufficient Vitamin D and thus reducing calcium absorption. Vitamin D also helps strengthen bones. It also maintains the right levels of phosphorus and minerals which are crucial to bone health. Therefore, Vitamin D is especially important for children and adults, especially menopausal women.

Vitamin D also plays a part in the body’s defense mechanism. It activates and mobilizes T-lymphocytes which fight off pathogens and bacteria. Vitamin D also helps these T-lymphocytes in counteracting inflammatory auto immune response in certain diseases such as rheumatoid and arthritis.

What insufficient Vitamin D is Associated With

Recent research shows that insufficient Vitamin D intake is associated with high blood pressure and higher chance of hypertension, which is associated with strokes and cardiovascular disease. Research findings on insufficient Vitamin D level also show that Vitamin D plays a role in the body’s hormone system that controls blood pressure. Moreover, insufficient levels of Vitamin D are also associated with abnormal productions and activities of neuron cells, which are brain cells.

Why avoid too much of Vitamin D

Too much Vitamin D intake is also harmful for your body. Your body does not need too much Vitamin D. The extra Vitamin D will build up as harmful toxic wastes. Excess Vitamin D intake can lead to the buildup of calcium in your blood. This is a condition known as hyperkalemia. Your body does not need so much calcium either. Some of the few symptoms of hyperkalemia are poor appetite, nausea and vomiting, weakness, frequent urination, and kidney problems.

How to avoid taking too much of Vitamin D

You don’t have worry about sun exposure of food intake as sun exposure and food intake does not contribute to this toxicity. When in the sun, your body controls how much of Vitamin is produced and food usually contains very low amounts of Vitamin D. Too much buildup of vitamin D is actually caused by taking in too many Vitamin D supplements. So you can take a blood test and check if you are taking too much Vitamin D. If your blood test report shows that your Vitamin D intake is higher than normal then cut out those Vitamin D supplements which are actually harming you than helping you. While on the other hand if your doctor recommended you to take Vitamin D, then consult with her and discuss the right dosage of Vitamin D.