Vitamin D – why it is so important coming into winter

I know there has already been so many posts sharing great tips on how to stay healthy and strong during these times. So I will make sure I keep this short & sweet!

I just read a new research paper this morning which demonstrated again the importance of vitamin D.  I wanted to quickly share the main points of why it is essential to make sure you have strong levels of this nutrient coming into winter.  

A study conducted by the University of Eastern Finland this year showed vitamin D was integral in supporting both the innate and adaptive immune system. Meaning it helps our bodies fight-off invaders such as bacteria and viruses on many different levels. A large metanalysis done in 2017 showed vitamin D helped prevent acute respiratory tract infections, especially for those that were deficient. And finally, vitamin D also plays a key role in preventing auto-immune conditions. 

Aside from the immune system, vitamin D also is key to help the body absorb calcium. Which we know, is essential for bone health. 💪

How do we get vitamin D 🤷‍♀️? The body is able to absorb a small amount of vitamin D from food. However, the majority of our vitamin D needs to come from sunlight 🌞. As we creep into autumn, the days begin to get shorter and the sun sits lower. Plus we don’t tend to spend as much time in the sun due to it being colder. So naturally, it becomes more difficult to boost our vitamin D levels during autumn and winter. This is a reason why many become susceptible to coughs, colds and flu during these seasons. Given vitamin D is fat-soluble, some of us will have some vitamin D stored from summer. However, this storage tends to quickly become depleted. So really the only option is taking a vitamin D supplement.  

I always recommend taking a supplement only after your levels are confirmed low. So next time you are at the doctors and needing a blood test, ask your doctor to see if they can test. And remember to ask for 1,25 OH Vitamin D3 to be tested, which is the active form of vitamin D.