Vitamin D: The Overlooked Immune Boost

When I think of immune support, the first things to come to mind are vitamin C and elderberry syrup, but there is another vitamin that plays an equally important role in immune health: vitamin D. This “sunshine vitamin” is vital to a properly functioning immune system. Too little, and you may find yourself succumbing to every sniffle and cough in the neighborhood – but getting enough vitamin D will give you an immune boost that may just keep you healthy all year long.

The Immune Boost Power of Vitamin D

According to a 2011 article by Dr. Cynthia Aranow, MD, vitamin D deficiency contributes to both an increased rate of infection (i.e. sickness) and an increased risk of autoimmune disease. Vitamin D is a vital component of the immune system’s response against invading microbes that cause sickness, plus it works to limit inflammation within the body.

Vitamin D works by activating specific cells within the immune system which launch a rapid attack on any foreign microbes. This “instant assault” can stop germs in their tracks before an illness takes hold. You may never even notice any symptoms – that’s a solid win in my book!

How important is vitamin D in staving off sickness?

In The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies, Dr. Mark Stengler, ND, relates that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D are “about 40% more likely to have had a recent respiratory infection” than those with adequate levels of vitamin D. A 2010 Japanese study found a 58 percent reduction in flu rates among children who took vitamin D supplements, and a German study discovered that adequate vitamin D levels increase a person’s immune response three to five times.

Interestingly, vitamin D is not actually a vitamin at all but is a hormone that is required by more body functions and processes than any other known hormone. Without vitamin D, these functions cannot occur – or they occur in an abnormal way – which explains why vitamin D deficiency is associated with so many diseases/disorders including:

• diabetes
• chronic fatigue and/or pain
• hypertension
• infertility
• migraine
• osteoporosis
• pre-eclampsia
• stroke

…not to mention the more common colds, flu, coughs, sore throats, etc.

Testing Your Vitamin D Levels

The only way to truly know whether you need supplemental vitamin D is to have your blood serum levels tested. Make sure your health care provider uses the 25(OH)D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) test, which gives a more accurate picture of your body’s vitamin D levels. The optimal serum levels are 50-80 ng/ml. Levels in the 70-100 ng/ml range are believed to help treat major issues like heart disease and cancer.

A vitamin D deficiency (below 50 ng/ml) is known to be a factor in over 200 disorders, and these are just the ones that have been scientifically proven! In addition to those mentioned above, inadequate levels of vitamin D can give rise to asthma, kidney disease, eczema, arthritis, and dental cavities.

It’s clear that vitamin D has a major role to play in immunity – against both acute infections and chronic disorders.

Which form of vitamin D should you take?

When taking supplemental vitamin D to strengthen immunity, it’s important to take D3, the natural cholecalciferol form, because this form is most easily assimilated by the body, which simply means that your body will get the most use out of it. My favorite is Carlson Super Daily D3 liquid – you literally take one drop a day! It has no taste and is just so easy to take. I’ve used it for at least ten years. Carlson also makes Vitamin D3 capsules if you prefer those to drops.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that your body requires fat molecules in order to properly break down the vitamin during digestion. No fat = no vitamin D absorption. When taking a vitamin D supplement, make sure you’re getting some fat at the same time. Take it with a fat-containing meal, a handful of nuts, or a spoonful of virgin coconut oil.

Other vitamins that work synergistically with vitamin D are vitamins A, E, and K (which also happen to be fat-soluble vitamins). Each of these vitamins helps the others to do its job optimally and prevents the body from storing up an excess of the other vitamins. Some vitamin D supplements already contain vitamin K. Check the label on your whole food multivitamin – it may already contain all four of these vitamins in the right ratios.

How much vitamin D should you take?

Dr. Stengler recommends that adults take 2,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D daily (1,000 IU for children). As stated above, it’s best to have your blood serum levels checked before beginning supplementation to be on the safe side. Your health care provider may recommend a higher or lower daily dosage.

Wait, what about sunshine?

You probably already know that your body makes vitamin D every time your skin is exposed to sunlight. So why would you ever need to take supplemental vitamin D to boost immunity? In our modern world, several things get in the way (literally!) of our bodies’ natural vitamin D manufacturing by blocking our exposure to sunlight:

• Days spent mostly indoors
• Tinted windows that block UV rays in cars, homes, and offices
• Daily use of sunscreen (including SPF-containing moisturizers and make-up)
• Wearing long sleeves, wide-brimmed hats, and/or using an umbrella to block the sun

Even if you do get plenty of exposure during the sunnier months, most of us live in areas where there is less sunshine during the winter. (Agh, I hate those early nights!) During those months, we’re kept indoors by cold temperatures and bad weather. Even if we can get outside, the sun’s low angle interferes with the manufacture of vitamin D. This is the time when I personally make sure I’m taking my D3 supplement everyday from about October through April, and I firmly believe that’s one reason why I don’t stay sick all winter like some people do.

While some are blessed to live in sunny-all-year areas, other factors may inhibit the body’s ability to manufacture and use adequate amounts of vitamin D.

• common gene mutations
• obesity
• kidney disease
• liver disease
• advanced age

Scientific studies have shown that about 75 percent of Americans have low levels of vitamin D, which proves that our general sun exposure just isn’t good enough. Even in the sunniest regions, about 25 percent of the people are D-deficient. These numbers are even more dire among those with darker skin: across the country, 90 percent of Mexican Americans and 97 percent (!!) of African Americans have inadequate levels of vitamin D. The fact is that the vast majority of us need to supplement with vitamin D to boost immunity, strengthen bones, and prevent a host of illnesses and disorders.

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