With so many people supplementing blindly with vitamin D these days, I wanted to share this PSA.
Yes, vitamin D is amazing for immunity. BUT – please remember that Vitamin D is NOT a vitamin. It’s a prohormone that has hormone effects in the body, and therefore must be treated like a hormone.
As I briefly mentioned in my story, long-term high-dose vitamin D supplementation can:
1- Deplete vitamin A. What do we need vitamin A for?
✔️Epithelial integrity: skin, urinary tract, lungs, GI lining, blood-brain barrier
✔️Immunity & tissue repair: without it can get chronic infections like UTIs & slow healing
✔️Mucus formation in lungs, sinus cavities & mouth to prevent infections
✔️ Protects eye health
✔️ Sex hormone formation
✔️ Thyroid function. Think hair, nails, body temperature, motility, energy, fertility, reproduction, and metabolism!
2- Depletes magnesium. Now we’re talking headaches, constipation, spasms, muscle cramps, insomnia, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, and asthma.
3- Promotes hot flashes! It’s all about having the right balance of vitamin D. Both high and low levels can induce hot flashes.
4- Increases calcium absorption. And without enough vitamin K in your diet (or in the supplement), there’s a risk of vascular calcification – not good for the arteries!
Bottom line? If you’ve been supplementing with vitamin D long term, please make sure you test your levels every few months (2 to 4 months), especially with doses above 5,000IU per day.
While optimal ranges are debated, 50-70 ng/ml seems to be a good range in general. But please consult with your practitioner to determine what’s right for your unique needs.
Please let me know if you have any comments or questions below.
