Experts Share Tips on Getting Adequate Vitamin D During the Winter Season

Increasing your vitamin D intake during winter months may be beneficial.

Vitamin D plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of our bodies. It stimulates muscular, nervous, and bone functions and also supports a robust immune system.

Our bodies produce vitamin D when we are exposed to sunlight and it can also be obtained from certain foods. However, getting sun while indoors, like sitting by a window, does not have the same effect.

One reason for the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in winter could be the decrease in sunlight exposure during the colder, darker months.

Marie van der Merwe, PhD, coordinator of the Applied Physiology and Nutrition doctoral program at the University of Memphis, suggests that our bodies might need vitamin D supplementation, especially during winter.

This article examines the required vitamin D dosage, beneficial health effects, and factors to think about before adding a supplement to your diet.

Vitamin D strengthens the bones and helps the body absorb calcium, which in turn, prevents osteoporosis. It is responsible for relaying messages between the brain and the rest of the body through the nerve cells, and helps the immune system fight viruses and bacteria. A deficiency in this nutrient can contribute to muscle aches and weakness.

However, many people don't receive enough vitamin D throughout the year.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that nearly 40.9% of their 71,685 participants between 2001 and 2018 were insufficient in vitamin D. More alarmingly, 2.6% showed severe deficiency while 22% had moderate deficiency.

Low vitamin D levels are common in certain demographics and a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that approximately 19% of adults rely on a vitamin D supplement.

Van der Merwe argues that the high rates of deficiency could be due to the scarcity of vitamin D-rich foods. This vitamin is predominantly found in fatty fish like trout, tuna, salmon, and mackerel, as well as fish liver oils. Some other foods that contain less of this vitamin include cheese, beef liver, egg yolks, and mushrooms.

Breakfast cereals, certain milks, yogurts, and juices are often fortified with vitamin D. For instance, three ounces of salmon contain 570 international units of vitamin D while a large scrambled egg has 44 units.

Despite this, the American diet is deficient in vitamin D, with the situation worsening during winter months.

Although deficiencies are pervasive, Pieter Cohen, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, advises that healthy adults need not take vitamin D supplements except at a doctor's discretion. Overloading on vitamin D can cause health issues like drowsiness, abdominal pain, confusion, and in severe cases, even a coma.

If avoiding supplements, it would be beneficial to try to spend more time outdoors in winter, and incorporate vitamin D-rich foods into your diet.