Health experts haven’t really focused a lot on people’s intake of vitamin D, until the Covid crisis came up and lockdowns became the new normal. That’s when vitamin D deficiency became a problem, because the most common way for people to get their vitamin D is by absorbing sunlight (the ultraviolet-B rays in particular). With people mostly staying at home for the most part, it wasn’t surprising that more people weren’t getting their required vitamin D intake.
So, why exactly do we need vitamin D? Here are some benefits that you get with enough vitamin D:
You Get Stronger Bones
In recent years, doctors have seen a spike in the number of cases for rickets. This is a disease that weakens the bones, and it was thought to have been largely eradicated through vitamin D fortification.
It’s true that you primarily need calcium for stronger milk. This has been the marketing focus for milk products for decades now. But your body needs vitamin D to enable your body to absorb the calcium. You may be taking in plenty of calcium, but that just goes to waste when you don’t have enough vitamin D for your body to absorb that calcium.
One study suggests that you need a daily dose of 2,000IU of vitamin D to boost the parathyroid hormone. This is the hormone that regulates the calcium levels of your body, and therefore reduces the risk of injury to your bones when you’re playing sports or working out.
So, you may be lifting weights at your local Snap Fitness gym, but your bones may snap if you lift too much weight and your bones haven’t absorbed enough calcium due to your vitamin D deficiency.
You Boost Your Testosterone Levels
Testosterone is the very reason why men are more effective at developing muscles than women. It helps with men’s fat distribution, muscle strength, red blood cell production, and libido. Testosterone is why some people even risk their health to take anabolic steroids, as these compounds are basically synthetic versions of testosterone.
The problem here is that your vitamin D levels and your testosterone levels are somehow connected. One study discovered that men who took vitamin D supplements for at least a year increased their total testosterone levels. So, if you also take vitamin D supplements, you may boost your testosterone levels and you can make your workouts more effective.
Vitamin D Helps to Keep Your Heart Healthy
Hopefully, you’re aware enough about how important it is to maintain the health of your heart. Cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke are the most common causes of death worldwide. About 659,000 people die of heart disease each year, and that’s just in the US. And this accounts for 25% of the US deaths each year.
According to the researched conducted by Harvard University, there’s also a direct link between vitamin D supplementation and the reduction of the risk of developing coronary issues.
Vitamin D Helps with Weight Loss
Weight loss is perhaps the most common reasons why people join gyms in the first place. In the US, more than ⅔ of the adult population are either overweight or obese, and being overweight is a problem that can lead to many health problems.
According to researchers in the University of Minnesota, higher levels of vitamin D corresponded with a faster rate of weight loss, and the reduction of the waist line in particular.
So, if you’re lifting weights and running for miles to burn off fat and calories, vitamin D supplements can’t hurt.
Vitamin D Can Reduce the Chances of Certain Types of Cancer
More than 10 million people in the world died of cancer in just 2021 alone. In the US, cancer accounts for more than 600,000 deaths each year. Lots of people are so concerned about cancer that there are always reports of miracle cancer cures every so often.
Vitamin D isn’t a cancer cure, but it also helps with certain types of cancer. Even a low dose of 600IU of vitamin D per day can reduce the chances of pancreatic cancer. Another study conducted by the University of California San Diego also found that vitamin D can reduce the risk of colon cancer by more 50%.
What all these reasons indicate is that you cannot ignore the chance that you might be deficient in vitamin D. This isn’t really easy to get from natural food, so you should get your daily dose of sunshine. And if that isn’t possible, you might talk to your doctor about taking vitamin D supplements.