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  • Covid 19
    • Vitamin D could be a piece of COVID-19's 'complex puzzle,' Israeli scientists say, after a new study finds a link between deficiency and severe illness
    • Vitamin D deficiency tied to increased COVID-19 risk, unique UF data study finds
    • Dr. Zorba Paster: Vitamin D deficiency connected to COVID-19 cases
    • Study suggests high vitamin D levels may protect against COVID-19, especially for Black people
    • 1 in 4 COVID patients hospitalized while vitamin D deficient die – Israeli study
    • Vitamin D and COVID-19 Research
    • Minister urged to recommend vitamin D supplements in Covid-19 strategy
    • Other countries are treating COVID patients with probiotics and vitamin D — why aren’t we?
    • MP David Davis calls for Vitamin D therapy to be rolled out 'immediately' after study finds it can 'reduce Covid deaths by up to 60%'
    • Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 Have Low Levels of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D
    • Vitamin D, other everyday vitamins could counter coronavirus effects:.
    • Experts send Vitamin D and Covid-19 open letter to world's governments
    • A Functional Medicine Approach To Protect Against the Flu
    • Over 80% of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Have Vitamin D Deficiency, Study Finds
    • Vitamin D helps the body fight coronavirus, major Israeli study claims
    • Vitamin D deficiency increased risk of COVID in healthcare workers, new study shows
    • People With Low Vitamin D More Likely to Have COVID, Study Finds
    • Vitamin D for COVID-19: a case to answer?
    • Vitamin D helps the body fight coronavirus, major Israeli study claims
    • Researchers investigating possible link between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19
    • UK public health bodies reviewing vitamin D's effects on coronavirus
    • Parents can help children deal with coronavirus-related anxiety
    • Does Vitamin D Protect Against More Severe Complications of Coronavirus?
    • Should people take vitamin D to ward off the new coronavirus?
    • Can taking Vitamin D save your life?
    • People with low vitamin D levels more likely to die from coronavirus, study finds
    • COVID-19: Vitamin D Linked to COVID-19 Deaths
    • Vitamin D Defense – Protection against COVID-19
    • GET YOUR VITAMINS Scientists investigate link between coronavirus survival rates and Vitamin D
    • FOODVitamin D and Coronavirus
    • Low Vitamin D Levels Linked To Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
    • 'Take Vitamin-D' says government as evidence emerges it could help fight coronavirus symptoms
    • Low Vitamin D linked to poor lung function
    • Study finds Vitamin D can build coronavirus resistance
    • Vitamin D may help reduce the risk of the coronavirus, study says
    • Can Vitamin D Lower Your Risk of COVID-19?
    • A lesson from the 1918 influenza pandemic!
    • Vitamin D: Deficiency May Increase Coronavirus Infection Risk
    • Research finds vitamin D is important for respiratory health
  • Breast Cancer
    • Breast cancer: Vitamin D could lower risk by 21% in Black and Hispanic women
    • Vitamin D and Breast Cancer Survival: What You Should Know
    • High intake of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus may reduce breast cancer risk
    • Obesity and Vitamin D Deficiency May Indicate Greater Risk for Breast Cancer
    • Women with high levels of vitamin D ‘are almost a third more likely to survive breast cancer’
    • Fact Check: Breast Cancer and Nutritional Supplements
    • Vitamin D Deficiency May Promote Spread of Some Breast Cancers
    • Vitamin D may double chances of surviving breast cancer
    • OMEGA-3s Inhibit Breast Cancer Tumour Growth, U of G Study Finds
    • Probiotics and Cancer
  • News & Information
    • Headline news, the latest stories >
      • 9 things that could happen if you're not getting enough vitamin D
      • Vitamin D: Recent research uncovers new benefits
      • Start the Week Off Right: Get more Vitamin D in your diet
      • Vitamin D deficiency – who is at risk?
      • Men who have good levels of vitamin D in their bachelor years will have healthy and strong kids, study finds
      • Father's pre-conception vitamin D intake linked to child height and weight at 5 years old
      • Nearly 1 billion people lacking vitamin D
      • Vitamin D supplements could improve fertility
      • Vitamin D and probiotics, perfect friends
      • Inflammatory bowel disease: Vitamin D could ease symptoms of Crohn’s, colitis and IBS
      • All Scots advised to take vitamin D says new health guidance
      • Probiotic may boost vitamin D levels
      • Vitamin D can help you be strong and healthy
    • Cancer >
      • Study finds association between vitamin D, BMI and advanced cancer
      • Study Finds Vitamin D Supplements Reduce Risk of Developing Advanced Cancer
      • Effect of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level on lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancers: a nested case-control study
      • Vitamin D cuts colitis risk in cancer patients on immunotherapy by 65%
      • High Dose Vitamin D Beneficial For Colon Cancer
      • Prompting leukemia cells to die
      • Everything You Need to Know About Vitamin D and Cancer Prevention
      • Obesity and Vitamin D Deficiency May Indicate Greater Risk for Breast Cancer
      • Higher Vitamin D Levels Associated With Lower Risks Of Liver Cancer And Death From Chronic Liver Disease
      • More the Vitamin D, lesser the breast cancer risk
      • Scientists detect new ovarian cancer target
      • Higher vitamin D levels cut colorectal cancer risk
      • Vitamin D linked to lower risk of cancer- study
      • More vitamin D may be associated with lower cancer risk
      • New study suggests link between low vitamin D status and increased risk of ovarian cancer
      • Vitamin D relieves joint, muscle pain for breast cancer patients
      • Low Vitamin D Linked to Bladder Cancer
      • Low vitamin D levels increase risk for bladder cancer
      • Can Vitamin D prevent colon cancer?
      • Vitamin D fights pancreatic cancer
      • Vitamin D levels can affect aggressiveness of melanomas
      • Pancreatic Cancer Survical
      • TNBC
      • Vitamin D Melanoma
    • Childrens Health >
      • High-Dose Vitamin D Well Tolerated in Pediatric Patients
      • Why it’s so hard to identify seasonal depression in kids, and how to help
      • Vitamin D During Pregnancy May Benefit Children’s Bones
      • Vitamin D Deficiency linked to Anxiety and depression in Teens
      • Vitamin D During Pregnancy May Improve Dental Health of Babies
      • Newborns with Vitamin D Deficiency Have Higher Risk of Later Schizophrenia
      • Vitamin D-rich Diet May Decrease Cholesterol in Kids
      • Vitamin D Supplements To Curb Rise In Rickets
      • High vitamin D levels linked to lower cholesterol in children
      • Study Links Low Vitamin D Levels with Fracture Susceptibility and Severity
      • Vitamin D deficiency associated with pediatric obesity
      • Can Vitamin D Deficiency in Children Affect the Severity of Illnesses?
      • Can Vitamin D Reduce Risk of Pre-eclampsia in Pregnancy?
      • Warning to pregnant women on vitamin D: Shortages leads to children with poor motor skills
      • Development fears for children of expectant mothers with low vitamin D levels
      • Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy tied to autism risk
      • Another reason for obese children to go outside: Overweight youngsters with a vitamin D deficiency at risk of heart disease as they grow older
      • Taking Vitamin D During Pregnancy Shows Promise in Preventing Autism
      • Vitamin D deficiency found in children with digestive disorder, UMass study finds
      • Vitamin D deficiency in children exponentially increased in recent years, study finds
      • Maternal Preferences for Vitamin D Supplementation in Breastfed Infants
      • Prenatal Vitamin D Could Lower Baby's ADHD Risk, While Some Diabetes Drugs May do the Opposite
      • Neonatal Vitamin D Levels Appear to Affect MS Risk Later in Life
      • Vitamin D May Improve Symptoms in Children with Autism
      • October is Children’s Health Month
      • Vitamin D Intake During Pregnancy May Protect Against ADHD in Children
      • Regular vitamins likely unnecessary for children with healthy diets, doctor says
      • VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY LEADS TO STRESS FRACTURES IN 15-YEAR-OLD
      • Breastfeeding Moms Aren't Getting Enough of This Essential Vitamin
      • Why children’s allergies are on the rise and how dirt may hold key to reducing cases
      • Babies born to mothers with lack of Vitamin D 'more likely to have learning difficulties'
      • Vitamin D reduces Wheezing
      • Vitamin deficiencies may be linked to migraines in children
      • Vitamin D and MS
      • Less body fat for toddlers taking vitamin D
    • Sports & Endurance >
      • How Optimizing Your Vitamin D Status Promotes Muscle Health & Function
      • Reevaluating Vitamin D as a Sports Supplement
      • The Risks of Being Vitamin D Deficient as an Athlete
      • Vitamin D levels in blood tied to cardiorespiratory fitness
      • What We Know About Vitamin D and Performance
      • Girls with high level of vitamin D have stronger muscles
      • Increased vitamin D intake improves muscle strength and athletic performance
      • Low vitamin D levels associated with higher risk of muscle strain among elite-level football players
      • Are athletes realizing the importance of vitamin D before the general public?
      • Why Vitamin D Is Extra Important for Athletes
      • Optimizing athletic performance through research
      • Nearly 60% Of College Football Athletes Don’t Get Enough D
      • A spotlight on vitamin D
      • High levels of vitamin D may improve muscle strength
      • Low levels of vitamin D may increase risk of fractures in active people
      • Why Vitamin D Is Extra Important for Athletes
      • Low Vitamin D weaker athlete
      • Vitamin D profile in National Football League players.
      • Endurance and D
      • Peak Athletic Performance and Vitamin D
    • General Health >
      • Vitamin D Supplements Linked to Slower Epigenetic Aging
      • Many of us have a vitamin D deficiency and don't know it
      • Vitamin D Helps Modulate Blood Sugar & Promotes Metabolic Health
      • Vitamin D and marine omega 3 fatty acid supplementation and incident autoimmune disease: VITAL randomized controlled trial
      • HEALTH AND WELLNESS The 4 vitamins and supplements this immunologist takes every day to strengthen her immune system: ‘Your body will thank you’
      • If You've Hit A Wall Combating Dry Skin, You May Be Lacking This Vitamin
      • Vitamin D supplements lower risk of autoimmune disease, researchers say
      • Vitamin D3, but not D2, linked to improved immunity
      • Vitamin D and fish oil supplements reduce risk of autoimmune conditions
      • Vitamin D deficiency visible for the first time in teeth after cremation
      • Body pain and tiredness? Could be lack of vitamin D
      • This Little-Known Factor Doubles (Or More) Your Vitamin D Needs
      • 5 Vitamin D Benefits You Should Know About
      • Vitamin D Benefits
      • 7 Reasons to make sure you get enough Vitamin D Accoring to the Doctors
      • Very high dosages of vitamin D may delay frailty in old age
      • Vitamin D deficiency: Could a lack of the sunshine vitamin be causing your cold?
      • Hidden hunger: the crucial health role of Omega 3 and Vitamin D
      • Vitamin D: the superstar of prevention
      • Is Dry Skin A Sign Of Vitamin D Deficiency? Know How It Can Affect Your Skin
      • Coping with seasonal affective disorder
      • Skin Warning Signs That May Indicate You Have Vitamin D Deficiency
      • Vitamin D increases protection against infection, new model suggests
      • Vitamin D deficiency linked with increased risk of death, particularly from diabetes: study
      • People with diabetes, hypertension are Vitamin D deficit: Study
      • Intake of vitamin D supplementation may slow diabetes progression
      • New study sheds light on the role of vitamin D in muscle cells
      • Why you can't absorb vitamin D through a sunny window
      • Vitamin D Benefits That’ll Make You Take the Nutrient More Seriously
      • 5 tips to improve your cognitive functions
      • 5 Ways Women Can Keep Their Bones Healthy
      • Flu Prevention Tips
      • Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Disease Severity, Mortality Risk in IPF Patients
      • 6 Health Problems That Are Caused Due To Vitamin D Deficiency
      • Vitamin D deficiency - does your hair look like this? Warning signs of deficiency revealed
      • Winter Increases Risk Of High Blood Pressure
      • 4 smart tricks to overcome chronic fatigue syndrome without popping pills
      • What can a psychiatrist tell us about vitamin D?
      • Vitamin D for Asthma
      • Researchers discover a new gear in life's clock: Vitamin D
      • Can vitamin D prevent the flu?
      • Vitamin D: It’s that time of the year
      • What's the link between cold weather and the common cold?
      • 11 Sneaky Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency
      • Are you smarter in summer? Brain health changes with the seasons
      • What's the link between vitamin D, gum health, and diabetes?
      • Infection Risk Lower in Dialysis Patients with High, Normal Vitamin D
      • Researchers Find Link Between Vitamin D and Asbestosis
      • We Can Thank Poor Evolutionary Design for Vitamin D Deficiencies
      • Vitamin D deficiency ups diabetes risk in women: Study
      • REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE TAKING VITAMIN D SERIOUSLY
      • Is vitamin D deficiency to blame for lung disease?
      • Many people lack Vitamin D — even in the Sunshine State
      • Vitamin D deficiency may up diabetes risk
      • Low Vitamin D Linked to Metabolic Syndrome in Postmenopausal Women
      • Vitamin D deficiency: How to reverse a shortfall and stop painful symptoms
      • Vitamin D could provide psoriasis relief
      • Is vitamin D really a cure-all – and how should we get our fix?
      • Study confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu
      • The Benefits of Vitamin D – Why It’s the Sexiest Vitamin Around
      • Research finds vitamin D is important for respiratory health
      • Is Vitamin D Really Effective For Cold and Flu
      • Vitamin D deficiency: 6 symptoms
      • Vitamin D could help millions of people with irritable bowel syndrome
      • Frailty not ‘inevitable result of ageing’, can be reversed
      • Should ALL pregnant women take vitamin D?
      • Vitamin D supplementation may be more effective than sun exposure at raising vitamin D levels
      • Study confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu
      • 7 Benefits of Vitamin D You Might Want to Know About
      • Could Fish Oil, Vitamin D Help Ease Lupus?
      • Study confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu
      • Are YOU vitamin D deficient? 6 signs even your doctor might miss
      • Top Myths of Vitamin D
      • Vitamin D May Lower Asthma Attack Risks
      • Vitamin D supplements may reduce asthma severity
      • The Shocking Truth About Vitamin D Deficiency And Its Repercussions
      • Vitamin D Might Be The Key Ingredient In Vitiligo Treatment
      • Vitamin D insufficiency linked to lower virologic response in HBV
      • BACK TO SCHOOL COLD PREVENTION
      • Too little vitamin D may hinder recovery of injured corneas
      • Gut reaction to a healthy life
      • Low Vitamin D Levels Increases the Risk for Chronic Headaches
      • Vitamin D Levels Predict Multiple Sclerosis Progression
      • Study Links Certain Jobs to Vitamin D Deficiency
      • Can Vitamin D Improve Sunburn?
      • Vitamin D guidelines need to be updated – here’s why
      • Daily fruit smoothie helps couples trying to start a family
      • Vitamin D deficiency could cause deadly diseases, warn UAE doctors
      • Vitamin D Deficiency May Cause Early Menopause
      • Lactose intolerance linked to lower vitamin D levels
      • Vitamin D Helps Friendly Bacteria Repopulate The Gut, Making It The Perfect Campanion To Probiotic Supplements
      • Sunscreen ‘is making us vitamin D deficient’, controversial study claims
      • Widespread Vitamin D Deficiency Likely Due to Sunscreen Use, Increase of Chronic Diseases
      • Doctor’s Tip: The low-down on vitamin D
      • Pet vet: Understanding the importance of vitamin D for pets
      • Vitamin D could provide psoriasis relief
      • Can A Vitamin Deficiency Cause Depression?
      • Increased Fracture Risk: Seniors Not Taking Vitamin D Supplements
      • 11 surprising things you might not know about vitamin D
      • What is rickets, what causes the condition, is there a cure and how can I prevent Vitamin D deficiency?
      • Sunshine vitamin linked to fewer heart events: Meta­-analysis
      • Study finds link between vitamin D levels and severity of malabsorption issues
      • ‘Proof’ that Vitamin D can fight flu
      • Sunshine Is The Natural Treatment For Preventing Pre-diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes and More In Children and Adults
      • Vitamin D is not just beneficial, it’s a necessity
      • Vitamin D pills 'could stop colds or flu'
      • Vitamin D Supplementation: Protection from Respiratory Infections?
      • Relapse Risk Up With Low Vitamin D Levels in Ulcerative Colitis
      • Supplementation with vitamin D associated with improved testosterone, erectile function among middle-aged men
      • We all need the Vitamin D
      • 7 Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency People Often Ignore
      • 8 Surprising Things You Didn't Know Vitamin D Could Do For You
      • Low vitamin D level predicts CV morbidity, mortality in type 2 diabetes
      • 10 Things That Will Happen If You Lack Vitamin D
      • Vitamin D study outlines impact of supplements in seniors
      • Vitamin D deficiency and the risk of tuberculosis: a meta-analysis
      • Vitamin D improves gut flora and metabolic syndrome
      • Low Levels of Vitamin D May Be Tied to Balance Problems in Fibromyalgia Patients
      • High Levels of Vitamin D Supplements May Help Improve Lung Function in CF Patients, Study Shows
      • Vitamin D Modestly Tied to Sex Hormones in Older Population
      • Sun exposure as kids may prevent nearsightedness in later life
      • Vitamin D reduces respiratory infections, but there's a catch
      • Insufficient Sun Exposure Called Emerging Public Health Problem By World-renowned Researchers
      • Weight loss combined with vitamin D supplements can reduce inflammation linked to cancer and chronic diseases
      • Higher Doses of Vitamin D Can Lower Incidence of Respiratory Infection
      • Poor fertility linked to low vitamin D levels
      • Men and the Power of Vitamin D
      • Vitamin D and Immune Function
      • High quality evidence suggests vitamin D can reduce asthma attacks
      • The association between vitamin D and COPD risk, severity, and exacerbation: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis
      • How to boost your energy levels
      • Low Vitamin D Increases Mortality Risk
      • Air pollution and vitamin D deficiency linked to dementia.
      • The Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic … 40% World’s Population Low on D
      • Low Vitamin D Linked with All-Cause Death
      • Your Family Doesn't Have To Get Sick This Fall
      • Vitamin D is essential for the elderly living without sunshine in their lives
      • Taking THIS vitamin could protect you against cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s
      • Vitamin D tablets may help reduce asthma attacks, review finds
      • Vitamin D Proven More Effective Than Both Anti-Viral Drugs and Vaccines at Preventing the Flu
      • Bring me sunshine: How I beat eczema
      • Insulin Resistance and Vitamin D
      • Diverticulitis risk lower with higher vitamin D
      • Vitamin D deficincy linked to problems in pregnancy.
      • High Doses of Vitamin D Unlikely to Help MS Patients, But Daily Low Dose Good for All,
      • Natural Vitamin D Supplement Effective for Nondialysis CKD-MBD
      • 8 Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency
      • Vitamin D deficiency could increase risk of diabetes related coronary heart disease
      • Low D may increase nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
      • Vitamin D for prostate health
      • Pregnant women with good intake of vitamin D lower risk
      • Fight infection like an Olympic athlete
      • Lack of vitamin D lowering fertility in Gulf, doctors say
      • Rayaldee Approved for Secondary Hyperparathyroidism Vitamin d Deficiency
      • Increase vitamin D levels to cut kidney problems
      • Sunbathers live longer
      • Crohn’s disease causes vitamin D deficiency
      • Taking vitamin D avoid new-onset diabetes risk
      • Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Diabetic Retinopathy
      • UK sun not enough
      • morbidity and D
      • Macular and D
      • Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D
    • Heart Health >
      • STUDY NAILS DOWN A LINK BETWEEN VITAMIN D AND HEART HEALTH
      • Vitamin D-3 could 'reverse' ​damage to heart
      • Vitamin D and the Heart
      • Vitamin D Can Mend a Broken Heart
      • D deficiency linked to high blood pressure
      • Stress of open-heart surgery significantly reduces vitamin D levels, but supplementation helps
      • Vitamin D reduces early mortality: study
      • Vitamin D-3 could 'reverse' damage to heart
      • High Vitamin D Dose May Rapidly Cut Arterial Stiffness
      • Heart failure 12 times more likely in people with vitamin D deficiency
      • Exercise and vitamin D better together for heart health
      • Sunshine vitamin linked to fewer heart events: Meta­-analysis
      • Vitamin D levels could predict risk of poor cardiovascular health
    • Neurological health >
      • New Research Shows Vitamin D Deficiency Leads to Dementia
      • Vitamin D supplementation may reduce ADHD symptoms, finds study
      • low d linked to fall, sleep problems and depression
      • Potential link between vitamin d deficiency and loss of brain plasticity
      • SUNBATHE AND QUIT SMOKING TO REDUCE MS RISK IN SPAIN’S MALAGA SAY LEADING DOCTORS
      • At risk of getting, or have, multiple sclerosis? Load up on vitamin D: MS Society
      • 4 things you can do to prevent stroke
      • Vitamin D: The Only Dietary Supplement Showing Significant Benefit for MS
      • Vitamin D Supplementation May Help Ease Depression
      • Easing your winter blues this season
      • Reducing Vitamin D Levels in Women May Up the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis
      • UNBC study shows vitamin D boosts brain function
      • Vitamin D Eases Depression, Fatigue in Spinal Cord Patients
      • Sharon Ní Chonchúir on having a baby despite her MS
      • Dutch study confirms link between certain psychiatric disorders and vitamin D deficiency
      • Vitamin D Deficiency and Depression
      • Vitamin D During Pregnancy Reduces ADHD Risk
      • Low Levels of Vitamin D in Patients With Bipolar Disorder
      • Vitamin D Supplements Improve Cognition in Patients With MS
      • Can vitamin D prevent Alzheimers?
      • The signs you might have seasonal affective disorder
      • A deficiency of THIS essential vitamin could lead to MEMORY loss
      • Vitamin D levels predict risk of brain decline in Chinese elderly
      • Vitamin D and MS
      • Alzheimer's Q&A
    • Pain >
      • Vitamin D Reduces Need for Opioid Pain Relief in Cancer Patients
      • The association of calcium and vitamin D use with implant survival of total knee arthroplasty: A nationwide population-based cohort study
      • Vitamin D for Back Pain and Disc Degeneration in Postmenopausal Women
      • Vitamin D may expedite wound healing in burn patients
      • Vitamin deficiency can cause pain
      • What is the link between psoriatic arthritis and depression?
      • Neuropathic Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency
      • Vitamin D supplements could help pain management
      • Recent clinical trial discovers vitamin D supplementation reduces chronic low back pain
      • Chronic Headache Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency
      • With Vitamin D Deficiency More Prevalent Than Previously Thought, Pain & Stress Center Presents Solution
      • How vitamin D inhibits inflammation
      • Easy ways to relieve crippling knee pain
      • Vitamin D Supplementation and the Progression of Knee Osteoarthritis
      • Migraines Linked to Low Levels of Vitamin D
    • ​Weight Managment >
      • Research links lower vitamin D levels to excess body fat
      • Vitamin D is important for decreasing belly fat
      • Study finds association between vitamin D, BMI and advanced cancer
      • Weight loss combined with vitamin D supplements can reduce inflammation linked to cancer and chronic diseases
      • Vitamin D deficiency can cause weight gain
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  • Vitamin D may get you discharged home sooner! A deficiency in the sunshine supplement trebles the length of time patients stay in hospital
  • 5 Probiotic Benefits That Have Nothing To Do With Digestion
  • Newborns with Vitamin D Deficiency Have Higher Risk of Later Schizophrenia
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  • Exercising and Taking Vitamin D and Omega-3 Supplements May Reduce Your Cancer Risk By 61%, Study Says

5 Vitamin D Benefits You Should Know About
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This nutrient does a lot behind the scenes to help your body work better.

You’ve probably heard by now that vitamin D is good for you, and maybe you’ve even thought about taking a supplement in hopes of maximizing your vitamin D benefits. (After all, vitamin D is one of the most Googled dietary supplements, according to research in the journal Nutrients.)
Vitamin D has long been known for its ability to strengthen bones and more recently has also been linked to several additional health benefits, especially in the COVID-19 era. But sometimes these rumors about vitamin D benefits are inaccurate. When it comes to vitamins and your health, it can be hard to know what’s for real.
To get to the bottom of what vitamin D can actually do for your body, we asked experts to cut through the hype and explain what we know about vitamin D benefits.
What is vitamin D?
First, a quick explanation about what this stuff is, exactly. Vitamin D is no average nutrient, and its name is actually something of a misnomer. “It's not just a vitamin,” Sue Shapses, Ph.D., R.D., a professor of nutritional sciences at Rutgers University, tells SELF. “It's a hormone, so it acts on many organs throughout the body.” Although we can get it through food, our bodies actually produce their own vitamin D (with the help of sunlight) and have their own receptors, which has a molecular structure similar to other hormones—all of which makes it more like a hormone than a true vitamin. To avoid confusion for the purposes of this article, we’ll continue to refer to it as a vitamin throughout—but it’s an interesting fact, right?
Vitamin D gets into your system in two ways: You ingest it, or you make it. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient found in some foods, such as milk and salmon, and dietary supplements, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our bodies also make vitamin D from sunlight, which is why it’s sometimes called the sunshine vitamin. Within minutes of going outside, your skin begins to convert UV light from the sun into previtamin D3, says Dr. Shapses. Then it travels through your blood, liver, and kidneys, where it’s converted to the active form of vitamin D, Dr. Shapses explains. This D3 is the kind of vitamin D your body can use, just like the version you eat.

From there, vitamin D is dispatched throughout the body so it can get to work. “In the active form, it can go to the vitamin D receptors on various areas of the body, various organs, including the pancreas, the brain, muscles, cardiac tissue—you name it,” says Dr. Shapses. Yes, your body has special vitamin D receptors. They enable vitamin D to do a myriad of things throughout your body, like reducing inflammation and affecting cell growth.
The benefits of vitamin D
Now, let’s get into what vitamin D can do for your body. While there’s a lot of buzz about the potential benefits of vitamin D—especially during the pandemic, as we’ll get to—the fact remains that vitamin D’s reputation as a bone builder is its most well-studied and evidence-backed benefit, Dr. Shapses says. Various other potential benefits are promising but not as proven, based on strong cell and animal studies and some encouraging studies of humans.
There are studies linking low vitamin D to an increased risk of many conditions, from heart disease to obesity to depression. But like with many nutrients, it can be really hard to tease out a causal relationship here—meaning we can observe a link between adequate intake of a specific nutrient, like vitamin D, and better health outcomes, but haven’t established whether it’s that particular nutrient that’s responsible for those benefits. And often, when researchers have given people vitamin D supplements to see if the intervention has the expected effect, the results come up short.
That said, in the right amount, vitamin D is strongly connected to a variety of positive aspects of health, the most well-supported or notable of which we point out here. So with those caveats in mind, here are some key health benefits of getting enough vitamin D:

1. Vitamin D can help build strong bones.
Vitamin D is crucial for a strong, healthy skeleton in several ways. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, the main building block of bones. It also helps your bone cells grow and rebuild, and promotes bone health by helping the surrounding muscles grow properly, the ODS says.
If your body doesn’t get enough vitamin D to help it absorb calcium from the food you eat, it may start siphoning off calcium stored in your skeleton, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, which can cause bone weakening and prevent the growth of strong bones. That’s why not getting enough vitamin D can contribute to osteoporosis, the ODS says. A vitamin D deficiency can also lead to osteomalacia, or weakening of the bones, per the ODS.

2. Vitamin D can support a healthy immune system.

Vitamin D plays several important roles in regulating immune health, and we know that vitamin D supports important cells in the immune system, Shana Minei Spence, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., a registered dietitian nutritionist based in New York City, tells SELF. While scientists don’t yet know all the exact mechanisms, one line of thinking is that vitamin D may increase the production of a substance called cathelicidin, an immune system protein that fights invading pathogens like viruses and bacteria. Vitamin D is also thought to play a role in regulating the production of substances and cells that cause inflammation in the immune system.
The thinking that vitamin D may help your immune system fight off infections is obviously a hot topic during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the NIH’s COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines cites vitamin D’s potential to impact the immune system, they also say there isn’t yet enough data either way to say if it works as a prevention or treatment for COVID-19.
That said, experts have been talking about vitamin D as a cold and flu fighter for a while. A research review published in Inflammation & Allergy—Drug Targets in 2013 cites several large studies showing that adequate vitamin D levels are associated with a lower risk and severity of respiratory infections, while vitamin D deficiencies are associated with a greater risk and severity. And some research on vitamin D supplements suggests, they could help ward off these kinds of illnesses. A review of 25 studies published in the British Medical Journal in 2017 suggested that vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of acute respiratory tract infections in people with vitamin D levels in the deficiency range or on the lower end of the normal range by 12% overall. The more deficient people were, the more beneficial the supplements were. (Fun fact: Sun lamps and cod liver oil, both sources of vitamin D, were even used to fight tuberculosis in the 19th and early 20th centuries.)
What’s more, “Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to be prevalent in autoimmune disease,” Spence says. According to a research review published in Nutrients in 2020, there is an association between low vitamin D and autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. (That said, taking more vitamin D hasn’t been shown to prevent these diseases.)

3. Vitamin D can promote healthy blood sugar levels.

Vitamin D plays a key role in metabolizing glucose in the food you eat. It stimulates the beta cells in your pancreas to secrete insulin, a hormone that is key for converting food you eat into energy and regulating blood sugar, Dr. Shapses explains. It also reduces insulin resistance (when your body stops responding as well to insulin), according to the ODS, and could play a role in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes.
While a number of observational studies show an association between low vitamin D and higher blood sugar levels (in people with and without diabetes) as well as an increased risk of diabetes, so far there is “little evidence” of a cause-and-effect relationship between taking extra vitamin D supplements and diabetes risk or blood sugar control, the ODS explains—especially in people who already get enough vitamin D.

4. Vitamin D can help support a healthy pregnancy.

Consider this another reason to take a prenatal vitamin. As SELF has reported, it’s important for pregnant people to get enough vitamin D in their diets. A 2019 Cochrane review suggests that vitamin D supplementation in pregnant people might reduce the risk of pregnancy complications like pre‐eclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birth weight, and severe postpartum hemorrhage. Although the mechanisms behind this are not fully understood, some of these benefits might come from vitamin D’s positive effects on the immune system, inflammation, and blood vessel function.

5. Vitamin D can potentially reduce your risk of getting or dying from cancer.

Lab experiments and animal studies indicate that vitamin D could inhibit cancer formation and tumor growth, according to the ODS, while the research in humans is mixed—but exciting.
There are some observational studies and clinical trials suggesting low vitamin D levels are connected to developing or dying from multiple types of cancer—including breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer—as well as many that do not.
The ODS cites two large meta-analyses of studies finding that higher vitamin D levels were associated with a reduced overall incidence of cancer and death from cancer (but not in every study or demographic). There is some promising clinical data too. A 2019 meta-analysis published in the Annals of Oncology looked at 10 randomized clinical trials including 6,537 cancer cases and found that vitamin D supplementation reduced cancer mortality rates by 13%. Ultimately, however, experts say that more research is needed before they can say anything such as “vitamin D can help prevent cancer.”
How to get enough vitamin DSo, how much vitamin D do you need to ensure it’s helping to promote good health? The benefits of vitamin D come from consuming a sufficient amount—not too little, not too much.
To get the benefits of vitamin D, you need to avoid deficiency, says Dr. Shapses. Vitamin D deficiency occurs when you have a blood level of 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) or less, according to the ODS. Severe deficiency is 12 ng/ml or less. “It's when levels go below 20, but especially below 12, that we see negative outcomes associated with low vitamin D status,” Dr. Shapses says. But you don’t want to veer too far in the other direction, either, because it is possible to take in too much vitamin D through supplements, according to the ODS, causing symptoms such as confusion, nausea, and vomiting (or even kidney failure at extremely high levels).
Sunlight is one great source for keeping your vitamin D at healthy levels. Research suggests that just five to 30 minutes of sun exposure per day, or at least twice weekly, is generally enough to make the vitamin D you need, according to the ODS. (And you should still wear sunscreen any time you’re outside—most people don’t put on enough to block the vitamin D–producing rays from reaching your skin anyway, the ODS says.) While people with darker skin produce less vitamin D with the same amount of sun exposure than people with lighter skin because of the presence of melanin, the ODS says it’s not clear if the lower levels of vitamin D more common in Black people because of this reason have negative health effects; there aren’t official recommendations for people with darker skin to spend more time in the sun.
Although vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin, don’t solely rely on the sun to meet your needs, says Spence—you’ll also want to get it from a variety of foods. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is 600 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per day for women ages 19 to 70, according to the ODS. Mushrooms, fatty fish, and egg yolks are great nutritional sources, Spence says. While processed and packaged foods are sometimes painted as less healthy, Spence says, they can actually be an extremely important source of vitamin D. “Many foods such as cereals, milks (both cow and plant-based), yogurt, and juices are fortified with vitamin D,” she says.
While many people are able to get enough vitamin D from the food and sun, some do not. Estimates on how common vitamin D deficiency is vary, but National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2011 to 2014 show that 18% of people over the age of 1 in the U.S. were at risk of inadequate levels, and 5% were at risk of deficiency.
So if you don’t eat vitamin D–rich foods on the regular or are deficient in vitamin D for any reason really, you might also benefit from a vitamin D supplement. “Many clients that I work with have trouble eating a variety of foods,” says Spence. “I often recommend clients just take a supplement for support,” whether that’s a stand-alone vitamin D supplement or a multivitamin.
As with any kind of dietary supplement, taking vitamin D is something to discuss with a health care provider like your primary care doctor first. If you’re wondering whether you’re getting enough vitamin D to reap the benefits, schedule an appointment. Your provider might recommend a simple blood test to check your vitamin D levels. If your levels are low, they will probably suggest or prescribe a supplement with the right level of vitamin D to bring your levels into the target zone—and make sure you’re not missing out on any of that vitamin D goodness.

​https://www.self.com/story/vitamin-d-benefits

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