I see vitamin D deficiency ALOT in clinic. Patients often don’t even know but on observation of their blood work it is not at optimal levels. It needs to be sitting at a minimum of 80nmol/L. Often it is just sitting around 50 nmol/L which by conventional terms is ‘in range’ and the information is not passed on to the patient.
Commonly Vitamin D deficiency can be due to poor intake of Vitamin D rich foods and lack of sunshine. But not always. Below are often overlooked reasons for low vitamin D.
- Digestive enzymes and bile function: We have to be able to digest and absorb Vitamin D from an oral supplement. This requires sufficient digestive enzymes and bile function.
- Optimal absorption: Ensuring sufficiency of fat soluble vitamins (Vitamin D) in patients with ongoing gut dysbiosis and pathogenic overgrowth (gut infections) which can contribute to intestinal malabsorption of nutrient including vitamin D.
- Optimal magnesium status: The body needs magnesium to convert Vitamin D to its final usable form. High vitamin D intake/synthesis can put a magnesium demand on the body that is already deficit in magnesium (most people are), then this can push magnesium too low (due to usage in vitamin D conversion) then the patient can experience debilitating symptoms once adding a vitamin D supplement in. That’s why I am not a fan of high dose vitamin D supplementation.
Remember Vitamin D is a hormone (confusing because its called vitamin D), and levels need to be increased gradually to allow the body’s receptors to respond and adapt.
Vitamin A and K along with D support the immune system. They are fat soluble siblings. More on that another time.
I encourage you to always ask what your vitamin D levels are and if they are not sitting at around 80nmol/ at a minimal, be curious and ask why?
Do you feel like you need more support with this information?
Book in for a 1:1 consult.
Mel Aytan
Functional Nutritionist
Bach.App.Sci (Human Movement), Adv.Dip Nutritional Medicine, Adv Dip Sec.Edu, Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN)
