Vitamin D and Immunity

​Did you know your body can create its own antibiotic and antiviral medicine? How incredible is that!
Vitamin D is known to stimulate your immune system into producing natural antibiotics. This vitamin supports you in a multitude of ways, including immune health, mental health, prenatal and pregnancy growth and cancer prevention.
The active form of Vitamin D, D3 - Calciferol, increases the production of antimicrobial peptides which are self-made antibiotics. Their actions include protecting your body against microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. They can block viral infection by directly acting on the virus or by indirectly interfering with viral infection. One of these peptides specifically inhibits influenza virus infection.

So, here we are in the last part of winter (written in August 2021), the days have been shorter, overcast, and wet, the amount of direct sun we receive is less due to layers of clothing and just not getting outside enough. And even then when we are able to time outside in the sun, we are covered to avoid sunburn or lathered in sunscreen, this puts us in a continuous cycle of deficiency. Is it any wonder that we fall sick with colds and flu once the winter season begins. During the past 18 months of global health crisis studies have shown that as high as 80% of seriously affected patients were Vitamin D deficient.

So how can we correct this? Get outside, enjoy the sunshine, eat Vitamin D rich foods such as fish liver oils, egg yolks, non-homogenised, organic dairy products, and take a supplement daily, some suggestions have been that 2000iu every day will correct a deficiency over a long period of time, or ask your Doctor about prescribed Vitamin D, it can be given in doses as high as 50,000iu when prescribed. If you are on cholesterol lowering medications, corticosteroids and anti-convulsant then this is even more critical.

​We all would benefit from boosting our Vitamin D levels, it will support our body’s ability to combat any viruses that find their way to us. Unsure about what dose to take or if you need supplementation then get in touch today.
 
Recommended reading: Ian Wishart. Vitamin D. Is this the miracle vitamin?