“When you’re deficient in vitamin D, you may be at increased risk for heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and immune disorders, not to mention osteoporosis,” says Dr. Mehmet Oz, a frequent guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In fact, the importance of Vitamin D has become abundantly clear with the mass of studies linking the vitamin to bone health, heart health, muscle performance, nerve function and the prevention and treatment of cancer.

“How do I know if I am affected?”

“A simple blood test, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, can provide you and your doctor with a clear picture of your vitamin D levels,” says says Dr. Alicia Stanton, BodyLogicMD Chief Medical Officer and hormone therapy expert. “BodyLogicMD offers an at-home test provided by ZRT Labs that consists of a simple finger or heel stick. Your vitamin D level should be over 30, but many of our patients are surprised to learn that they have an insufficiency, or even a severe deficiency, of vitamin D.”

A vitamin D insufficiency is a mild deficit that usually lasts only a short period of time, but can cause hyperparathyroidism, abnormalities to bone metabolism and a heightened risk of developing Type 1 diabetes.

A vitamin D deficiency, which affects up to 50 percent of adults and 30 percent of children in the United States, occurs over an extended period of time when an individual is either not consuming proper amounts of the vitamin or when the body is not absorbing the vitamin correctly.

“What does vitamin D really do for me?”

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts like a hormone in the human body. It is stored in the fat cells of the body and released as fat is burned. This essential vitamin is supplied through diet, sunlight and supplements. It interacts with several body processes and is linked to the following:

Bone Health

Vitamin D helps prevent and treat bone disorders like rickets and osteoporosis aiding the absorption ofcalcium and phosphate in women and men (more than five million men in the United States are affected by the disease).

In a recent Harvard study, researchers found that postmenopausal women who received high levels of vitamin D through diet and supplements had a 37 percent lower risk of hip fracture, although relying solely on a diet rich in vitamin D foods and beverages (like milk) didnot provide enough of the vitamin to yield a reduced risk of fracture, indicating that supplements may be necessary in many cases to achieve proper levels of vitamin D.

“The human bone is in a state of constant fluctuation, which is necessary for proper stability and functionality,” explains Dr. Susan Linder of BodyLogicMD Fort Worth, Texas. “Calcium and phosphorus make this process possible and it is vitamin D that is responsible for absorbing and metabolizing the calcium and phosphates obtained from food and supplements. In severe cases, when vitamin D is lacking, osteoporosis can develop. This is a condition where the bones are dissolving and are not being reformed, which can lead to a higher risk of bone fractures.”

Heart Health

Insufficient levels of vitamin D have been shown to increase the risk of:

• Congealed heart and blood vessel walls, which can lead to hypertension
• Diabetes, which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular disease
• Recurring cardiovascular events (two times that of those with high levels of the vitamin)
• Hyperparathyroidism, which can increase cardiovascular events and result in death

Conversely, good levels of vitamin D lower the risk of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Alzheimer’s

Memory problems have been linked to low levels of vitamin D due to the number of vitamin D receptors in the recall and cognitive processing centers of the brain. It is these areas of the brain that are affected by neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s affect. While more research needs to be completed, it is possible that vitamin D may serve as a treatment and/or preventative measure for Alzheimer’s sufferers.

Cancer

Research has long linked high levels of vitamin D to inhibiting cancer cell growth, specifically colon and prostate cancers. In addition, a 16-year Harvard study has recently found that perimenopausal women with high levels of vitamin D experienced a reduced risk for developing breast cancer; other studies indicate that women with a vitamin D deficiency at the time of a breast cancer diagnosis had a 94 percent greater likelihood of the cancer spreading and a 73 percent higher chance of dying within 10 years of the diagnosis.

Vitamin D and calcium help prevent and coupled with the treatment of cancer, may in some cases slow the growth of colon and prostate cancer cells and, in some reported cases, may cause some cancer cells to die.

“Okay, I’m convinced. How can I get more vitamin D?”

Sun, supplements and salmon are all excellent sources of this essential vitamin. Of course, you will want to limit your sun exposure and wear sunscreen, speak with your doctor about where to obtain pharmaceutical-grade supplements as well as to determine the right level of the vitamin for your individual needs, and include a variety of vitamin D-rich foods in your diet; including tuna, sardines, cod liver oil, milk and egg yolks.