Why Your Body Needs Vitamin D

Sharon Moore November 12, 2013

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Nearly everyone knows that vitamin D exists but only a few understand how important it is to human health. Known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’, vitamin D provides a wide range of benefits, from building stronger bones to protecting our body from diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease and even weight gain.

Here are the major benefits of taking vitamin D:

Bone Health

When it comes to bone health, calcium always gets the spotlight. But really, the sunshine vitamin is equally important. Here’s the thing – vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium from food. In a comparative meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials published in 2007 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, low vitamin D levels was linked with an increased risk of fractures in older adults.

Muscle Strength

Not only does vitamin D promote bone health, it may also boost muscle strength, which in turn helps to prevent falls – a very common cause of disability, injury and bone fracture among older adults. A 2009 study published in the British Medical Journal, which analysed multiple studies, revealed that taking 700 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day may lower the risk of falls by 19 per cent. Another research by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that elderly women who took vitamin D supplement plus calcium for three months reduced their risk of falling by 49 per cent.

Protection from Diabetes

According to Dr Richard Elliott of The Diabetes UK, some studies have suggested a possible link between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, but further evidence would be needed to demonstrate a direct connection.

Lower Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

For years, scientists have suspected a link between sunlight, vitamin D and an autoimmune disorder that damages the nerve, known as multiple sclerosis which has no cure yet. A study conducted by the University of Oxford and another by the New Jersey Medical School suggest that maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D may have protective benefits against multiple sclerosis. Another research carried out by the Maastricht University in the Netherlands found that vitamin D may lessen the frequency and severity of symptoms in MS patients.

Lower Risk of Depression

A promising study by Canadian researchers which involved 31,424 participants has found that some depression may be linked to a vitamin D deficiency. They also found that women with moderate to severe depression had substantial improvement in their symptoms after taking vitamin D.

Weight Loss

In 2009, a study by the University of Minnesota revealed that obese individuals often have low levels of vitamin D. Since body fat traps vitamin D, it is not clear whether it is obesity that leads to low vitamin D or the other way around. The study concludes that adding vitamin D to a reduced-calorie diet could lead to better weight loss.

Heart Health

Participants with high blood pressure whose vitamin D levels have increased after being exposed to UVA and UVB rays for three months had their high blood pressure normalised, Boston University researchers have found. How does vitamin D help? According to the researchers, it lowers the level of renin in the body, which is believed to play a role in hypertension. A 2008 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism links vitamin D deficiency with heart failure and sudden cardiac death.

Lower Risk of Cancer

A 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association which involved more than 3,000 veterans revealed that those who consumed more than 645 IU of vitamin D along with more than 4 grams per day of cereal fibre had 40 per cent reduction in their risk of developing precancerous colon polyps.

Despite the critical role of vitamin D to health, deficiency in this nutrient remains to be a major concern. A 2007 report published in The New England Journal revealed that an estimated 1 billion people have inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood. Vitamin D is both a nutrient we eat and a hormone our bodies make. Whilst the largest source of this nutrient is sunlight, it can also be obtained from some foods such as fish. Lower amounts are found in egg yolk and dairy products, beef liver, and fortified foods like cereal and milk. Taking vitamin D supplement may also provide additional benefits.