Many people have heard about vitamin D. You may have even heard you should take it for your health, so you grabbed a bottle off the store shelf and took some for awhile and then probably stopped because you couldn’t remember why you were taking it in the first place. (That’s your first yellow flag of warning; you probably shouldn’t be taking anything because you heard it was good for you on a commercial or even the news which is more hype than actual reporting of facts. You’ve got one body and there is a strict no return policy until the very end which may be sooner than later if you don’t take care of it.)
First of all, it’s not really a vitamin, it’s a hormone or more accurately a neurosteroid. It’s pretty important, so you will want to know if you are actually deficient. By the way, vitamin D deficiency is common, not rare, even in the sunny state of California.
Secondly, you should probably find out if it is appropriate and, more importantly, safe for you to take (as well as how much, how long, and appropriate testing before and after etc.) Just because something is “natural”, doesn’t mean it’s safe or even right for you to take.
Vitamin D is actually a hormone (neurosteroid), not a vitamin, that regulates immune function (immunomodulatory) and possibly dopamine (or dopaminergic neurons) in the brain. Low levels of 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) are associated with certain autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes type I, Crohn’s disease (inflammatory bowel disease or IBD), some cancers, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis. It is needed by our immune cells to fight off infections, our bones to be strong, and our brains to develop and remain healthy (neuroprotective).
But what level is considered “deficient” or “low”? Unfortunately, lab reference ranges can vary wildly and the “healthy” population used for “normal” is typically less than healthy. However, most studies tend to agree that 25OHD levels less than 35 ng/mL are insufficient to prevent disease. (PLEASE be mindful of the units of measurement which can vary with different labs.)
Before supplementing, you should get your 25OHD levels tested so you have a baseline. If it is at or below 35ng/mL, you may want to consider supplementing daily with vitamin D3 anywhere from 2,000IU to 5,000IU. After 2-3 months, you should have your 25OHD rechecked to make sure your dose is sufficient.