Winter coming means less of beneficial vitamin D. How can we get it?

A new study reinforces the importance of vitamin D to health, especially as the onset of winter diminishes sunlight, the most effective way humans absorb the vitamin.

The study, published in the periodical Engineering, supports research showing that vitamin D can benefit health in several ways, including increasing bone health and immunity and helping prevent cognitive decline.

If that doesn’t convince you to consider the nutrient, the new study of 17,656 participants found that even median amounts of vitamin D intake can help reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reduce markers of type 2 diabetes and improve blood glucose and insulin.

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What is vitamin D, and how can I get it?

Vitamin D is found in animal fats such as fish oil, butter and egg yolks, and plants including mushrooms, or in foods such as cereals that have vitamins added to them.

The vitamin’s primary function is to help the body absorb calcium, which can’t be absorbed without vitamin D. Calcium is vital for strong bones and muscles. Vitamin D also improves the benefits of vitamin K, working in tandem to keep blood vessels healthy.

In addition, vitamin D can improve the body’s immunity, helping fight off disease and viruses, according to the Mayo Clinic. Vitamin D also regulates many other cellular functions in the body. Its “anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties” are what help support immunity, as well as brain cell activity, according to Mayo.

You can get vitamin D from supplements, but adults shouldn’t consume vitamin D supplements at levels higher than 4,000 international units daily.

The vitamin is best processed by the body through sunlight. Vitamin D is produced by the skin when it’s exposed to sunlight, and just 10 minutes in the sun can produce up 10,000 units of vitamin D, according to Dr. Ouliana Ziouzenkova, an associate professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University. Unlike other forms of vitamin D, getting the vitamin through sunlight has no risk of toxicity.

Ziouzenkova recommends the more natural ways of getting vitamin D, through the outdoors and diet. But there’s a place for supplements, as long as they’re not overused, she said.

There is no one-size-fits-all for vitamin D

While vitamin D is no doubt good for you, Ziouzenkova noted that there are some people for whom too much vitamin D can be dangerous, and in general, many people are taking vitamin D when it’s not needed.

There is no one-size fits-all when it comes to vitamin D intake, Ziouzenkova emphasized. Before starting a supplement, you should get your vitamin D levels checked by a health provider to help determine your needs, especially those who struggle with kidney function or may have certain genetic mutations.

For the general population, vitamin D isn’t something that needs to be taken every day at a set amount. Rather, it should supplemented depending on biological factors like weight, a diet low in animal fats, or a lifestyle with less exposure to sunlight, or weather patterns where you live.

“Like everything, we need balance in our nutrition,” Ziouzenkova said.

Samantha Hendrickson is the Dispatch’s medical business and health care reporter. She can be reached at shendrickson@dispatch.com

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