Keep your Vitamin D level in check this winter!

​Most of us know vitamin D is vital for strong and healthy bones, helping with calcium absorption in the intestine. However, scientists have found other interesting association between low vitamin D blood serum level and some health conditions,that may even have an impact to your children!
 
Vitamin D supports a healthy immune system, reduces inflammation and helps with calcium absorption. Gathering information from different research studies, low vitamin D level is a risk factor for osteoporosis, rickets disease in children and osteomalacia in adults, bone fractures in elderly, cancer, depression, intentional self harm and suicide attempt. (1, 2)
 
Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency has been suggested to favor a poorer outcome of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19).(3) A study from Italy published in 2021 found people admitted to hospital with moderate to severe respiratory symptoms had lower vitamin D in their blood serum compared to people who only have mild symptoms.(3)
 
Healthy Bones Australia recommends a vitamin D level of at least 50 nmol/L at the end of winter and during summer higher levels are common in the range of 60-70 nmol/L. We can get vitamin D from diet, or through UVB in direct sunlight when skin is exposed. To reach a recommended level of vitamin D, we need an average of 6-8 mins of sunlight daily(in NSW) during summer months and 5 times longer in winter months!(4) It should be noted that glasses blocks out UVB from the sunlight, together with the increase time spent indoor during winter months, vitamin D level can really fluctuate from season to season. In this case, consider consuming cod liver oil, more mushrooms, oily fishes such as salmon and mackerel to ensure vitamin D level is adequate.
 
If you want to know more about how to keep your immune system strong and healthy this winter, talk to one of our chiropractors and see how we may be able to help manage your concerns!

Reference

1.         Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. New England journal of medicine. 2007;357(3):266-81.
2.         Kjærgaard M, Waterloo K, Wang CEA, Almås B, Figenschau Y, Hutchinson MS, et al. Effect of vitamin D supplement on depression scores in people with low levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D: nested case—control study and randomised clinical trial. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2012;201(5):360-8.
3.         Campi I, Gennari L, Merlotti D, Mingiano C, Frosali A, Giovanelli L, et al. Vitamin D and COVID-19 severity and related mortality: a prospective study in Italy. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2021;21(1):566.
4.         Nowson CA, McGrath JJ, Ebeling PR, Haikerwal A, Daly RM, Sanders KM, et al. Vitamin D and health in adults in Australia and New Zealand: a position statement. Medical journal of Australia. 2012;196(11):686-7.