Vitamin D: It's Not Just for Bones

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:20:13 -0800

Most people are aware that Vitamin D is important to bone health and there is growing awareness of the role Vitamin D plays in cardio vascular health. For well over a year I’ve been recommending my clients discuss vitamin D with their doctors after I learned about the crucial role that Vitamin D plays in brain health and mood stability. This advice was also prompted by two important national studies that showed a high percentage of vitamin D deficiency in both children and adults.

There are two important facts you should know about Vitamin D. One is that vitamin D is not a vitamin but a hormone. The body manufactures vitamin D when skin is exposed to the sun. But if you are like most people you aren’t getting much sun exposure these days. Vitamin D occurs naturally in only a few foods and is supplemented in some, especially dairy products, and usually in miniscule amounts. The second important fact is that vitamin D is active in almost every cell in your body. I’ve been taking Vitamin D3 supplements for about two years now. As a result I’ve enjoyed two consecutive late fall, and winter seasons without the seasonal blues. I’ve had many clients report improvements in mood as well. I know a psychiatrist who is now checking vitamin D levels on every patient he sees and is alarmed at how many patients are walking around with such low vitamin D levels that they could end up with rickets or other serious bone disease.

My mother had two strokes last month. Thankfully she is doing well now with very little impairment. I mention this here because guess what Dr. Stasha Gominak, the neurologist who treated her, was concerned about? That’s right, Mom’s vitamin D levels. Dr. Gominak pointed out that Vitamin D also plays an important role in sleep and has had many patients whose headaches improved once vitamin D levels were adequate. Dr. Gominak’s website, http://drgominak.com/ is a good source of information about the role of vitamin D in neurological health. Dr. Gominak asserts that if you are taking the prescription form of vitamin D then you are probably not getting what you need to receive the full neurological benefit. The prescription form is vitamin D2. She recommends D3.

One other important thing I’ve recently learned about vitamin D is that even people who are taking supplements probably aren’t getting enough. There is a bit of disagreement about what the proper dose should be but even those on the conservative side of the debate have recently raised dosing recommendations. You can learn more about dosing from a recent article by diet and nutrition expert Dr. Joel Fuhrman (read Dr Fuhrman's article).

Of course any change in supplements or medications should be discussed with your doctor; especially if you are taking other medications. As a mental health counselor I can’t prescribe medications. But, I can tell you that I’ve seen many people benefit from adequate vitamin D levels. Call your doctor or talk to a pharmacist today and see if you might find some benefit from improving your nutritional profile.

Open Mind & Brain Blog

Vitamin D: It's Not Just for Bones