Vitamin D is an important hormone that affects all the cells in the system. In other words, if we lack this vitamin, then we might have bad bone health, heart, immune, brain, and metabolic conditions.
So, we need to help our body reach the necessary vitamin level. Besides, this vitamin is linked to insulin resistance, for example, type 1 and 2 diabetes.
This can give us an even bigger reason to regulate our health.
Benefits of Vitamin D
If we take the necessary amount of vitamin D our body needs, we can reduce the chance of developing chronic diseases. Researchers believe that such supplement has helped 1 million people around the world every year.
This vitamin is even used for treating cancer and protecting the body against:
- DNA processes either repair or metabolic
- Autoimmune diseases
- mental, Neurological, or psychological disorders
- Migraine
- Cold and flu
- Cardiovascular disease
Research shows that this vitamin can prevent diseases and keep the body healthy. The reason behind this is because Vitamin D can affect 3,000 out of 30,000 genes in the body. Besides, research shows that this vitamin may reduce the risk of cancer by 60%.
Some of the 16 different types that may be affected by Vitamin D include ovarian, prostate, pancreatic, skin, and lung cancer.
DNA Processes Either Repair or Metabolic
According to Holick’s studies, participants who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D3 every day, had an increased response to a stimulus in 291 of their different genes. These genes can regulate up to 80 separate metabolic processes.
Moreover, a few of these processes can help DNA repair and boost the function of the immune system. However, other processes can affect autoxidation as a result of aging and cancer.
Autoimmune Diseases
Vitamin D can help the immune system protect itself from autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis.
Mental, Neurological, or Psychological Disorders
Neurotransmission is also affected by the lack of vitamin D. If the person has a vitamin D deficiency, it may lead to brain and neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s or cognitive dysfunction.
Plus, research states that there is a 31% chance of suffering from neurological conditions if we lack vitamin D. Such examples are Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia, and stroke.
Migraine
It seems that this vitamin is also important for migraines. According to research by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, people who suffer from migraines might have a deficiency of vitamins B2, D, and CoQ10.
Because women are more likely to lack CoQ10, they have a higher chance of getting migraines, whereas men, usually lack vitamin D.
Cold and Flu
This vitamin may prove beneficial if we have a cold or flu. It also acts as a form of prevention and a way of treatment for pneumonia and tuberculosis.
Cardiovascular Disease
Because Vitamin D can reduce the chance of stroke, atherosclerotic heart disease, or hypertension, Holick suggested that the cause of these problems is the lack of vitamin D in the system.
He believes that this deficiency can increase the risk of developing these conditions by 50%.
Lack of Vitamin D
If you have a deficiency of vitamin D, this may raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers claim that the lack of this vitamin can affect glucose metabolism. There were 118 people who participated in this research.
The result of it was that people who lacked vitamin D had a higher chance of getting diabetes type 2 or even metabolic syndrome. The weight of the person didn’t matter. This shows that even people who are underweight can develop diabetes.
However, when it comes to obese people, the ones who didn’t have metabolic disorders had more vitamin D than the ones who had disorders. One of the authors of the research claims that the lack of vitamin D and obesity are interconnected.
Therefore, people should get the necessary vitamin and do some outdoor activities. But, this is not the first person to state that this vitamin is important for diabetes.
According to an Indian study, if we take calcium and vitamin supplements and exercise, we can prevent pre-diabetes or even diabetes.
With every vitamin D taken, you may reduce the chance of progressing diabetes by 8%. There was also another study that concluded that people with type 2 diabetes who take 50,000 IUs of oral vitamin D3 weekly for 8 weeks had reduced insulin and plasma glucose.
Here Is Some of the Unconcluded Research:
- Almost 5,680 participants with weakened glucose tolerance had increased their insulin sensitivity by 54% by taking vitamin D supplements.
- Vitamin D may lower the effects that calcium and phosphorus have on the metabolism, along with insulin resistance by helping with the regulation of the insulin receptor gene.
- Experiments on animals showed that Vitamin D is important for normal insulin secretion and can improve insulin sensitivity.
Decreased Risk of Hyperglycemia for Those Who Take Atypical Antipsychotics
There are some drugs that can cause metabolic dysfunction. Such an example is the drug that can cause drug-induced diabetes-like quetiapine the atypical antipsychotic. Also, this drug may increase the risk of hyperglycemia.
Moreover, they can lead to lowered insulin secretion from the beta cells in the pancreas, weight gain, and decreased insulin resistance.
According to The American Journal of Managed Care, vitamin D3 may help the body counter these effects. The research concluded that participants who took the prescribed amount of vitamin D together with quetiapine, for some reason were less likely to develop hyperglycemia.
After that research, other animal studies followed and gave the same results. The mice who took vitamin D together with quetiapine had a reduced chance of getting hyperglycemia, claims Takuya Nagashima.
Based on the results, a supplement of vitamin D and quetiapine may prove beneficial and efficient for protecting the body from hyperglycemia and insulin resistance.
How to Optimize the Vitamin Level?
There are countless controversies connected with this issue. So, people believe that the best way to get the necessary amount of vitamin D in our system is to expose ourselves to the sun more often, but not too much.
The natural vitamin D we get from the sun, can’t compare to the medical supplements. That is because exposure to UV creates nitric oxide and lowers blood pressure. Therefore, all we have to do is go out more and enjoy the sunny days.
But there are people who despite going outside, still lack the necessary amount of vitamin D.
When to Take Vitamin D3 Supplements
It all depends on the lifestyle, age, time of the year, location, etc. However, make sure whatever you choose to do, don’t take too much of this vitamin.
If we are vulnerable to sun exposure, there are supplements we can take together with vitamin K2 because they can maximize the effect. The ideal dosage varies from 40 to 60 ng/ml during the entire year. But sometimes it might be 2,000 IUs per day or even 8,000 IUs.
Source: NCBI | WebMD | MedlinePlus | MayoClinic
