Can Taking Too Much Vitamin D3 Hurt You
Although vitamin D is essential for good health, taking too much of it can be harmful. Vitamin D toxicity can cause nausea, vomiting, weakness, and poor appetite. It can also lead to more serious problems such as kidney stones and heart arrhythmias.
If you take too much vitamin D, be sure to drink plenty of fluids and get some rest. You may also want to see your doctor to be sure that you are not experiencing any other health problems.
What Is Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and one of the most critical vitamins for biological function. Our skin is an important natural reservoir for its production, triggered by UV light into synthesis. Dhingra breaks it down: “Our gut and skin are the two main sources of vitamin D, which is made in two formsvitamin D3 in the skin and D2 and D3 in the gutboth of which are further modified by our kidneys.” Needless to say, inadequate sunlight exposure and poor diet are two of the most common reasons for vitamin D deficiency.
“Someones ability to manufacture vitamin D also depends on a persons skin type , sex, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol intake, and vitamin D receptor polymorphisms ,” Herrmann says. It’s tricky to say how much vitamin D each person needs because it varies with climate, time of year, and diet, but according to the National Institutes of Health, the average adult should aim for 600 International Units per day in their diet. Look to fortified foods like milk as well as salmon, eggs, and mushrooms as great food sources of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is available in an oral supplement form for those who are deficient, prescription topical forms to treat inflammatory conditions, and is even found in some over-the-counter beauty products, like oils and moisturizers. However, according to Williams, studies on the benefits of topical vitamin D for normal skin health are lacking.
Benefits Of Vitamin D For Your Skin
As far as your skin is concerned, vitamin D showcases great anti-inflammatory properties that can help treat skin conditions like dryness, acne, psoriasis, eczema, and vitiligo. Many cosmetic brands and even dermatologists use this vitamin in night creams and moisturisers to help improve your skin.
If your skin doesnt get enough vitamin D, it can cause wrinkles and fine lines to appear on your face. The antioxidants in this vitamin help fight these signs of premature ageing and protect your skin.
It further prevents dead cell build-up on your skin that leads to dryness, irritation, redness and other skin issues by increasing cell turnover. This nutrient improves cellular turnover by stimulation of proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis, which also helps you heal better when you get injured.
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Skin Differentiation And Proliferation
Both calcium and 1,252D perform important and interacting functions in regulating the skin differentiation process. 1,252D increases the expression of involucrin, transglutaminase, loricrin, and filaggrin and increases keratinocyte cornified envelope formation while inhibiting proliferation , . These actions are due to, at least in part, the ability of 1,252D to increase intracellular calcium levels achieved by induction of the calcium receptor , and the phospholipase C that are critical for the ability of calcium to stimulate keratinocyte differentiation , . Mice lacking the VDR show defective epidermal differentiation manifesting as reduced levels of involucrin and loricrin and loss of keratohyaline granules , .
It’s Easy To Check If Your Levels Are Sufficient But Many Americans Are Vitamin D Deficient
“According to a 2009 report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 77% of Americans have a deficiency in vitamin D levels, affecting their overall health,” explains New York City-based registered nurse Rebecca Park.
“Vitamin D deficiency results from lack of exposure to sunlight , impaired vitamin D absorption , medications that impair vitamin D absorption, and low dietary intake,” added Dr. Shainhouse. “Individuals at highest risk are those who are institutionalized, the elderly, or those with more darkly pigmented skin.”
Park added that people over the age of 50 have less ability to synthesize vitamin D from sunlight and are at a greater risk of osteoporosis and arthritis, fractures, muscle weakness, and cancers.
“Testing for Vitamin D deficiency involves a simple blood test,” said Dr. Shainhouse. “The lab should measure the level of bioavailable vitamin D, which is D3 . There is a range of normal, low normal, moderate and severe deficiency.”
Your doctor can test you annually.
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How Vitamin D Supplements Work
Vitamin D helps control how much calcium and phosphate you absorb from food. Calcium is essential for bone health. Phosphate is needed for healthy bones, teeth, muscles, nerves, and basic bodily functions.
Vitamin D supplements come in two forms:
- Vitamin D2 is naturally found in some plants.
- Vitamin D3 is naturally found in animals and is produced by the skin when its exposed to sunlight.
You can meet your vitamin D needs with either form. But healthcare providers generally suggest vitamin D3 supplements. Thats because it:
- Raises your overall vitamin D level more than D2
- Lasts longer in the body than D2
Vitamin D3 supplements are sold as capsules, soft gel tablets, gummies, and liquid drops.
Should Vitamin D Be Scripted On Every Prescription
The answer to this question is still far from clear, but at least we could clearly recommend routine evaluation of its level, with particular focus on those who are at risk of its deficiency e.g. elderly, obese, lacking proper sun exposure or with malabsorption disorders. Vitamin D supplementation could represent an important adjuvant treatment if deficient or insufficient.
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Functions In Healthy Skin
refers to skin damage induced by ultraviolet light. Depending on the dose, UV light can lead to DNA damage, inflammatory responses, skin cell apoptosis , skin aging, and skin cancer. Some studies, mainly in vitro studies and mouse studies where 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 was topically applied to skin before or immediately following irradiation , have found that vitamin D exhibits photoprotective effects. Documented effects in skin cells include decreased DNA damage, reduced apoptosis, increased cell survival, and decreased erythema. The mechanisms for such effects are not known, but one mouse study found that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 induced expression of metallothionein in the stratum basale . It has also been postulated that non-genomic actions of vitamin D contribute to the photoprotection such effects of vitamin D involve cell-signaling cascades that open calcium channels.
Wound healing
What Is Vitamin D And Its Skin Benefits
Vitamin D (also known as the “sunshine vitamin” is a fat-soluble vitamin that’s important for your health and is mainly absorbed through your gut and skin – that’s why vitamin D-packed skincare* is super beneficial. It can help protect against skin damage, reduce puffiness, calm inflammation, improve skin turnover, and minimise fine lines & wrinkles!
1. Can prevent skin ageingStudies have shown that healthy levels of vitamin D helps to prevent skin ageing1,2. The active form of vitamin D helps with skin cell growth, and skin repair!
2. Can help with dry skinVitamin D can significantly improve symptoms of skin disorders – especially extremely dry skin, psoriasis3 or eczema4. Depending on your skin & lifestyle, topical vitamin D products can help manage and treat your skin condition.
3. Helps strengthen elastin & maintain overall skin healthHaving a sufficient level of vitamin D helps boost the elasticity of your skin, stimulates collagen production, and can enhance radiance.
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The Role Of Vitamin D3
Another surprising thing about vitamin D3? Its not actually a vitamin, but a pro-hormone. Its considered a pro-hormone because the body is able to produce it on its own by absorbing sunlight on the skin.
Other vitamins and nutrients are unable to be produced by the body and therefore must be obtained via diet and supplements. The body needs to store a healthy amount of vitamin D in order absorb phosphorous and be able to maintain normal levels of calcium. In fact, vitamin D is essential to many functions in the body:
- Vitamin D is necessary for the maintenance of strong bones and healthy teeth.
- Keeping a healthy store of vitamin D gives added protection to such diseases as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes.
- Helps with diabetes management and maintaining healthy insulin levels.
- Vitamin D offers immune support as well as protection to the nervous system and the brain.
- Vitamin D is essential to the health of the lungs and cardiovascular system.
- Helps inhibit the development of cancer.
Vitamin D And Cutaneous Innate Immunity
A diagram illustrating the influences of vitamin D on the cutaneous innate and adaptive immunity.
Studies have shown that T-cell cytokines play a pivotal role in both amplifying and attenuating vitamin D-mediated cathelicidin production . Indeed, cytokine production by monocytes themselves may be central to the intracrine metabolism of vitamin D in this cell type , . Thus, it seems likely that the ability to mount an appropriate response to infection will be highly dependent on the availability of vitamin D, with additional tuning of this response by other components of the normal human immune response.
Vitamin D can also influence innate immune responses to pathogens via effects on antigen presentation by macrophages or dendritic cells . These cells are known to express VDR , and treatment with 1,252D has been shown to inhibit DC maturation, suppress antigen presentation and promote a tolerogenic T-cell response , .
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Using Vitamin D Supplements
Many people are diagnosed with having low levels of Vitamin D and getting more sun isnt always applicable. In these patients, supplements are often prescribed to give your body a boost or to maintain adequate levels.
Look out for supplements that contain Cholecalciferol or Vitamin D3/D2 as these are what is converted into vitamin D which can be used by your body.
Vitamin D3 Benefits As A Nootropic
Did you know that vitamin D3 benefits as a powerful nootropic? Its true! Vitamin D3 has many benefits for the brain, including improved cognitive function, memory, and focus. In this blog post, we will discuss the many benefits of vitamin D3 as a nootropic and how much you should be taking each day. We will also provide information on where to buy vitamin D3 supplements. So read on to learn more about this amazing vitamin!
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How To Use Vitamin D
- Sitting in the sun will not clear up your acne if you have benefits in vitamin D3 for skin. Doctors agree that prolonged sun exposure is not the best way to obtain vitamin D. Sun exposure without the use of a protective sunscreen can put you at risk for skin cancer.
- Taking vitamin D supplements and eating vitamin D-rich foods are the best ways to boost your vitamin D levels to help treat acne.
- There few foods are naturally high in vitamin D. Dairy products, such as milk and cheese, are high in vitamin D, but have shown in some studies to aggravate acne symptoms.
- If youre lactose intolerant, you may be thinking about taking a vitamin D supplement. People who do not consume milk on a regular basis are more likely to be vitamin D deficient.
- If you do take a single Dose orally, keep an eye mostly on dosage.
- Check to see if any other vitamins youre taking, such as calcium or a prenatal vitamin, are going to cause you to consume more than the recommended daily allowance of 99 milligrammes of vitamin D.
- Because vitamin D is essential is a keto vitamin, it can collect in your system.
- vitamin D levels with reduced side effects than oral vitamins, but more research is needed.
People with dark skin are at a higher risk. Because melanin reduces the skins ability to produce vitamin D, and people with dark skin have more melanin.
People who spend a lot of time indoors those who are frail, housebound. Live in a care home may not get enough sunlight exposure.
Vitamin D And Cutaneous Adaptive Immunity
Early studies of vitamin D and the immune system demonstrated VDR expression in both T and B cells . Notably, VDR expression by these cells was only immunologically functional in active, proliferating cells, suggesting an antiproliferative role for 1,252D on these cells . T helper cells appear to be the principal target for 1,252D which can suppress Th cell proliferation as well as modulating cytokines production by these cells . Activation of naive Th cells by antigen in turn leads to the generation of Th cell subgroups with distinct cytokine profiles: Th1 and Th2 that respectively support cell-mediated and humoral immunity , .
In vitro 1,252D inhibits Th1 cytokines , while promoting Th2 cytokines . A third group of Th cells known to be influenced by vitamin D are interleukin-17 -secreting T cells . Autoimmune disease-susceptible non obese diabetic mice treated with 1,25D exhibit lower levels of IL-17 , and 1,252D-mediated suppression of murine retinal autoimmunity appears to involve inhibition of Th17 activity . Furthermore, subsequent studies have shown that 1,252D suppresses IL-17 production via direct transcriptional suppression of IL-17 gene expression .
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The Key Nutrient For Skin Cell Growth And Replacement
Being fat-soluble, vitamin D as calcitriol easily crosses the phospholipid membranes of your cells and migrates to the nucleus. Here it binds with vitamin D receptors,6 a special group of proteins that sense the presence of steroid hormones. This linking regulates the expression of genes that turn different cell functions on or off.7,8 Vitamin D receptors are directly involved in cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as optimal immune function. These issues are vitally important to your skin, which not only serves as your first line of defense against pathological invaders, but must also replace approximately 30-40,000 lost cells a minute.9
This constant loss of cells on your skins surface must be offset naturally by an ongoing vitamin D- dependent renewal process that takes place in specialized cells called keratinocytes. Keratinocytes account for about 95% of all cells in your epidermis.10 They possess two properties which make them extremely valuablethe ability to actively divide, and the ability to differentiate. They are continuously providing new cells for replenishment of your skins surface.
Cell activity in this layer is responsible for the creation of an underlying structural framework for your skin to reinforce the delicate matrix of skin tissue. This helps your epidermis form a watertight barrier that locks in moisture and keeps your skin soft and supple.
A Few Side Effects That You May Experience
Vitamin D has not caused any irritation in most of the cases. It is generally not associated with any sensitivity.However, in the rarest of situations, you may suffer from irritation, stinging, or other uncomfortable sensation.Vitamin D doesn’t interact negatively with any of the skincare ingredients. It is deemed harmless and safe. You can effortlessly/easily incorporate it into your daily regimen.If you take the oral supplements of vitamin D, you should be extremely careful regarding the dosage. If the regular intakes exceed the critical limits, the build-up of calcium can occur in your blood. It may lead to nausea, vomiting, and other troubling symptoms.
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People With Darker Skin
People with darker skin have more melanin in their skin, which reduces the skins ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight exposure. As a result, people with darker skin may need to take higher doses of vitamin D3 benefits supplements than people with lighter skin tones. This should be done under the supervision of a healthcare provider.
In conclusion, the amount of vitamin D3 benefits that you need depends on several factors including your age, weight, and health status. The Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin D3 is 600 IU per day for adults aged 19-70 years old but some experts recommend taking up to 1000IU of vitamin D3 benefits per day. Pregnant and lactating women as well as people with darker skin may need higher doses of vitamin D3 supplement which should be done under the supervision of a healthcare provider.
What Does The Research Say About The Topical Use Of Vitamin D
According to a study, patients with nodulocystic acne had relatively low vitamin D levels in the blood serum.Another study implied that “people with acne experienced improved symptoms when they took oral vitamin D supplements.A randomized, controlled pilot study proved that “vitamin D3 can safely be delivered through the dermal route.”Some theories assert that adequate vitamin D levels in the body can “prevent the initiation and progression of lethal skin cancers.” It inhibits cell proliferation of skin cells and induces differentiation instead.Experiments strongly indicate that the topical use of calcitriol ointment is safe and may be an effective treatment for plaque-type psoriasis.The other vitamin D analog, calcipotriene , is used to treat chronic plaque psoriasis, either alone or in combination with steroid medicines.An experimental study held in 2011 elucidated the relationship between eczema and vitamin D. It involved 37 children with eczema symptoms. Serum vitamin D levels were higher in patients with milder eczema than those with severe and moderate cases. One point that comes to light is that vitamin D deficiency is related to the severity of eczema.Nonetheless, further studies should make it an urging compulsion to investigate the optimal levels of vitamin D, which are deemed necessary to maintain cutaneous health.
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How To Use It
When taking a vitamin D supplement, Zeichner recommends doing so with a high-fat diet for good absorption.
If you are using a doctors topical vitamin D, follow the application instructions from your doctor. If you choose to use topical vitamin D for anti-aging, Herrmann says that combining it with other antioxidant vitamins, growth supplements, or retinoids can create a good product, which works in many ways to fight age.
Vitamin D can also be found in other OTC beauty products In medicine, I often use a vitamin D-given analog to maintain the clearness of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin diseases, Dhingra said. However, Dhingra adds that apart from their clinical use in the fight against inflammatory skin diseases, the evidence is not conclusive enough to strongly recommend everyone to use a vitamin D-based product in their normal skin health care line.
For sun-renewable vitamin D, Dhingra says sunscreen is important, as well as limiting exposure to more than 10 to 15 minutes daily, reducing the amount of skin you produce.
