There are many factors that influence our immune health. What we eat, what we drink, how we sleep, stress, our weight, our breaths, and it is important for us to pay attention to all of these factors so we can have better immune health. It is even more important for us to care for our immunity now because of the pandemic.
One of the ways we can support our immune health is by getting some sun and taking vitamin D. You’ve probably read about the importance of vitamin D in bone health, calcium balance, and inflammation. Its role in immune protection, especially with infections has been investigated in many studies. Lower levels of vitamin D has been associated with increased infection. In a study of almost 19,000 people between 1988 and 1994, study participants with lower levels of vitamin D reported more upper respiratory tract infection compared to those whose levels were at the sufficient range.
Vitamin D helps our innate antimicrobial response and that helps us fight infections. When we’re exposed to microbes, our innate immune system is responsible for quickly recognizing and eliminating the pathogens so they don’t cause an infection. Vitamin D helps our toll-like receptors (TLR) signaling pathways/cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) gene so we can produce the needed immune cells that help us fight infections before they take hold in our bodies.
You may not be able to test your vitamin D levels right now to determine if your level is sufficient. However, you can get good dose of this vital nutrient from the sun. If you can’t go out right now for any reason, check with your doctor via a telehealth call and ask if you should take at least 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily.