Winters are just around the corner! There will be chilly winds. Fog escaping our every breath, followed by sneezes and coughs. The risk of vitamin D deficiency and resulting infections looms over our heads. Don't you want to keep yourself and loved ones healthy during the colder months?
There's a way for you to do that. Read on to learn why vitamin D is an essential supplement for the winter season.
Are you ready to combat winter-related infections?
Here’s how!
Vitamin D is produced by the body, mainly on exposure to sunlight. And getting proper sunlight can be challenging during winter. However, it is highly misconceived that sunlight is the only source of vitamin D. Foods like fish, mushrooms, and dairy products are all rich in vitamin D.
The importance of vitamin D for the human body can't be stressed enough. Isn't it paradoxical how we need more vitamin D in the winter season for improved immunity against infections, yet we tend to get the least of it during the same season?
Our immune systems use vitamin D to amplify its ability to combat infections and counter inflammation. The problem starts when we stay tucked in bed, far away from sunlight, with an already high possibility of catching infections. Therefore, winters demand more vitamin D!
Where Can You Easily Get Your Required Vitamin D from?
Famously known as the 'sunshine vitamin,' vitamin D is produced when your skin gets hit by sunlight.
Dark-skinned individuals are more likely to be deficient in vitamin D as compared to fair-skinned individuals. However, vitamin D is generally the lowest irrespective of their skin color during winters.
To counter that, you should take vitamin D rich foods. However, there are chances this might not be enough during winters. So, to make up for it, health professionals recommend you should consider taking supplements to make up at least 600 UI per day of vitamin D.
Some sun-bathing would help too!
You Do Not Only Have Your Bones to Take Care Of
A common misconception is that vitamin D is only essential for a strong bone structure. Whenever we hear the words ‘weak bones’, words like ‘vitamin D deficiency’ are quick to surface.
Well, doctors have proved us wrong. Vitamin D is also majorly crucial for the working of the immune system. Immune cells have been found to have receptors for vitamin D. To ensure a healthy, well-functioning gastrointestinal tract, vitamin D plays quite a hand.
Sufficient levels of vitamin D bring down chances of inflammatory bowel disease along with gut and lung infections. Vitamin D diversifies the microbes spectrum and increases the overall quantity in the gut to counter inflammation in the entire body.
According to doctors, low levels of vitamin D more often than not result in inflammatory bowel disease. Such a condition becomes quite prevalent during the winter season.
Why Have Vitamin D Supplements Become More Important During Winters?
As mentioned before, we are at a greater risk of infections in the winter season, coupled with the minimal time spent outdoors. Supplements are vital due to the deficiency of the vitamin during such a season.
To conclude, vitamin D supplements are the only real solution out there. Many people don't usually consume enough vitamin D rich foods and winters bring limited sunlight. There is no other safer way to fulfill the body's need for such a vitamin without opting for supplements.
By getting your fair share of vitamin D in the winters, you will not only be coughing and sneezing less due to the enhanced immunity but will also have healthier microbes and greater resistance against inflammation and possible infections.
Go, vitamin D!
