9 Things That Can Undermine Your Vitamin D

Welcome to our Food Medicine and Lies channel, and today I'm going to talk about vitamin D. Vitamin or more than a vitamin? Some unknown facts about its absorption. We all know that vitamin D has recognized— been recognized as a very, very important and vital factor in our body for good health. This COVID scenario actually has made us know more about the functions of vitamin D in our body, right? But what we have never talked about is what are the things which affect the absorption? Is it only the vitamin D which we get from food? Or it is also the vitamin D which is synthesized from sun, and how both of them interact. So let's look at 9 factors which can impact our vitamin D. Point 1: The latitude where we live. You know, as the latitude changes, the UVB light reaching the Earth's surface changes, and that is what impacts the amount of vitamin D which a human body can generate. So figure out what latitude you are and how much UVB rays you are receiving. Very, very important point, and we all can relate to it, is the point 2, which is leading to the healthcare pandemic which we are facing to a large extent. Any guesses? I'm sure you know it is the pollution. Holes in the ozone layer— all these are impacting how much UVB rays are reaching us, and that is making us all deficient in vitamin D. Check your vitamin D levels and you will know that 80% of youngsters, 70% of people between 30 to 50 years, and 50 to 60% of people more than 60 are vitamin D deficient. Imagine what are we creating for ourselves. Third point, which a lot of people have said, use of sunscreen is impacting vitamin D absorption. Friends, I will like to share with you that it is not so, because very, very few people have been found to use sunscreens to the level which can block the UVB lights coming in completely. In an Australian study, it was proven that vitamin D doesn't get blocked by sunscreen in majority of people. And of course, the temperature of your skin and the color of your skin is 0.4 which impacts vitamin D absorption. I know you've guessed it right. The darker the skin, the more radiation you need to have sufficient vitamin D levels. I'm sure you are thinking, why is it so? This is because there is a substance called melanin which is higher in people with dark skin, and this is the substance which compromises or competes with the vitamin D formation in our body. And therefore, the more melanin we have, the more dark complexion we have, the more exposure we need to attain the required levels of vitamin D. Point 5: Have you ever thought that your weight could be one reason why your vitamin D levels are low? Yes, studies have found out that when you are obese, 2 things happen. 1, you need more exposure to have the relevant vitamin D levels, and 2, the bioavailability decreases if you are obese. So one more reason for you to lose weight is to have good vitamin D levels, which saves you from COVID from cytokine storm, from metabolic diseases, and much more. Point 6, your age. You know, compared with younger people, older people have less ability to make vitamin D. National Center for Health Statistics data shows that vitamin D levels fly in the face of conventional wisdom that vitamin D inadequacy is a bigger problem in old people. Why? Because we have seen in studies that younger population is more vitamin D deficient. And why? Because of all the factors you have heard till now, and few of the factors which I am going to share with you in the coming points. Point 7: Health of your gut. It decides how much vitamin D gets absorbed in your body. Do you know where vitamin D absorption happens? Just downstream of stomach is where, in the upper part of small intestine, your vitamin D gets absorbed. But what all contributes to how much vitamin D will get absorbed? Your stomach juices, bile production, pancreatic secretions, integrity of the intestinal wall— all of these contribute to how much vitamin D will get absorbed. And therefore, friends, conditions like gut health problems, leaky gut, Crohn's disease, autoimmune diseases— all of these affect vitamin D absorption. So if any of these is a tick for you or your loved ones, remember you need more vitamin D to have enough vitamin D in your body to function properly. Point 8: Your liver and kidney health actually decide how much vitamin D gets absorbed and how much of it acts in your body. Secretions of liver, which are bile, actually decide how much is absorbed. And do you know, your kidneys are the special organs which metabolize vitamin D from its inactive to active bioavailable form. So if you have any disease of liver or kidney, your vitamin D is going to find it difficult to get absorbed and sustained in your body. Last but very, very critical, friends, is point 9. Your genes. I have seen in my practice that most of the patients who have autoimmune disorders, autism, PCOS, who have gut issues, or who always have low vitamin D levels, these patients have a SNP in their vitamin D gene. And you know what, you can get this tested so that you know that your body needs more vitamin D than a person who does not have a SNP in vitamin D. And we all know vitamin D is much more than a vitamin. It is a prohormone. It is the safety against diseases like COVID, and it helps your body function in an optimal way. It is exceptionally important, friends, that you keep your vitamin D levels between 60 to 70 minimum. And remember, It is not toxic even if it reaches levels of 100 to 130. New guidelines which are coming have changed this, and very soon you will see in your lab test reports that they also change these values. Now, as we keep on learning, I will keep on sharing more and more information with you to help you stay healthy and happy always. If you have learned something new in this video, and if you think your friends and loved ones can benefit from it, please like and subscribe to my channel, Food Medicine and Lives, and let's together make India a healthy and happy country.