Vitamin D for Immunity, Vitamin D for Brain Health 

Vitamin D for immunity vitamin d for brain health
Vitamin D for immunity vitamin d for brain health
Vitamin D is well-known as an important nutrient for calcium absorption and bone health. Being Vitamin D-deficient makes us susceptible to multiple conditions, including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis. But today I’d like to examine research on some of Vitamin D’s lesser-known benefits.
  • Vitamin D for immunity
  • Vitamin D for brain health

A Systemic Review of Vitamin D for Immunity

In a Queen Mary University of London systematic review of 25 randomized controlled trials,  a group of researchers led by Adrian R. Martineau, compiled data on taking Vitamin  D for immunity.
Their goal was to assess vitamin D intake’s effect on the risk of lung infection. The study, published in the February 2017 issue of the British Medical Journal included data from 11,321 participants of all ages.
The trials’ intervention group participants received vitamin D2 or D3. After a thorough review, the researchers concluded that:

1. Vitamin D reduces the risk of lung infections.

2. Daily or weekly intake of vitamin D protects the body against infectious lung diseases.

Sunshine is a top source of Vitamin D.

Two Studies Looking at Vitamin D for Brain Health

Research regarding vitamin D for brain health includes a trial published in the April 2017 issue of the Journal of Experimental Gerontology. Associate professor Jacqueline A. Pettersen, M.D. from the University of British Columbia examined vitamin D intake’s cognitive effects.
She assigned her study’s 82 Canadian enrollees to one of two groups. For 18 weeks, one took a daily 4000 IU dose of vitamin D. The other took 400 IU per day.
Dr. Petterson’s trial  found that:
  • Participants taking the high-dose Vitamin D achieved a 94.2-percent increase in Vitamin D levels, compared to a 42-percent increase in the 400-IU group.
  • High-dose participants whose Vitamin D levels were below 75 nmol/L at the trial’s outset saw a 5-percent improvement in their visual memory.  The low-dose group’s visual memory was unchanged.

From the Canadian findings, we conclude that people can improve their visual memory by upping their intake of Vitamin D for brain health!

In July 2019, researchers at Tianjin Medical University conducted a randomized controlled double-blind study led by Jingya Jia. For one year, they observed the effects taking Vitamin D had on Alzheimer’s patients’ cognitive function.
The study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry,  randomly assigned the 210 patients to two groups. One took 800 IU of Vitamin D each day and the other took a starch-granule placebo.
By the end of the year,  the researchers determined that regarding taking vitamin D for brain health :
  • Cognitive function improved in Alzheimer’s patients taking Vitamin D.
  • Full-scale IQ rose 1 percent in the patients taking Vitamin D, compared to decreasing 6.76 percent in the placebo group.

How to Get Enough Vitamin D

Every glass of Vitamin D2-fortified dairy milk comes with a side of sheep hair grease!

Sunlight is our primary source of Vitamin D. But according to this June 2018 study, up to 40 percent of the U.S. population may not spend enough time in the sun to meet their Vitamin D requirements.

Those researchers hypothesized that as younger people trade more and more outdoor activities for indoor technology, vitamin D deficiency will become even more common.

While dairy milk contains Vitamin D, it’s only there as an artificial additive. The D2 comes from greasy lanolin extracted from sheep’s wool!

Many manufacturers of plant-based milk also fortify their products with vitamin D3, but it’s derived from vegan yeast. And the amount of vitamin D in fatty fish, beef liver, egg yokes, and mushrooms isn’t sufficient for our needs.

According to a Yale Medicine article, most of us get our vitamin D from fortified foods or nutritional supplements. Beyond enjoying time in the sun, we should be choosing plant-based products that are fortified with Vitamin D so that we don’t miss out on these incredible benefits:

  • Vitamin D for immunity
  • Vitamin D for brain health
  • Vitamin D for healthy bones.
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on pinterest
Featured Post
Recent posts
Popular posts
Related Posts

Related Posts

Quench Thirst With Water

Quench Thirst With Water

The thirstiest I’ve ever been was during a group hike in my later teens. On a hot day miles from any water source, only one

August 23, 2020
Virus Factory

Virus Factory

My mom was born on the banks of the Amazon River in the jungles of Peru. The day before her 21th birthday, she emigrated to

August 11, 2020
SEE ALL BLOG POSTS

Subscribe

Get PlantBased. Com Updates!

We respect your privacy.

Facebook-f Instagram

Disclaimer:

The contents of the PLANTBASED.COM Site, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the PLANTBASED.COM Site (“Content”) are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the PLANTBASED.COM Site!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. PLANTBASED.COM does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Site. Reliance on any information provided by PLANTBASED.COM, PLANTBASED.COM employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of PLANTBASED.COM, or other visitors to the Site is solely at your own risk.