Part 1: Testing my vitamin D levels

I was feeling pretty fatigued at the start of June so I decided to run some blood work on myself to see if any biomarkers could be contributing to my fatigue.  I was shocked to discover that my vitamin D levels were so low considering I was supplementing about 20,000 IU per week during the winter!  

The reference range for optimal vitamin D levels is controversial.  My vitamin D levels were sitting at 34.5 ng/mL.  Less than 20 ng/mL puts someone at risk for developing bone softening (aka osteomalacia) and severe vitamin D deficiency that presents as rickets.  However, vitamin D does so much more than just strengthen our bones!

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with decreased immune function, increased cardiovascular disease, increased high blood pressure, blood sugar dysregulation, low mood, anxiety, worse cognition and even skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne.  

Subclinical vitamin D deficiency occurs at levels less than 40 ng/mL so most argue that around 30 ng/mL is a more optimal vitamin D level.  When our vitamin D levels fall below 30 ng/mL we start to see changes in our body’s ability to regulate calcium levels which affects our bone health.  With my vitamin D levels sitting at only 34.6 ng/mL, I was sitting in the subclinical vitamin D deficiency range!

Due to our northern latitude and long winters in Canada, about 70-97% of Canadians have a vitamin D insufficiency.  Because vitamin D plays such a vital role in so many aspects of our health and wellness, it’s very important to keep our sunshine vitamin levels in the optimal range. 

So what am I going to do about my subclinical deficiency? 

I’m going to re-test my vitamin D levels next week since it’s already the last week of August (I’m still in disbelief!).  Most people’s vitamin D levels are the highest at the end of the summer so I’m curious to see how much my levels increased from spending most of my time outside on the weekends!  Stay tuned for how my vitamin D levels changed over the summer and my plans to get my levels up to an optimal level as we transition into the winter months. 

References:

Aranow, C. (2011). Vitamin D and the Immune System. Journal of Investigative Medicine, 59(6), 881–886.

Hanley, D. A., & Davison, K. S. (2005). Vitamin D insufficiency in North America. The Journal of nutrition, 135(2), 332-337.

Heimbeck, I., Wjst, M., & Apfelbacher, C. J. (2013). Low vitamin D serum level is inversely associated with eczema in children and adolescents in Germany. Allergy, 68(7), 906-910.

Judd, S. E., & Tangpricha, V. (2009). Vitamin D deficiency and risk for cardiovascular disease. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 338(1), 40–44.

Lim, S. K., Ha, J. M., Lee, Y. H., Lee, Y., Seo, Y. J., Kim, C. D., ... & Im, M. (2016). Comparison of vitamin D levels in patients with and without acne: a case-control study combined with a randomized controlled trial. PLoS One, 11(8), e0161162.

Schwalfenberg, G. K., Genuis, S. J., & Hiltz, M. N. (2010). Addressing vitamin D deficiency in Canada: a public health innovation whose time has come. Public health, 124(6), 350-359.

Soleymani, T., Hung, T., & Soung, J. (2015). The role of vitamin D in psoriasis: a review. International Journal of Dermatology, 54(4), 383-392.

Sunyecz, J. (2008). The use of calcium and vitamin D in the management of osteoporosis. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, Volume 4, 827–836.

Wilkins, C. H., Sheline, Y. I., Roe, C. M., Birge, S. J., & Morris, J. C. (2006). Vitamin D deficiency is associated with low mood and worse cognitive performance in older adults. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry, 14(12), 1032-1040.