Why Do You Feel So Bad Without It?
Did you know that an estimated 75–85% of U.S. teens and adults may be deficient in vitamin D, often called the “Sun Vitamin”? That is one reason why vitamin D testing is offered at Alta Mountain Chiropractic.
Vitamin D plays a major role in overall health because it functions as both a vitamin and a hormone-like steroid in the body. Although small amounts are found in certain foods, most vitamin D must either be produced through sun exposure or obtained through supplementation.
By definition, vitamin D is considered a vitamin because it comes from outside sources. However, once inside the body, vitamin D acts more like a steroid hormone and helps regulate many important cellular and organ functions. Because of these hormone-like effects, low vitamin D levels may contribute to fatigue, low energy, muscle and joint pain, poor mood, and a general feeling of not functioning well.
Why Is Vitamin D So Important?
Your body needs vitamin D to properly absorb calcium, support bone growth, and maintain strong bones and joints. In addition, vitamin D plays an important role in immune health, muscle function, heart health, lung function, kidney support, mood balance, weight management, and cognitive function.
Low vitamin D levels have been associated with many health concerns, including:
- Depression
- Weight gain and obesity
- Fatigue and chronic fatigue
- Osteoporosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Muscle and joint pain
- Heart disease and high blood pressure
- Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease
- Breast, colon, and prostate cancer
And yes — vitamin D deficiency is commonly linked to muscle and joint pain.
Why Are So Many People Deficient?
Our bodies were designed to spend time in the sun. Decades ago, many people worked outdoors and naturally absorbed an estimated 10,000–20,000 IU of vitamin D from sun exposure in as little as 15 minutes.
Today, however, lifestyles have changed dramatically. Most adults and teens spend far more time indoors at work, school, or even while exercising. As a result, the body produces far less vitamin D than it did in the past.
In addition, concerns about skin cancer have led many people to use large amounts of sunscreen, which can further reduce the skin’s ability to produce vitamin D naturally.
Because of these modern lifestyle changes, vitamin D deficiency has become extremely common and may contribute to a wide range of chronic health problems.
Safe Sun Exposure
Protecting your skin from excessive sun exposure is important. However, your body also needs sunlight to naturally produce vitamin D.
For this reason, many healthcare providers recommend always protecting sensitive areas such as the face, head, and neck with sunscreen. These areas produce very little vitamin D anyway. However, when exposing larger areas like the arms and legs to sunlight, allowing about 10–15 minutes of sun exposure before applying sunscreen may help support healthy vitamin D production while still reducing the risk of sun damage.
Many people worry that even short periods without sunscreen may be harmful. However, research continues to show that vitamin D deficiency may play a role in numerous chronic health conditions, including certain cancers, heart disease, stroke, autoimmune conditions, periodontal disease, and other long-term health concerns.
Testing and Treatment
Testing your vitamin D level is simple and affordable. At Alta Mountain Chiropractic, vitamin D testing can often be completed with a quick blood spot test in just a few minutes.
For many patients, treatment may simply involve a professional-grade vitamin D3 supplement along with lifestyle and nutritional recommendations.
Because vitamin D deficiency is so common, identifying and correcting low levels may help improve:
- Energy and fatigue
- Muscle and joint pain
- Immune system function
- Bone strength
- Mood and overall wellness
Vitamin D deficiency is often overlooked, yet treatment is typically simple, safe, and relatively inexpensive. Addressing low vitamin D levels early may help prevent future health problems and improve overall quality of life.
Citation
Tovey, A. & Cannell, JJ. Are we currently amid a vitamin D deficiency pandemic? The Vitamin D Council Blog & Newsletter, 2016.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.htm
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/88/6/1519/4754457
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068797/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068797/#b4-ijhs-4-1-005a
https://www.zrtlab.com/blog/archive/vitamin-d-seasonal-affective-disorder
