Keep Strong Bones

Vitamin D helps to keep bones and teeth strong, and improves bone density.

It also reduces the incidence of falls in older people In fact, vitamin D plays a major role in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and in their proper utilisation.

We get most of our vitamin D from sunlight on our skin. The vitamin is made by our body under the skin, in reaction to summer sunlight. However, if you are out in the sun, take care to cover up or protect your skin with sunscreen before you turn red or get burnt. Many people can’t understand how vitamin D can be so good for so many different things. Most of the cells in your body, including brain, heart, blood, muscles, bones, liver and kidneys have special receptors for taking in vitamin D when needed, not just bones. That is why the benefits of optimum vitamin D are so diverse. In each case, those receptors are there for a reason, but the reason is different for each type of cell because each cell is specialized for a particular kind of work. If a cell is able to access vitamin D then it performs optimally. If not, it just has to manage without and do the best it can.

Vitamin D is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, which may also contribute to its effectiveness in reducing some types of muscular pain. Older people with high vitamin D levels lose their muscle mass more slowly than those with low vitamin D levels.

Being severely deficient for a few months may affect your well-being in areas such as:
• feeling depressed
• poor resistance to infections
• increased pain, especially in bones and muscles
• increased inflammation
• feeling tired and sleepy during the day

Not everyone with vitamin D deficiency experiences all of these symptoms. In fact, some people are not aware of any symptoms at all. But even if you have no symptoms, a vitamin D deficiency still increases your risk for many serious conditions.

The symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can be very subtle, and may only worsen gradually over many years. And all of these symptoms can have other causes.

If you notice any of these symptoms – which may be worse in winter when vitamin D levels are at their lowest –  It is always best to consult with your GP if you have any concerns.  There are some rare conditions which can make you hypersensitive to vitamin D
• primary hyperparathyroidism
• sarcoidosis
• granulomatous diseases
• lymphoma
• histoplasmosis
• leprosy
• coccidioidomycosis
• some cancers.

If you have one of these conditions you will be under a doctor’s care and should only take vitamin D if it is prescribed for you.

If you suffer from kidney disease you also need to be careful about taking vitamin D, because of the danger of kidney stones. The reason for this is that vitamin D is a powerful hormone with far-reaching effects in the body. It can affect medications, treatment plans and dosages.
Actually you don’t need to remember these specific conditions, because there is only one general rule to remember:

Don’t take vitamin D if you are being treated for any condition by your doctor, without consulting him/her first.