Vitamin D for Immune System Support - How It Works, Deficiency Symptoms, and Health Benefits

Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, plays a vital role in immune function. Technically, vitamin D is a hormone. Your body produces it when your skin is exposed to sunlight. It’s rarely found in foods, but supplements can help prevent vitamin D deficiency. When levels are low, many people choose to supplement vitamin D for immune system health.

How Vitamin D for Immune System Works

Vitamin D supports the immune system by stimulating antimicrobial peptides. These peptides attack bacteria, viruses, yeasts, fungi, and even cancer cells. Think of them as your first line of defense against illness, like colds and flu. They live inside of immune cells throughout the body.

Without vitamin D, your immune system would have a more challenging time fighting off illness.

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a higher risk of autoimmune disease and infections as well as:

• Several types of cancer: breast, prostate and colon
• Depression
• Heart disease
• Weight gain

High-dose vitamin D, on the other hand, can boost your immune health by preventing infection and reducing the risk of autoimmunity.

How Does the Body Make Vitamin D?

The body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight. First, UVB rays are converted to pre-vitamin D3. Next, it’s converted to D3. Finally, the liver and kidneys convert vitamin D3 into the form that our bodies use, which is called calcitriol.

The body can’t make vitamin D without UV rays. For this reason, many people prefer to supplement vitamin D to avoid the risks of sun exposure.

What Vitamin D Deficiency Does to Your Body

Vitamin D deficiency is a growing problem worldwide. That’s partly because people are spending 87% or more of their time indoors. It gets even worse in the winter because these cold, dreary months make it harder for the body to make vitamin D.

Other factors play a role in vitamin D production, including:

• Your location. The sun is stronger near the equator. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, your body may have a harder time making vitamin D.
• Time of day. The sun’s rays are the strongest between 10 am and 3 pm.
• Cloud cover and pollution. If you live in an area that gets a lot of rain or pollution, it will be harder for you to produce vitamin D.

Modern living has made it harder for everyone to maintain healthy vitamin D levels.

What happens if your vitamin D levels are too low?

You May Get Sick More Often

Studies have found a link between low vitamin D and colds, pneumonia, and other types of respiratory tract infections.

But there’s also evidence that Vitamin D supplements can reduce your risk of respiratory tract infection.

Your Wounds May Heal Slowly

If cuts and other injuries heal more slowly, this may be a sign of low vitamin D. Researchers believe that vitamin D’s role in reducing inflammation and fighting infection affects the healing process.

You May Suffer from Back Pain

Lower back pain can also be a sign of vitamin D deficiency. Research has shown that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of severe back pain.

As you can see, low levels of vitamin D can harm your immune system and even lead to pain. Preventing deficiency is essential for overall health and well-being.

Vitamin D for Immune System Support: How Much You Really Need

How much vitamin D do you really need? That depends on your age and your doctor’s recommendations. Like with anything else in life, it’s essential to find balance. Too much vitamin D can be just as harmful as too little.

Here’s how much vitamin D is recommended for adults:

• Aged 9-70: 600-4,000 IU/day
• Over age 70: 800-4,000 IU/day
• Pregnant/lactating females aged 14-50: 600-4,000 IU/day

How Else Does Vitamin D Affect the Body?

Vitamin D plays a significant role in immune function, but it also affects your health in other ways. Healthy vitamin D levels:

• Keep your bones strong.
• Help you absorb calcium.
• Help prevent bone loss.

Vitamin D works with phosphorus and calcium to build bones. If your body can’t absorb enough calcium, it will start “borrowing” it from your bones. Low vitamin D can eventually lead to soft bones in children and adults.

Sources of Vitamin D

Unfortunately, vitamin D doesn’t occur naturally in most foods. Some foods have added vitamin D, like milk.

Some of the foods that contain vitamin D include:

• Salmon
• Tuna
• Cod liver oil
• Swordfish
• Fortified beverages, like milk and orange juice
• Sardines
• Egg yolks
• Beef liver

Vegans and people who are lactose intolerant may have a hard time getting vitamin D from their diets. People with certain digestive disorders, like inflammatory bowel disease, are also at a greater risk of deficiency. This is because the body needs fat to absorb vitamin D. Some digestive disorders affect the way the body digests fat.

Supplements are a practical and effective way to maintain healthy vitamin D levels all year long – no matter your diet or lifestyle.

Vitamin D plays a vital role in immune function and your overall health. Making sure that you get enough of the sunshine vitamin can help reduce the risk of infection, colds and flu.