Most of us grew up hearing, “go get some sun, it’s good for you!”, knowing that sunshine was one of the many ways we could get our daily dose of Vitamin D. Knowing that 50% of the population is deficient in this Vitamin, it has become an important topic today in preventing illness, viral infections and creating a robust immune system.
According to a new study released July 15th, 2020, the “association between low levels of Vitamin D and increased risk of developing several immune-related diseases and disorders, including psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis, sepsis, respiratory infection, and COVID-19, has been observed”.
The connection between Vitamin D levels and optimal health:
- When in active form Vitamin D exerts immunologic activities on multiple components of our innate and adaptive immune systems as well as our endothelial membrane stability.
- The anti viral component in Vitamin D is specific to respiratory function. What this does is stabilizes the destruction of endothelial tissues and protective against vascular function
- Vitamin D stabilizes the destruction of endothelial tissues and protective against vascular function
- The adaptive immune system is stimulated by Vitamin D
- Vitamin D is known to stimulate natural killer function
What may be preventing you from getting enough Vitamin D?
- Did you know that the overuse of sunscreen blocks UVB light and the absorption of Vit D?
- When the normal balance of bacterial flow in your gut occurs, a condition called Gut dysbiosis occurs. Gut dysbiosis leads to conditions like candida, IBS, leaky gut and these will lead to difficulty absorbing Vit D.
- Did you know that the carbon particles in air pollution / quality of our air block UVB light?
- Obesity contributes to our ability to absorb Vit D because it is absorbed in fat tissues and not easily released. Burning fat is the key here!(aka, ketosis via metabolic flexibility)
- The temperature of your skin contributes to absorption because warmer skin is better at turning UVB light and turning it into Vit D.
- Darker skin’s melanin blocks UVB light. So therefore, the tone of your skin determines how much UVB light is absorbed.
Top 3 Ways to Boost Vitamin D Levels
Last week I explored the connection between Vitamin D levels and optimal health. What we know now is that when we boost our Vitamin D levels, we boost our immune system which makes it more powerful to fight off viruses, including viruses like Covid-19. However we also know that 50% of the population is vitamin D deficient. Here are the top 3 ways to boost Vitamin D levels:
Boost Vitamin D by absorbing it through your skin:
You can do this two ways, directly from the sun or through red light therapy.
- If you’re planning to get vitamin D from the sun, you should spend 10-30 minutes per day, several times a week out in the sun ideally during mid-day and without sunscreen. But, it’s not that easy.
- Another way to get vitamin D is with red light therapy, like the JOOVV light, I have one of these in my clinic. Research shows that just 10 minutes of red light therapy can increase both Vitamin D and magnesium deficiency in as little as two weeks.
Boost Vitamin D by putting these foods in your body:
Food and oils are a great way to get Vitamin D into your body. These 5 foods are the highest in Vitamin D: salmon, herring, eggs, wild mushrooms, and cod liver oil. Oils have also proven to be precursors to Vitamin D. Plant oils like pumpkin seed, coriander, black cumin,and flax oil have anti-inflammatory effects and raise Vitamin D levels, and are available through my favorite curator, Andreas Seed Oils. Use code PELZ for 10% off a single bottle.
Boost Vitamin D by taking supplements:
There are 3 little tricks to know about taking supplements to get optimal results:
- First, take your vitamins with food.
- Second, studies show that if you take your supplements with fat, it will increase absorption into your body.
- And lastly, it will be best when it is a high quality supplement. My favorite Vitamin D supplement that I recommend to clients is DV3.
RESOURCES:
- Test your gut dysbiosis with our gut zoomer.
- Try out our favorite non-toxic suncreens:
- Reset Academy: https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com
- Red Light Therapy: Joovv Light
- Andreas Seed Oils: shop here
- Revelation Health Supplements: DV3