Vitamin D Supplementation

Vitamin D is a highly underrated supplement in many cases. Unfortunately, those who know of its importance are trying to source it from the wrong places!

Isolating nutrients ignores the fact that they work much more like a well-oiled production factory where synergy is the key and the sum is much, much greater than its parts.

Take out one of them and the whole machine become much less effective. Your body will still work but you may never know just how energetic and strong your body could be!

Vitamin D production occurs in the skin following exposure to the UV rays in sunlight. In some ways it functions more like a hormone than a vitamin as it is produced in one part of the body but used in another.

Whilst we can obtain Vitamin D from certain fish oils and supplements as well as fortified milk, these forms are nowhere near as effective as sunlight - yet another reason to use the natural source before the scientific version!

Once the Vitamin D has been produced in the skin it travels down to the liver where it is converted into a substance known as a metabolite which is the human body's storage form of Vitamin D (like keeping it in storage until we need it!)

When our body needs Vitamin D, some of this storage form is transported to the kidneys and converted into another Vitamin D metabolite but this time it is around 1000 times more powerful than the previous stored form. T.Campbell refers to this as the 'supercharged Vitamin D'.

Now that we have some supercharged Vitamin D ready for use, why is it so important?

One key job for Vitamin D is to prevent healthy cells becoming diseased which can lead to any number of diseases resulting from cell degeneration including all forms of cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Obviously poor nutrition is also a factor but this is likely to be one of the reasons why there is a marked increase in the incidence of such diseases the further you travel from the equator.

As always, the truth is that it is the combination rather than one factor that causes problems. An acidic diet too high in protein and chemically-enhanced 'food' may reduce the effectiveness of the kidneys in producing the supercharged Vitamin D so even if you get lots of sun, your diet could prevent you fully utilising the benefits of Vitamin D.

Along the same lines, Vitamin D aids apoptosis (natural cell death) rather than allowing the growth and proliferation of diseased and potentially cancerous cells.

Vitamin D is also essential in reducing the risk of heart disease.

We know now that Vitamin D is essential for liver function. As the liver produces bile which aids in the digestion of fats, a deficiency of Vitamin D may lead to high levels of fat in the blood vessels, ultimately increasing your risk of heart disease.

It is also common knowledge that disruption of normal insulin production leads to diabetic conditions, but what role does Vitamin D play in the onset of diabetes?

Insulin is produced by the beta cells in the pancreas and as they have Vitamin D receptors to make them work, it follows that a lack of direct sunlight could contribute to the development of diabetic conditions where nutrition is also poor.

Vitamin D has also been shown to aid the production of natural steroid hormones in the human body thus aiding muscle growth. This will clearly effect everything from strength and power to burning body fat more efficiently.

Also, Vitamin D is important in calcium absorption in the body (remember how we can't isolate nutrients). A Vitamin D deficiency can therefore lead to weaker bones thus increasing the risk of injury (as well as osteoporosis) and enabling your body to cope with heavy weightlifting sessions.

Now you know how critical Vitamin D is to your overall health and athletic performance, how much do you need and what's the best way to get enough?

Recommendations generally suggest that athletes require 400-1000 IU of Vitamin D per day (approximately 20mg to 45mg)

This can be achieved easily by exposing as much skin as possible to the sun for 10-20 minutes per day.

However, you should note that it is the UVB rays from sunlight which are required for Vitamin D production but...

1) UVB rays are blocked by cloud and pollution so don't assume just going outside your office in the city is enough.
2) UVB rays are only effective when the sun's rays are at particular angles - namely between 10am and 2pm.
3) These rays are blocked by sunscreen along with the 'burning' UVA rays.

So your best bet is to expose your skin WITH NO SUNSCREEN for 10-20 minutes EVERY DAY then cover up. Should you wish to be out in the sun more (as we all do on holiday), apply sunscreen at other times to prevent burning and increased risk of skin cancer.

If this is not possible or practical (taking your shirt off at your conference may not go down well...) look to increase your intake of fish oils, eat more fish and take a Vitamin D supplement aiming for 30-45mg per day.

Obviously your nutrition protocols will need to be adjusted according to where you live, time of the year, holidays etc.