Vitamin D & Immunity

With the world in the grips of Coronavirus and the unknown looming over us all - there are numerous discussions providing information around how best to protect yourself and your immunity at this time.

There is no magic answer to how best to protect ourselves, other than the government guidelines that are widely available, but we can use this time to really think out our health and how well we support our immune systems.

Fruit and vegetables, adequate protein and prioritised sleep are the pillars of health when protecting our immune system. The majority of vitamins such as B&C can be easily obtained from foods, whereas vitamin D: the sunshine vitamin, is produced by the body when directly exposed to sunlight. With so many of us self isolating and having to stay indoors, vitamin D production is going to be on the low side.

Vitamin D influences immunity by triggering receptors on the surface of white blood cells, which can switch genes on and off to influence with ways in which the body responds to varied stimuli or infection. It is also involved in signalling key peptides to commence an initial response to microbial pathogens (germs) before a full attack infection begins.

In addition to immunity Vitamin D is also key to:
- Reducing symptoms of depression
- Aiding cognitive function and memory
- Improving bone health
- Links with reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and IBD

The RNI suggest a dose of 400iu/d, with many of the evidence based studies showing a dose upwards of this to be more effective, especially when dealing with immunity.