In a recent scientific study, over 25 000 people with an average age of 67 years consumed two tablets of Vitamin D (2000 IU) every day for five years. The Vitamin D tablets were consumed even if a person had normal Vitamin D levels in their blood test. After five years, the study found that people who consumed Vitamin D had a 22% lower chance of developing autoimmune diseases. This is one of the first large studies that show the protective benefits of Vitamin D for our health.
What are autoimmune diseases?
Autoimmune diseases are immune system disorders that cause abnormally low activity or over-activity of the immune system. In overactivity, the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy cells. In underactivity, the immune system is unable to fight invaders, causing vulnerability to infections. As with most diseases including autoimmune diseases, the prevention process is much better than cure.
Some autoimmune diseases include:
– Rheumatoid arthritis
– Polymyalgia rheumatica
– Thyroid disease
– Psoriasis
– Inflammatory bowel disease
What can you do to lower your risk of developing an autoimmune disease?
There are 2 ways that you can reduce your risk of autoimmune disease:
1. Increase your Vitamin D levels as mentioned above
2. Not smoking or exposing yourself to second hand smoke
Cigarette smoking has also been linked to the future development of autoimmune diseases!
How to increase your Vitamin D
Despite living in our sunny country, many Australians are low in Vitamin D. To increase your vitamin D levels, you can either:
– Take a daily dose of 2000 IU of Vitamin D, or,
– If you can’t source an adequate supplement, spend at least 30 minutes in the sun in a T-shirt and shorts daily to get it naturally
Vitamin D is a wonderfully helpful vitamin that has many holistic benefits for the body as it can also assist your bones and muscles stay strong.
Speak to us if you are interested in healthy aging and find out more ways you can reduce your risk of disease.
References:
Hahn, J. et al. (2022). Vitamin D and marine omega 3 fatty acid supplementation and incident autoimmune disease: Vital randomized controlled trial. Doi: 10.1136/bmj-2021-066452.
Chang, K. et al. (2014). Smoking and rheumatoid arthritis. Doi: 10.3390/ijms151222279
