Do you often catch a cold? Do you suffer from prolonged depression? Are you losing hair? Have you discovered you have an autoimmune disorder or some kind of cancer? It’s quite possible that it is your body’s reaction to a long-standing vitamin D deficiency.

The human body has around 30,000 genes. Vitamin D influences the activity of more than 2,000 of them. Over 200 diseases have been proven to have a connection with vitamin D deficiency. It is one of the main reasons why reaching the optimal vitamin D level is essential for disease prevention.

Vitamin D reduces susceptibility to infections. Vitamin D is involved in skin cell replication and maturation. One study has revealed a direct correlation between vitamin D levels and skin moisture content. People with asthma and lower vitamin D levels in their blood have to take a higher dose of inhaled steroids to control the disease. 

Can a Person Be Allergic to Vitamin D? 

The probability of this is close to zero. A person can have an allergy to additives contained in various pharmaceutical forms of vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for the proper development of an immune system, skin formation, and infection prevention. Vitamin D deficiency can result in aggravation of atopic dermatitis and reduced asthma control. Luckily, an allergy to vitamin D is a rare thing. Allergic and pseudo-allergic reactions to the forms of vitamin D that are sold to consumers are generally connected with the additives, so it only takes finding a better, more well-tolerated form. 

What is Considered Low for Vitamin D?

To check the vitamin D level in your blood, it’s necessary to take a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D blood test and compare the results with the following numbers.

A vitamin D level below 35 ng/mL suggests that calcium, magnesium, zinc, and many other minerals and microelements taken in with the food or supplements we ingest are minimally absorbed or not absorbed at all. 

A vitamin D level below 20 ng/mL is a sign of severe deficiency, which can cause autoimmune diseases, frequent infections, depression, and even obesity, etc. 

Are You Getting Enough?

To treat vitamin D deficiency, most doctors recommend taking a low ineffective dose of 400-800 international units (IU). But even 5,000 IU is, in fact, a preventive dose for the northern region, and ingesting this dose regularly only increases vitamin D to low-normal levels. With Vitamin D deficiency, the daily intake of 10,000 IU is acceptable (this is exactly the amount produced in the skin upon exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation for 20-30 minutes without SPF protection) every day for 2-3 months, then a follow-up test must be taken. 

Once you reach the required Vitamin D level, a preventive dose of 4,000-5,000 IU can be taken. 

Is Vitamin D Safe? 

Vitamin D is safe, first and foremost, due to its ability to accumulate in body fat until it’s needed and activated by the kidneys to form calcitriol. It regulates the expression of genes and ten thousand proteins, and its receptors are expressed in any tissue of the body. Vitamin D has long outgrown its reputation as a thing for kids and osteoporosis prevention! It’s been proven that a deficiency results in infertility, obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome, and cancer (especially breast and bowel cancer). 

A blood 25-OH level of 20-30 ng/mL is enough to protect you from osteoporosis, however, to activate its effects on the immune system, a level of 60 ng/mL or more mmol/L is required; you can easily check these levels in your own body. To activate the counter-tumor effect of vitamin D, it’s necessary to have a level above 100 ng/mL. Once the goal of 70-100 ng/mL is achieved, it’s still early to stop. A proper vitamin D level should be maintained and tested in a laboratory from time to time, because it may leach out faster than magnesium.