Vitamin D is one of the most well-known vitamins - and for a good reason. It is crucial for good health and helps us fight off illness.
But during the long, dark winter months, sunlight is limited, and getting your fill of vitamin D is not always easy. This puts us at greater risk of deficiency, which can have a whole host of negative impacts on our health and increases the risk of depression.
In this article, find out why vitamin D is so crucial for our health, how we get vitamin D from the sun, and read our top tips on how to get plenty of vitamin D in the winter!
Why Do We Need Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a vital vitamin for maintaining many aspects of our health. It has several important roles, including:
- Immune support: Vitamin D enhances the body's immune cells that kill invading pathogens and help protect against infections. Vitamin D also helps reduce inflammation, which is associated with many chronic diseases 1.
- Building strong bones: Vitamin D regulates calcium absorption and blood phosphorus levels to develop and maintain strong bones and teeth 2.
- Regulating mood: Vitamin D is necessary for proper brain function and is involved in the production of important neurotransmitters in the brain, such as serotonin, that regulate our mood and make us feel happy 3.
- Supporting healthy development: Vitamin D is particularly essential for the rapid growth and development of children and infants 4. Pregnant women also require large amounts of vitamin D to support the growth of their babies and reduce the risk of pregnancy complications.
If you don't get enough vitamin D, you are at greater risk of many illnesses and diseases, mood-related disorders like depression, and weak, brittle bones. Children deficient in vitamin D are more likely to suffer bone malformations, high blood pressure, and allergies.
Despite the importance of vitamin D, 13% of the world's population is considered deficient 5. This is likely due to the difficulties of getting enough vitamin D in the winter - don't worry, we've got you covered on this front!
How Do We Get Vitamin D?
The best source of vitamin D is from the sun - hence why vitamin D is often referred to as the sunshine vitamin.
The sun emits two types of UV rays: ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB). When UVB rays hit our skin, a chain of reactions happen. Firstly, a precursor to vitamin D already in the skin is converted into vitamin D3.
This is then processed by the liver and kidneys and converted into an active form called calcitriol, a form of vitamin D that the body can use for multiple processes.
Vitamin D deficiency is common in countries far from the equator, where the sun's rays are much less intense, and those with short winter daylight hours. Some countries like Sweden and Finland experience no sunlight in the winter, making it very hard to get your required vitamin D intake.
The other way of obtaining vitamin D is through eating certain foods such as oily fish, red meat, and eggs. Many people also take vitamin D supplements to top up their levels with ease.
Tips To Get Enough Vitamin D In The Winter
As sunlight is a primary source of vitamin D, when daylight hours are shorter in the winter, and the sun is not as strong, it is often challenging to get sufficient amounts. But, by taking the right measures, it is possible to still get your daily fill of vitamin D! Here's how.
Eat plenty of vitamin D-rich food
During the dark winter months, load up your meals with lots of foods high in vitamin D. Oily, fatty fish like tuna, mackerel, and salmon are packed full of vitamin D, especially if caught from the wild and not farmed.
One study found that one serving of wild salmon can supply you with your full daily dose of vitamin D 6. Egg yolks, cheese, red meat, and liver are also extremely high in vitamin D.
If you are a vegetarian or vegan, try to include lots of vitamin D-fortified foods in your diet, such as milk, cereals, and juices. Mushrooms are also a fantastic source of vitamin D, as they make theirs the same way we do from the sun. Again, wild mushrooms contain the highest amounts of vitamin D.
Get outside every day
We know going outside in the cold in winter is often unappealing, but your body will thank you! Wrap up warm with hats and scarves and soak up some sun for at least 15 minutes - midday is the optimal time of day for vitamin D production from sunlight 7.
Use a UV lamp
Sometimes it's just too darn cold outside! The lure of the snuggly, cozy indoors can be too much and prevent us from getting our daily dose of sunlight. And some countries see no sunlight at all in winter. This is where artificial UV lamps - quite literally - shine.
UV lamps emit rays that mimic the action of the sun's UVB rays, triggering vitamin D production when you place yourself in front 8.
Take a supplement
It can be hard to get enough vitamin D through sun exposure and food alone in the winter, so taking a vitamin D supplement can help.
Performance Lab Nutrigenesis Multi provides you with your daily dose of vitamin D and more than 17 other important vitamins and minerals essential for good health. Choose from two multivitamins calibrated for the specific nutritional needs of both men and women.
Combine NutriGenesis Multi with PL-Immune for the ultimate health-boosting duo. PL-Immune improves the function of your body's immune cells and restores your natural defenses, helping you fight off illnesses all year round.
Summary
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that has many important jobs, including supporting the immune system, growth and development, proper brain function, and building strong bones and teeth.
We get vitamin D from sunlight exposure and from the food we eat. But as the sun is weaker and daylight hours are shorter in the winter, getting sufficient amounts during these months can be challenging.
To ensure you don't become deficient in winter, make sure to pack in vitamin D-rich food, try to expose yourself to sunlight every day if possible, invest in a UV lamp, and take a daily supplement containing vitamin D.
References
- Aranow, Cynthia. "Vitamin D and the immune system." Journal of investigative medicine 59.6 (2011): 881-886.
- Laird, Eamon, et al. "Vitamin D and bone health; Potential mechanisms." Nutrients 2.7 (2010): 693-724.
- Huiberts, Laura M., and Karin CHJ Smolders. "Effects of vitamin D on mood and sleep in the healthy population: Interpretations from the serotonergic pathway." Sleep Medicine Reviews 55 (2021): 101379.
- Taylor, Sarah N. "Vitamin D in toddlers, preschool children, and adolescents." Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 76.2 (2020): 30-41.
- Shaker, Joseph L., and Leonard Deftos. "Calcium and phosphate homeostasis." Endotext [Internet] (2018).
- Jakobsen, Jette, et al. "Vitamin D in wild and farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo Salar)—what do we know?." Nutrients 11.5 (2019): 982.
- Rhodes, Lesley E., et al. "Recommended summer sunlight exposure levels can produce sufficient (≥ 20 ng ml− 1) but not the proposed optimal (≥ 32 ng ml− 1) 25 (OH) D levels at UK latitudes." Journal of Investigative Dermatology 130.5 (2010): 1411-1418.
- Lerche, C. M., P. A. Philipsen, and H. C. Wulf. "UVR: sun, lamps, pigmentation and vitamin D." Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences 16.3 (2017): 291-301.
