Vitamin D - Immune system support
Do you need to supplement and how to do it safelyWhat is Vitamin D?
While we think of D as a vitamin it’s actually more like a steroid hormone.
Known as the Sunshine Vitamin most people believe that it’s safe to supplement with Vitamin D as we’re probably all deficient; especially in the winter. I want to give you the lowdown on Vitamin D so you’re supplementing safely.
Vitamin D regulates the immune system. If it is too low your immune system is compromised. If your levels become too high your immune system is suppressed. That’s why taking very high doses of Vitamin D can temporarily help people with auto immune dynamics at play feel better. It is suppressing the immune system.
Risks associated with low vitamin D:
- Increased risk of certain cancers
- Increased susceptibility to colds and flu
- Increased risk of migraines
- Greater risk of depression
- Increased inflammation
- And many more!
Getting your Vitamin D to the right level can help clear oestrogen dominance and heal Leaky Gut.
Risks associated with high Vitamin D
Most of us have insufficient vitamin D but if Vitamin D is too high we are also putting ourselves at risk.
Very high Vitamin D will suppress your immune system. This might make you feel better for a little while if you have an autoimmune disease but please do not fall into the trap of thinking it is helping. It is actually weakening an already weak and dysfunctional immune system.
High vitamin D also puts you at risk of toxic symptoms like hypercalcemia (taking on too much calcium) particularly if you are supplementing with vitamin D in very high doses but you are not matching that with Vitamin K2*, Vitamin A and Magnesium.
*K2 is very different to K1! Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, the K2 helps push calcium into your bones where it’s needed instead of allowing it to line your arteries.
No nutrient works in isolation in the body, the balance between nutrients is just as important as the right level of nutrient itself.
So how to we get Vitamin D?
You can get Vitamin D from some foods. The following are good food sources of Vitamin D:
- Mushrooms
- Tuna (but don’t eat more than once a month due to possible mercury toxicity)
- Herring and sardines
- Salmon
- Egg Yolks
Vitamin D is known as the Sunshine Vitamin. We can create it ourselves after exposure to the sunlight. We get 10000- 15000 iu from a ‘pinking dose’ of sunshine. IE you have to be in the sun long enough, without sunscreen, to turn a little bit pink. And not everyone is willing or able to do that. So supplementing with this nutrient is very common.
Supplementing with Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat soluble nutrient so should be taken in an oil base.
Vitamin D is best paired with Vitamin K2 and there are products on the market that combine the two nutrients. Remember Magnesium and Vitamin A should be optimised as well. You can read up here about the synergies between Vitamin D and other nutrients.
If you’re supplementing with high levels of Vitamin D I recommend you retest your D levels every 3 months. TEST DON’T GUESS!
Need more help?
If you need help figuring out the right supplements for you let’s talk! You can book a free 15 minute conversation with me here and I can answer your questions about how we could work together to meet your health goals.
