9 Benefits of Vitamin D

The “Sunshine Vitamin” is one of the best allies for your health. Nevertheless, there are still many questions surrounding it. It would be no surprise if the first one to come to mind was: “What is vitamin D for?”.  And it’s logical, because a micronutrient synthesised simply by exposing your skin to the sun’s rays is bound to generate curiosity. Let’s get started by looking at the benefits of vitamin D for your body!

What are the benefits of vitamin D?

1. Preventing Osteoporosis

The link between vitamin D and bone health is emblematic of the vitamin as a whole. It is well known that its intake is related to strong bones, but did you know that it also helps you avoid osteomalacia (bone softening) and osteoporosis?

It’s true. Far from what you might think, such pathologies are not only related to having adequate amounts of calcium. If you lack vitamin D, you will not be able to absorb calcium and phosphorus in the intestine, nor will it be adequately deposited in your bones.

2. Immune System and Vitamin D

The importance of vitamin D for your immune system goes without saying, activating the body’s defences, because insufficient intake of it means that the “killer” cells of the immune system, known as T cells, are unable to react against serious infections.

Not surprisingly, researchers found that T-cells are activated by vitamin D, and that, in the absence of this vitamin in the blood, they remain “asleep”. Now you’re interested, right?

3. Depression? Fight it with Vitamin D

The arrival of winter means grey skies, shorter days, and less and less sun. Such circumstances often bring with them a winter depression, similar, from a medical perspective, to SAD (seasonal affective disorder), which affects 3% of the European population. It’s now been found that one of the causes of SAD is a lack of vitamin D (go to the link).

The positive effect that sunlight has on a psychological level has been proven for years. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with seasonal depression, as well as other more severe forms of depression, according to clinical studies conducted over the past 15 years. Such studies reveal that people suffering from depression have very low levels of vitamin D. Click here to find out more about how to increase such levels.

4. The natural anti-inflammatory

In the event of an attack on the immune system, vitamin D acts by activating special antimicrobial mechanisms that inhibit inflammation. So the role it plays in your body in preventing acute or chronic inflammation and speeding up the healing process is priceless. Do you see why it’s called the “natural anti-inflammatory”? In addition to this, it’s also considered an effective substitute for antibiotics.

5. Vitamin D: An ally against Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is one of the great evils of today’s society and an irreversible neurocognitive disorder leading to the loss of memory and perception, in which changes in behaviour are also observed. The most common of all dementias is a major strain on countless families whose elders suffer from it.

Fortunately, clinical research has recently shown that the risk of Alzheimer’s increases significantly when you have low levels of vitamin. The reason? The protective effect that this natural “shield” has on the brain, as vitamin D ensures communication between nerve cells and thus protects them from death in the long term.

6. Vitamin D and sport are a winning team

It is no coincidence that Russian and German athletes have used the benefits of the Sun over the last 30 to 40 years to improve their physical performance. In addition, exposure to the sun’s rays has been shown to reduce pain and promote the healing of sports injuries.

At the same time, you may be aware of the importance of vitamin D for building muscle, as evidenced by the observation of age-related sarcopenia, which causes loss of muscle mass, weakness and muscle pain. When the level of vitamin D is too low, the risk of sarcopenia increases.

How does this nutrient improve performance? – https://www.hsnstore.eu/blog/nutrition/vitamins/d/sport-performance/

7. Vitamin D and testosterone

The concentration of testosterone is likely to increase with the intake of vitamin D. This is what was deduced in a study that also reminds us of the importance of highlighting that the 20% increase in available testosterone is the way in which this hormone can be used directly by the body.

8. Its effects on male fertility

It has been shown that vitamin D increases the quality of ale semen. Sperm need to “swim” to the egg during fertilisation and it has been observed that after taking vitamin D, they do so more quickly. This effect occurs by providing the sperm with the “fuel” it requires, with calcium being particularly noteworthy, as it moves more quickly with the help of vitamin D.

9. In the military field, it is a real wonder

The endless properties of vitamin D, its intervention in the forming of bones, its collaboration with the immune system, its promotion of cognitive function, and the increase in testosterone levels, have not gone unnoticed in the military field of many countries.

In fact, vitamin D has become the “secret weapon” of combat troops, after low levels of testosterone having been found in soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Find out more information about vitamin D:

• Where can I get a natural source of the vitamin? Here
• The essential things to know about how to take it, in this link