New research from the University of South Australia gives strong evidence that vitamin D deficiency is associated with premature death, prompting calls for people to follow healthy vitamin d level guidelines.
Vitamin d deficiency is already extremely common, affecting approximately 42 percent of the US population, according to research published in the National Institutes of Health database. Because of this, some researchers across the globe have referred to vitamin D deficiency as an “invisible epidemic.” Here are ways to offset the imbalance.
It’s no secret that vitamin D is critical to balancing many areas of health. From pediatric broken bones to cluster headaches, physicians and scientists are still learning just how powerful the “sunshine vitamin” is especially when it comes to fighting viruses.
“The main effect that we’re talking about in vitamin D really has to do with the immune system itself in just fighting off the virus rather than counteracting some of these things, such as blood clotting and reversing low oxygen levels,” Ivan Castro, MD, Internal Medicine, at Private Health MD says.
Jeffrey Drebin, MD, Chair, Dept. of Surgery, at Memorial Sloan Kettering explains, “We know that in our patients’ specimens that were removed and put into tissue culture, vitamin D shuts down the stromal cells.”
A person can get vitamin D in three ways: through the skin, from their diet, and from medically prescribed supplements. The National Institutes of Health recommends 400 international units of vitamin D for new borns up to 12 months, 600 for children and adults up to 70 years old as well as breastfeeding women, and 800 international units for adults 71 and up.
For people who are very close to the normal vitamin D level, which is 30, experts recommend adding more vitamin D to your diet.
“For example, mushrooms, salmon, halibut, herring. Milk is fortified with vitamin D, eggs, that sort of thing,” says Dr. Castro.
The bottom line? Vitamin D is vital for your life.
The standard treatment for vitamin D deficiency involves supplements. Depending on an individual’s condition, their healthcare provider will recommend how much they need to take, how often they need to take it, and how long they need to take it.