Vitamin D is also important for our immune system.
There are many studies showing low vitaminD will increase your chances of getting viruses including Herpes. It also can increase chances of Herpes infections/outbreaks if low.
Vitamin D is not a vitamin — it is a pro-hormone. Pro-hormones are substances that the body converts to a hormone. A very small amount of vitamin D the body needs comes from food (such as dairy products and oily fish). Your body also makes vitamin D when direct sunlight converts a chemical in your skin into an active form of the vitamin. This reaction produces cholecalciferol, and the liver converts it to calcidiol. The kidneys then convert the substance to calcitriol, which is the active form of the hormone in the body.
There are various forms of vitamin D. It starts out as a cholesterol molecule, which we can call vitamin D1. Near the skin’s surface, it gets zapped by sunshine and becomes vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Then it gets transformed by activating enzymes, usually in the liver, to vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and by the kidneys to its most active form, vitamin D4 (Calcitriol).
What does Vitamin D do or help with?
Researchers have found that vitamin D helps regulate adrenaline and dopamine production in the brain; as well as helping to protect from serotonin depletion. For this reason, low vitamin D levels can cause a more depressed attitude. Possibly why people get more depressed during the winter time. Less sunlight.
Vitamin D causes calcium to be absorbed from the gut into the bloodstream. When vitamin D is not present, calcium is also not abundant and the parathyroid gland cannot do its job.
Vitamin D in your body interacts with hormones from your parathyroid glands. It secretes parathyroid hormone, which helps to regulate calcium in your body. The release of parathyroid hormone promotes the activation of vitamin D within your cells, which in turn leads to calcium regulation. A vitamin D deficiency can lead to the abnormal release of parathyroid hormone.
It also helps to fight infection. Maybe that’s why we get more colds and flu in the winter time when there’s less sun.
Professor Carsten Geisler from the Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology explains that "when a T cell is exposed to a foreign pathogen, it extends a signaling device or 'antenna' known as a vitamin D receptor, with which it searches for vitamin D. This means that the T cell must have vitamin D or activation of the cell will cease. If the T cells cannot find enough vitamin D in the blood, they won't even begin to mobilize. "
T cells that are successfully activated transform into one of two types of immune cell. They either become killer cells that will attack and destroy all cells carrying traces of a foreign pathogen or they become helper cells that assist the immune system in acquiring "memory." The helper cells send messages to the immune system, passing on knowledge about the pathogen so that the immune system can recognize and remember it at their next encounter. T cells form part of the adaptive immune system, which means that they function by teaching the immune system to recognize and adapt to constantly changing threats.
It also helps with blood sugar balance and insulin control.
The amount of vitamin D your skin makes depends on many factors, including the time of day, season, and your skin pigmentation. Vitamin D production might decrease or be completely absent during the winter months. Sunscreen and medications can decrease vitamin D production. Gut health and other deficiencies such as low K2 or magnesium may cause issues with vittamin D absorption.
There is controversy on what your vitamin D levels should be. Allopathic doctors say 30-100. Some holistic and Functional Medicine doctors state between 60-80.
Vitamin D comes in two forms: D2 and D3. D2 (ergocalciferol) comes from plants. D3 (cholecalciferol) comes from animals. You need a prescription to get D2. D3, however, is available over the counter. Your body more easily absorbs D3 than D2. You may need 5-10,000 IU for a short amount of time for supplementation. Here are a few I recommend:
