Vitamin D can promote the body's absorption of calcium and phosphorus, help bone growth and development, and is the most important vitamin needed for the normal development of human bones and muscles.
However, recent research shows that vitamin D also plays a huge role in strengthening the body's immune system!
vitamin d
It is the "golden partner" of the immune system!
Various immune cells in the human body have vitamin D receptors, that is, when these receptors are combined with vitamin D, vitamin D can affect immune cells, play various regulatory functions, and make the body's immune system function normally.
Vitamin D not only promotes the maturation of immune cells, but also helps the production of proteins in the immune system, and the "assist" effect on the immune system is obvious. Therefore, vitamin D is known as the "golden partner" of the immune system!
Immunomodulatory effect
01
A study published in the British Medical Journal in January 2022[1] showed that vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of autoimmune diseases by 22%. That is to say, ensuring adequate vitamin D intake is conducive to immune regulation.
Don't underestimate this immunomodulatory effect, its effect on our immune system is huge, helping our immune system to operate more precisely!
Vitamin D not only helps the immune system distinguish between autologous (normal body tissue) and non-autologous (such as disease-causing microorganisms), but also helps reduce the inflammatory response to the body.
Therefore, long-term vitamin D supplementation can help prevent autoimmune diseases, especially for people over 50 years old.
Fight infection
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Vitamin D plays an important role in the defense against bacterial and viral infections and is beneficial to the overall health of the population. Through mechanisms such as immunomodulation, antimicrobial action, and anti-inflammatory effects, vitamin D enhances the body's resistance to bacteria and viruses, reducing the occurrence and severity of infections.
An observational study in Barcelona [2] showed that patients with serum 25OHD levels above 30 ng/mL after vitamin D supplementation reduced the incidence, severe disease and mortality of new crown infection by about half compared with patients who did not receive vitamin D.
A study of 4599 veterans in the United States [3] showed that when the patient's serum 25OHD level increased from 15 ng/mL to 60 ng/mL, the hospitalization rate due to new crown infection could be reduced from 24.1% to 18.7%, and the new crown death rate was reduced from 10.4% to 5.7%.
How to supplement with vitamin D?
At present, most international and domestic institutions and experts believe that serum 25OHD<10ng/mL (<25nmol/L) is a serious deficiency, <20ng/mL (50nmol/L) is vitamin D deficiency, 20~30ng/mL (50~75nmol/L) is vitamin D insufficiency, and >30ng/mL (>75nmol/L) is vitamin D sufficient.
Vitamin D supplementation mainly relies on 3 forms: diet, sun exposure and vitamin D supplementation, but unfortunately, due to environmental and lifestyle restrictions, relying on diet and sun exposure vitamin D supplementation is not ideal.
According to statistics, about 1 billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient. In the United States, more than 90 percent of people of color and 75 percent of whites have this problem.
On the mainland, nearly seventy percent of women over the age of 60 in urban areas of Beijing lack or deficiencies. A survey of adults in Shanghai also found that only 9.3% had adequacy.
Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, how to supplement? You can refer to the recommendations of the "Consensus on the Clinical Use of Vitamin D and Its Analogues":
For all adults with vitamin D deficiency, it is recommended to treat vitamin D with 6000IU/d for 8 weeks to make the serum 25OHD level reach more than 30ng/mL, and then maintain it with 1500~2000IU/d.
For obese patients, patients with small intestinal malabsorption syndrome and patients who are using drugs that affect vitamin D metabolism, it is recommended to treat with high doses (2~3 times the conventional dose, at least 6000~10000IU/d) of vitamin D to achieve a serum 25OHD level of more than 30ng/mL (75nmol/L), and then maintain it with 3000~6000IU/d.
Vitamin D is the "golden partner" of the immune system, so you must pay attention to supplementing!
Bibliography:
[1] Hahn J , Cook N R , Alexander E K , et al. Vitamin D and marine omega 3 fatty acid supplementation and incident autoimmune disease: VITAL randomized controlled trial[J]. BMJ, 2022, 376.
[2] Oristrell, J.(2021) Vitamin D supplementation and COVID-19 risk: A population-based, cohort study. J. Endocrinol. Investig. 2021, 45, 167–179.
[3] Seal, K.H.(2022) Association of Vitamin D Status and COVID-19-Related Hospitalization and Mortality. J. Gen. Intern. Med. 2022, 37, 853–861.
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