From office workers to snow-belt dwellers, everybody has days you just crave the sun. It’s no wonder! The sun is a natural source of vitamin D. Vitamin D is reported to increase bone formation and now attitude. Most of us Auburn folks have days that our moods need a bit of a lift. So Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. shares some well-known and some new research about vitamin D.
One of the most recent articles to come over the research wire that Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. found intriguing is a studied association between low vitamin D and depressive disorders. (1) Researchers want to do more studies to discover just how much vitamin D is best to avoid as well as help those with depression and low vitamin D. (1) Know that a walk in the sun can’t hurt!
A curious study tracked postmenopausal women and reproductive-aged women who didn’t take vitamin D supplements and have limited exposure to sunlight to see how seasonal changes affected their vitamin D status.
Overall, the plasma levels of vitamin D were significantly lower in winter than summer. The authors found that a vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) level of 38 ng/mL is optimal. In this study, 70.4% of healthy women are deficient in winter and 59.8% in summer. (2)
Just as a refresher, Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. reminds our Auburn back pain patients that vitamin D is also beneficial for helping metabolize calcium and boost bone health. One study emphasized that vitamin D(3) (greater than 700 IU/day) with calcium supplementation compared to placebo has a beneficial effect on bone mineral density. It further reduces the fracture and fall risk. (3) Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. sees patients after falls and fractures and knows that our Auburn patients want to avoid them!
Further, vitamin D influences many parts of the body like it does bone health. Vitamin D may modify immune function, cell production, differentiation and apoptosis (cell death). You need all the cells you can get, so you may want to check your vitamin D level. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with various health issues like a risk of rickets in children or osteomalacia in adults, increased risk of conditions like cancer, autoimmune disease, infectious disease, diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and heart disease, even other such diseases like multiple sclerosis. (4) So taking that walk around your Auburn neighborhood in the sun looks pretty good!
Your Auburn chiropractor is on top of such nutrition topics as vitamin D. Let’s chat about your vitamin D level and consider whether supplementation or diet change could boost your D and reduce the risks that its lack increases, especially if you’re craving the sun! Contact Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. today.