The Sunshine Vitamin: Why You Need It More Than You Think |
You can be low in vitamin D despite sun, diet, and healthy habits.
Vitamin D acts like a hormone in the brain, tied to memory, mood, and cognition.
Testing is key: Supplements can help when you’re deficient, but “more” isn’t better for everyone.
I thought I was doing everything right.
I live in a sunny climate most of the year. I eat a fairly balanced diet. I work in nutrition and spend a good part of my life reading research and helping other people make sense of it. So when my doctor told me my vitamin D levels were very low, I was surprised.
But the more I looked into it, the less surprising it became.
Vitamin D deficiency is common, and it often hides in plain sight. People assume they are getting enough because they go outside, eat reasonably well, or take care of their health in general. Yet vitamin D status depends on a lot more than sunshine and good intentions. Skin tone, age, sunscreen use, time indoors, and the fact that few foods naturally contain much vitamin D all make deficiency surprisingly easy. My experience is just one example, and nutrition is always personal. What made sense for me may not be right for everyone, so check with your own clinician before making changes.
What interests me most now is not just vitamin D’s role in bones, but its possible role in the brain. Vitamin D receptors are found in brain tissue, and reviews of the evidence have suggested that vitamin D may play a role in cognition and neuropsychiatric health.
Vitamin D is usually described as a nutrient, but it........