Vitamin D – The Sunshine Vitamin
Walk into any health food shop;
vitamins and supplements available are at an all-time high. The choices can be overwhelming, as the industry bombard you with information about what you should be taking and when. If you invested in them all, it might break the bank, and you could spend half of your life popping pills.
How do you choose which ones will be beneficial to your health?
Well, I would like to spotlight a well-known but sometimes overlooked vitamin that can make a difference during perimenopause and menopause – Vitamin D.
It is known as the sunshine vitamin because,
quite literally, we absorb this from being outside in the sun. Unfortunately, it is impossible to gauge the quantities of vitamin D absorbed from the sun or how long we need to stay out, especially when you have to factor in the time of day you are outdoors, your age, and how fair or dark your skin is maybe. We do not make enough of the vitamin from sunlight alone between October and early March.
The signs of Vitamin D deficiency include
fatigue, bone pain, muscle weakness, aches and cramps, thinning hair and mood change – in some cases resulting in depression. Do any of these symptoms sound familiar? As menopausal women, I am sure we can identify with pretty much all of them.
The estrogen that we produce naturally in our younger years increases the enzyme’s activity responsible for activating Vitamin D, so it stands to reason that declining estrogen can be a contributing factor in a deficiency.
Vitamin D helps strengthen bones and muscles by assisting in calcium absorption, thus reducing the risks of osteoporosis. It can also have an anti-inflammatory effect on cells, and some evidence shows that it can lessen pain from inflammation on the whole.
Vitamin D: The sunshine vitamin and cure for winter blues
Serotonin
Previous trials investigating how effective Vitamin D can be for hot flushes, a common symptom of menopause, found that serotonin – a neurotransmitter with known effects on thermoregulation – may be protected from depletion by Vitamin D.
Covid
During the early days of the Covid pandemic and with very little knowledge about the virus, blood tests revealed that many patients were deficient in Vitamin D. However, taking Vitamin D supplements was not a cure. Still, the medical profession believed that the supplement might help. Clinical studies have not categorically proven the efficacy. Still, given that Vitamin D can be beneficial to the heart, lungs and immune system, it was administered in the hope of lessening the severity of a case.
Bring me sunshine in your smile. Bring me laughter all the while. In this world we live, there should be more happiness.
Vitamin D was issued free of charge to vulnerable individuals and residents of care homes. One reason for this was that many people might not have access to private outside space; they wanted to ensure that vitamin d levels were maintained to prevent bone pain and weakness. Because the government requested they shield during the Covid lockdown periods.
As you can see, this inexpensive, humble vitamin may have some very positive effects on your general health and menopause journey.
As with any supplements, it is vital to check the doses you are administering will not affect any prescription medicines you may be taking.
So much joy you can give to each brand new bright tomorrow,
Make me happy through the years never bring me any tears let your arms be as warm as the sun from up above.
Bring me fun, bring me sunshine and BRING ME LOVE
Article written by: Nikki Blackwell