5 Things You May Not Know About Vitamin D

Vitamin D, we all know it — it’s the reason we all need to get some sunlight each day as part of a healthy lifestyle. But there are many things you may not know about Vitamin D, and how it can benefit your health — here’s five!

  1. Vitamin D deficiency can cause muscle weakness and bone defects. Vitamin D deficiency is mainly caused due to a lack of exposure to sunlight, and it’s for that reason that many people assume low Vitamin D will just lead to tiredness. But severe deficiency can actually result in much worse conditions, such as osteopenia (bone weakness), rickets (the children’s equivalent), muscle weakness, and bone defects. So it’s important to make sure you’re getting the dose you need to keep your body healthy.
  2. Vitamin D goes on a long journey before it’s actually used up by the body. When we absorb ultraviolet radiation from the sun, Vitamin D is formed in the skin. This chemical, however, is actually biologically inactive — meaning, it’s not useful to the body yet, and needs to go through some changes before we can put it to work absorbing key nutrients. This happens in the kidney and liver, where Vitamin D is changed into the active form, calcitriol, and then circulated throughout the body in the blood.
  3. Certain medications you might be taking can affect vitamin D absorption. Are you regularly using a prescription medication? Check with your doctor or pharmacist on when to take these medications in between vitamin D3 doses, so that you get the most out of your supplement.
  4. 1 in 4 Australians is deficient in Vitamin D. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 23% of Australians have a Vitamin D deficiency, with around 7% having a moderate or severe deficiency. 18 to 34 year olds are the worst affected age group, with 31% having a Vitamin D deficiency. This also varies by season: in the summer, New South Wales residents have the highest overall rates of deficiency at 19%, while in winter, Victoria and the ACT lead with a shocking 49%. That’s nearly one in every two people deficient in Vitamin D!
  5. Vitamin D comes in lots of forms. The most well known source of Vitamin D is sunlight, and there’s still no better way to get your daily dose. Some foods also include Vitamin D, such as dairy products, eggs, and fatty fish. 
    If you’re feeling the symptoms of low Vitamin D, the first step is to see your doctor and get tested. If you find you’re in need of a boost, a Vitamin D supplement may also be able to help. Research estimates around 1 in 20 Australians use Vitamin D supplements to keep healthy. Sometimes, though, the standard medications aren’t quite right for you or your family. At NexGen Pharma, we can make a great-tasting liquid for children, or weekly or monthly capsules to help get you back on track. Find out more here.

Let us know in the comments if you have any Vitamin D tips or facts of your own!

Sources:

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2014, 4364.0.55.006 – Australian Health Survey: Biomedical Results for Nutrients, 2011-12, ABS, https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4364.0.55.006Chapter2002011-12

AMH 2019, Colecalciferol, Australian Medicines Handbook

Royal Pharmaceutical Society 2019, Vitamin D Substances, Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference

Therapeutic Guidelines 2019a, Osteomalacia and rickets, eTG June 2019 edition

Therapeutic Guidelines 2019b, Osteoporosis and minimal-trauma fracture, eTG June 2019 edition

Therapeutic Guidelines 2019c, Vitamin D deficiency, eTG June 2019 edition

Therapeutic Research Centre 2019, Vitamin D, Natural Medicines

WebMD n.d., Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) Oral : Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing, WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-6152/cholecalciferol-vitamin-d3-oral/details