Vitamin D is made by the body itself. It’s free to all, as it comes from the sun and good for blood, bones, teeth, muscles and the immune system. Surely, everyone should be benefiting from the goodness of Vitamin D? Unfortunately, not.
Insufficient levels of Vitamin D is commonplace in many developed countries, including the UK. In 2016, in light of a widespread nationwide deficiency, the NHS advised that everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter. As outlined on their website and reported in the Daily Mail, the NHS have now extended this advice beyond the darker seasons, as the current lockdown is reducing the amount of sun people are exposed to.
This deficiency is a huge problem for public health, as Vitamin D is important to many aspects of our health. For people suffering from an array of chronic illnesses, it is especially important.
So, what is so great about Vitamin D? According to the EU’s food claims register, vitamin D contributes to normal muscle function, the maintenance of normal bones and the normal function of the immune system. Recognizing this powerful vitamin’s role for people with different types of arthritis, the charity Versus Arthritis say on their website that vitamin D3 can “help you have healthy muscles and boost your immune system”.
Not only does vitamin D3 itself bring significant benefits, it also helps the body process calcium and phosphate. Both these nutrients can help further with bone health and energy levels.
There are three ways to boost your Vitamin D levels, accessible to all. Firstly, exposure to the sun definitely boosts Vitamin D, but this needs to be balanced with minimising skin damage and the risk of melanoma or skin cancer. Secondly, although it is quite hard to access Vitamin D through diet, there are some foods rich in this nutrient, such as like oily fish (eg. salmon, herring and mackerel), egg yolks and mushrooms. Thirdly, it is helpful to take a Vitamin D supplement; the NHS recommends one that has a minimum of 10 micrograms (for reference, our ActiFlex supplement contains 25 micrograms in its daily dose).
If you are taking Vitamin D, there is strong evidence its health impact is far stronger when paired with Vitamin K2. Studies show that in combination they have more effective health outcomes than when taken alone, especially for bone and heart health.
It is perhaps too early to definitely establish any link between Vitamin D and COVID-19 treatment, but there are scientific studies that show supplementation with this nutrient could possibly improve clinical outcomes of infected patient. One to watch.
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Sources
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/
http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/labelling_nutrition/claims/register/public/?event=register.home
https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/diet/
https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritioninthenews/new-reports/983-newvitamind.html
