Should you Supplement with Vitamin D?
So you found out you have low Vitamin D? Before you start a Vitamin D supplement, there are several things you may want to consider first. This is because low D is actually a SYMPTOM and not a ROOT CAUSE of nutritional imbalances & inflammation in the body. Western Medicine has been trained to chase after symptoms rather than addressing the root cause. While there may be a time and a place for this, addressing symptoms is going to keep you sick, exhausted, and not feeling your best.
Things to Consider Before Supplementation
First things first, Vitamin D is actually a hormone, and not a vitamin. It is a steroid hormone that is created in our skin when exposed to sunlight. Before jumping on a mega dose of vitamin D Hormone, here are a few things that are essential to both understand and consider. Most of these things are not anything that your doctor (even some functional or naturopath doctors) are aware of.
Magnesium deficiency impairs Vitamin D synthesis and metabolism in the body.
This means that our body cannot convert the storage form of vitamin D to the active or useable form. Therefore, your low Vitamin D status may be a result of low magnesium. When assessing magnesium levels, it is not enough to just look at blood levels. Investigating what is happening in your tissues via HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) is a great way to assess if your cells actually have the magnesium they need to convert Vitamin D into a useable form.
Vitamin A activates the receptor sites for Vitamin D.
This is a big reason why we commonly see low vitamin D associated with thyroid imbalances. Taking mega doses of Vitamin D without adequate levels of Vitamin A means that you will not be able to use any of the Vitamin D that you are getting from the sun, food or supplementation. So instead of loading on more Vitamin D, assessing your need for Vitamin A is important in supporting your overall health.
On the topic of Vitamin A, it is important to understand the difference between Preformed Vitamin A, or retinol, and Pro Vitamin A Carotenoids like Beta Carotene. Carotenoids must be converted to retinol and unfortunately this process is extremely inefficient. In fact, some people may not be able to complete this process well at all leaving them very depleted in retinol and eventually vitamin D. So, make sure to be consuming foods rich in specifically retinol if you are looking to support actual vitamin A levels in the body. This comes from foods like liver, eggs, cod liver oil, full fat dairy, fatty fish, and other quality animal foods.
Cholesterol is converted into Vitamin D
With the help of important cofactors, when our skin is exposed to sunlight cholesterol gets converted into vitamin D. That’s right! We need adequate intake of cholesterol in our diet and exposure to sunlight in order to have adequate levels of Vitamin D levels, two things that our modern world tells us are bad! Do you ever wonder why there has been such an influx in low Vitamin D levels in the past few decades? Could it possibly correlate with the demonization of saturated fats and cholesterol? I think there could very well be a possibility!
Additionally, the idea that sun exposure causes skin cancer has room to be challenged as well. Over the last 50 years, people are spending less and less time outside while rates of skin cancer have been rapidly increasing during that same period of time. According to American Academy of Dermatology:
Melanoma rates in the United States have been rising rapidly over the past 30 years — doubling from 1982 to 2011
It is estimated that the overall incidence of basal cell carcinoma increased by 145% between 1976-1984 and 2000-2010, and the overall incidence of squamous cell carcinoma increased 263% over that same period.
Women had a greater increase in incidence than men for both types of nonmelanoma skin cancer
So is it really the sun specifically, or is it the products we put on our skin in combination with diets high in Polyunsaturated fats? In fact, here is a study that found polyunsaturated fats were potentially associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma (PMID: 31298947) Let’s not forget that the cells of our skin are made up of phospholipids (lipids are another name for fat). If our diet consists of mostly polyunsaturated fats, our skin cells will eventually begin to incorporate these fragile fats into the structure of our skin cells which then react with the sun.
Personally, I believe that when it comes to sun exposure that best way to truly protect your skin from the potential harmful effects of the sun lies within your diet and types of fats you consume along with the products you choose to put on your skin. Prioritize stable, saturated fats from whole food sources like eggs, butter, dairy, and other animal fats as well as monounsaturated fats from olive oil, olives or avocados. I personally choose skin care products that are low in PUFAs like Pipette Sunscreen or Araza Beauty All In One Coconut Cream Foundation. Avoid wearing make up if you are planning to be in the sun all day.
Synthetic D supplements can deplete levels of magnesium, potassium, copper, and Vitamin A
These are vital nutrients that are an integral part of your health. We already know that you need magnesium and vitamin A to actually use and activate Vitamin D in the body. When the supplements you are taking begins to deplete these in the body, obviously we have a bit of a problem because now your body body can’t even use the supplement you are taking. Both Magnesium and Vitamin A are also vital for numerous other functions in the body and most modern diets lack these nutrients. Potassium is a lesser known macro mineral however I feel that this mineral is equally as important if not more important than magnesium. Potassium is responsible for how well your cells are actually able to function and move nutrients, hormones, and other compounds in and out of the cells. In fact, low cellular potassium can contribute to thyroid dysfunction as well as insulin resistance. Low potassium levels can lead to gut issues, fatigue, and hormonal imbalances. Copper is a mineral that plays an essential role in energy production and regulation in the body. If you are chronically fatigue, more than likely you have a copper imbalance. Vitamin D can increase the production of metallothionein which binds to copper. While this may be helpful in some who have high levels of copper, in those with low levels of copper or bio-unavailable levels of copper, binding up more copper will only make matters worse.
How to Approach Vitamin D & Supplementation
Instead of jumping straight to synthetic D supplementation as soon as you find out your blood work shows low levels, here are a few things to focus on first.
Support magnesium through diet, lifestyle, or supplementation: Consume foods rich in magnesium like cacao powder, dark chocolate, cooked greens, fruits, and avocados. Implement topical sources via epsom salt baths, magnesium lotions, or magnesium oil sprays (use code restored10 for 10% off your order).
Consume saturated fats & foods rich in cholesterol: Butter, Ghee, Eggs, Full Fat Dairy, Liver, Animal Products, Coconut Products are an excellent source of fats to focusing on consuming on a daily basis.
Consume foods rich in Vitamin A: Grass fed beef liver, raw or minimally processed full fat dairy, pastured eggs, wild caught fatty fish, wild caught cod livers or a raw cod liver oil (this one or this one, restored10 for 10% off) are great sources of this nutrient.
Get adequate exposure to sunlight: Not only will this help regulate your circadian rhythm but this will also help produce vitamin D in your body. Focus on getting sun exposure on your bare skin and not skin slathered with layers and layers of skincare and makeup which are filled with PUFAs. Be smart about sunscreen and use in a way that you feel most comfortable - just make sure to use a low PUFA sunscreen if you choose to use this in the sun.
Consider HTMA testing: This functional test can reveal if you truly need vitamin D supplementation or if you actually just need to focus on supporting cofactors and lifestyle to raise your D levels naturally. When paired with addressing the foundations of your health and appropriate bloodwork, HTMA testing can provide a new perspective on addressing your health with a root cause perspective.