As you age, you should boost your daily intake of vitamin D. It is important for many aspects of your health, but too much is not related to fatigue. In fact, getting a healthy supply of vitamin D can actually give you energy and increase your mood.
Vitamin D Toxicity
Obtaining too much vitamin D, known as hypervitaminosis D, rarely, if ever, results from diet or sun exposure. Hypervitaminosis D generally must be tied to supplements because your body regulates the vitamin D it makes from sun exposure. Symptoms of vitamin D toxicity include nausea, vomiting, confusion, constipation, weakness, decreased appetite, heart arrhythmias and kidney stones.
Vitamin D and Fatigue
Vitamin D actually works to increase your energy, fighting both fatigue and depression. In fact, a symptom of vitamin D deficiency is fatigue and a lack of energy. This works by influencing a hormone known as melatonin. This hormone is responsible for bringing you down at night in preparation for sleep. The more vitamin D you have, the less melatonin your body makes. If you lack vitamin D, your body makes more melatonin, leading to fatigue.
Other Health Benefits
Your body's need for vitamin D extends far beyond fighting fatigue. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and a strong immune system. When you consume vitamin D, the body converts it into calcitrol, which aids your body in absorbing calcium from foods, making your bones stronger. Calcitrol also enters your cells, assisting with tissue and skeletal growth.
Recommendations and Sources
Vitamin D is provided by two sources: the diet and the sun. It is very hard to obtain the amount of vitamin D you need from your diet. The main mechanism for vitamin D is your body's production of it from absorbing sunlight. Your body takes in sunlight and through a complex process is able to form vitamin D. This does not lead to a toxicity because your body stops producing vitamin D from the sun once you have enough. Adults under the age of 50 need to take in between 400 and 800 IU of vitamin D each day. Those 50 and over should get 800 to 1,000 IU per day.
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