Vitamin D and bone health are very closely connected, and it is worthwhile to look beyond calcium when you are searching for the best solution to improve your bone health. Many types of nutraceutical products can improve your bone health, including vitamin D supplements.
One of the many health benefits of vitamin D includes its ability to improve bone health. Most people are more familiar with calcium’s impact on bone health, yet may not be aware of the close connection between vitamin d consumption and bone health. While other claimed health benefits of vitamin D have slowly been refuted as more research becomes available, vitamin D’s impact on bone health has stood the test of time. Vitamin D supplements are consequently one of the best supplements for consumers to take, as vitamin D supplements also provide other health benefits including increased immunity, reduced risk of diabetes, and even the potential for improved mental health.
Vitamin D is essential for the development of a healthy skeletal muscle structure. Vitamin D plays an indispensable role in regulating the amount of calcium and phosphorus in the body. These minerals are necessary for developing strong bones and teeth.
Vitamins are nutrients that the body needs but cannot make. Thus they have to be obtained from our diet or through supplementation. Vitamin D is more of a hormone and can be made on exposure to the sun. In a previous article, we discussed that the best way to ensure that you have adequate vitamin D levels is through having a healthy diet, spending enough time in the sun, and taking vitamin D supplements if necessary. This can ensure that you are able to enjoy the numerous health benefits of vitamin D.
This article discusses why vitamin D is essential for your bones, what happens when you’re deficient, and how to optimize your vitamin D levels.
Why Is Vitamin D Important For Bones?
Vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium in the body. Calcium is crucial for maintaining strong and healthy bones, and without vitamin D, most of it would be lost through the kidney. Scientists have established close links between vitamin D and bone mineral density.
Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. The former is a condition where children develop bowed legs. This health issue is almost always caused by vitamin d deficiency, although it can rarely be inherited. Osteomalacia is a condition in which the bones become soft and weak. The disorder can manifest itself through pains and aches in the bones.
One of the most apparent signs of vitamin D deficiency is experiencing lower back pains. There are several vitamin D receptors in your spinal cord and discs. When they are deprived of this vital hormone, they cause your back to ache.
A simple blood test can determine if you have vitamin D deficiency ( 25 hydroxyvitamin d blood test). An acceptable range is 20-50 nanograms/milliliters, while levels below 12 nanograms/milliliter indicate that someone has vitamin D deficiency. The RDI intake of vitamin D is 600-800 IUs, and doctors can prescribe up to 4,000 IUs to help correct a deficiency. Anything above this can potentially be harmful.
Vitamin D deficiency can cause or is connected to a plethora of health issues, including heart disease, high blood pressure, some types of cancer, multiple sclerosis, and immune system issues. Other types of diseases, including cystic fibrosis, Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease can result in vitamin D deficiency. Older people are also at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. All of these factors should be taken into account when determining the best strategy to ensure that you are avoiding vitamin D deficiency. Your doctor may recommend higher amounts of vitamin D if you are older or have serious health issues, in order to ensure that you can fully experience the health benefits of vitamin D.
Can Too Much Vitamin D Be Harmful?
It is not uncommon for excessive vitamin levels for many types of nutraceutical products to result in unpleasant side effects. Even excessive vitamin C consumption can lead to unpleasant side effects such as diarrhea.
A study published in 2019 noted that people who took an excessive amount of vitamin D did not experience additional benefits as compared to people who only took moderate amounts. Moreover, some people actually ended up being worse off after the trial. Vitamin D toxicity can occur in rare cases, although this occurs when someone takes too many vitamin D supplements, not when they eat too much vitamin D-rich food or are excessively exposed to the sun.
Where Can You Get Vitamin D
From the Sun
Most people get their daily dose of Vitamin D from the sun. When the sun hits your skin, it stimulates the synthesis of vitamin D3 from a steroid cholesterol derivative (7-dehydrocholesterol).
Vitamin D synthesis happens best with total body exposure to the sun. Vitamin D synthesis is at its peak during summer and lowest during winter in higher altitudes. Also worth noting is that places with high pollution receive less sunlight that may affect vitamin D synthesis. Such places have less exposure to the correct wavelength of sunlight during most of the year.
The synthesis of vitamin D can also be affected by a person’s age. Adults over the age of 70 have less than 7-dehydrocholesterol, which is necessary for vitamin D synthesis. Thus the older you get, the less your skin can synthesize Vitamin D.
Other factors that affect vitamin D synthesis include complexion and lifestyle choices such as the use of sunscreen.
Dietary Sources
Sometimes nutraceutical products may be unnecessary, and you can achieve your health goals merely by improving your diet. If you have limited access to the sun you can also obtain vitamin D from your diet. Foods such as fatty fish, cod liver oil, liver, egg yolk, and dairy have a significant amount of vitamin D. Depending on where you’re from, you can also find products fortified with vitamin D, such as milk, margarine, and cereal. Companies have been adding vitamin D to many types of foods for decades due to the numerous health benefits of vitamin D.
If you can’t access some of these foods, then consider taking vitamin D supplements. Daily supplementation will help maintain your vitamin D levels without depending on any other sources. Just make sure to take the recommended amount. Some studies have also shown that vitamin D3 is more effective than vitamin D2, so it may be better to take this supplement.
How Much Vitamin D Should You Take?
When taking Vitamin D, especially as a supplement, it is essential to take the right amount. Too much vitamin D in the body will result in excessive amounts of calcium in the blood. This excessive buildup of calcium is called hypercalcemia and can be detrimental to your kidneys and heart.
For both children and adults, the daily recommended vitamin D supplement intake is about ten micrograms. However, if you get your vitamin D from the sun, 20-30 minutes of full-body exposure should be enough. It is also crucial to monitor and track changes in your diet and the climate in your city, as these can cause your vitamin d levels to fluctuate. For many, it may be best to focus on taking vitamin d supplements during the winter and to go the natural route during other seasons such as the spring or summer.
How To Optimize Vitamin D Absorption
While you might be getting vitamin D in the right amounts, not all is absorbed in the body. The losses may occur as a result of your diet. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that you will have a better absorption rate when taken with fat. Anything from avocado to olive oil will work just fine.
Vitamin D also works better when accompanied by other vitamins such as K2. Vitamin K2 plays a crucial role in preventing calcium buildup in the blood by ensuring the bones absorb it. Products such as butter are rich sources of vitamin K2.
Final Thoughts on Vitamin D and Bone Health
To maintain proper bone health, make sure to get the required amounts of vitamin D. Vitamin D will benefit your bones and strengthen your immune system. It is crucial to make sure you are not consuming too much vitamin D, as this can potentially lead to unwanted side effects. In our view, vitamin d may be one of the most important nutraceutical products used to improve your bone health. Vitamin D is second only to calcium in this regard.
Vitamin D supplements have become a hot topic since 2000, and consumers have been increasingly consuming vitamin D supplements in recent decades. Scientists have increasingly confirmed that vitamin D and bone health are very closely related and that vitamin D supplements can play a role in improving bone health. Some of the claimed health benefits checked out over time, while the science eventually caught up to others. Various claims about vitamin D positively impacting heart health or reducing the risk of strokes are not properly backed by scientific research. However, vitamin D has been proven to improve bone health and to improve your immune system. Vitamin D supplements appear to be much more effective than other types of nutraceutical products, and products such as calcium supplements can be risky for some, as hypercalcemia can cause health issues.
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