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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D It's technically a steroid, not a nutrient. We can manufacture it in the body.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D It's technically a steroid, not a nutrient. We can manufacture it in the body. "Essential nutrients" are things we cannot manufacture. It's essential to bone health and bone marrow is where the body makes white blood cells. It's generally understood to be important to normal immune function. If you have reason to believe you are Vitamin D deficient, it is always a good idea to address that. If you are not deficient, there is no reason to believe that taking "extra" will protect you from anything. In fact, it may be quite harmful, in part because it is a steroid and in part because it is fat soluble so you can end up storing the excess to the point of hitting "toxic" levels.

rcxdude 6y ago
I mentioned this in the thread above, but it's now an NHS recommendation for all adults to suppliment vitamin D because the majority of people in the UK are at least a little deficient in it (because of the low levels of sunlight).
- DoreenMichele 6y ago
  Yes, living far enough north is a good reason to suspect you may be deficient -- something folks seem to not like hearing when I say it. There are quite a lot of people who have good reason to believe they may be deficient. But there seem to never be enough qualifiers to make anyone on the internet happy. My above statement is as accurate as I know how to make it and I can't readily think of anything I would change about it, in spite of how poorly it seems to have gone over with folks here.
travisjungroth 6y ago
> If you are not deficient, there is no reason to believe that taking "extra" will protect you from anything. You’re right. Buuut, a lot of people are walking around deficient. And even though it’s fat soluble, there’s a pretty big window where you can supplement and not worry about overdoing it.
- DoreenMichele 6y ago
  If they are deficient: it is always a good idea to address that. Some reasons to suspect you are deficient: You don't get much exposure to sunlight for some reason (which would be a lot of people this year, what with lock down), you have a genetic disorder where you misprocess fats/fat soluble vitamins, you have known symptoms of deficiency. If you are concerned at all, I highly recommend you look up known symptoms of deficiency. Look for a source you trust. .gov and .edu sites are typically deemed to be more trustworthy for info of that sort.
  - derekp7 6y ago
    Considering that humans evolved having most of their skin exposed to sunlight, and typically people have their hands and face only exposed (or arms if summer and wearing short sleeves), And combined with most people having indoor jobs -- wouldn't that cause most people to be at least somewhat deficient?
  - ianai 6y ago
    I suspect there may be a bad meme involved here too. People have been told “just fifteen minutes per day outside in the sun is enough for your body to produce all the vitamin d it needs.” But I’ve heard it’s more like you need to basically be running around naked in the sun all day - like how we evolved. Not sure how they’d measure that though.
zenexer 6y ago
> We can manufacture it in the body. "Essential nutrients" are things we cannot manufacture. Entirely anecdotal, but there are definitely people out there who have to take supplements to achieve normal levels. My most recent blood tests showed that I had a vitamin D deficiency, so my PCP prescribed vitamin D. At the time, I was getting outside plenty and was exposed to the sun more than most people with desk jobs, but it wasn't enough. I wouldn't be surprised if being stuck inside due to the pandemic has made it worse. Did the prescription change anything? Dunno. I haven't died yet, and it costs nothing since it's prescribed by my PCP, so I'm not complaining, but otherwise I feel exactly the same. Would I go around taking random supplements without the oversight of my doctor? Nope.

rcxdude 6y ago

I mentioned this in the thread above, but it's now an NHS recommendation for all adults to suppliment vitamin D because the majority of people in the UK are at least a little deficient in it (because of the low levels of sunlight).

DoreenMichele 6y ago
Yes, living far enough north is a good reason to suspect you may be deficient -- something folks seem to not like hearing when I say it. There are quite a lot of people who have good reason to believe they may be deficient. But there seem to never be enough qualifiers to make anyone on the internet happy. My above statement is as accurate as I know how to make it and I can't readily think of anything I would change about it, in spite of how poorly it seems to have gone over with folks here.

travisjungroth 6y ago

> If you are not deficient, there is no reason to believe that taking "extra" will protect you from anything. You’re right. Buuut, a lot of people are walking around deficient. And even though it’s fat soluble, there’s a pretty big window where you can supplement and not worry about overdoing it.

DoreenMichele 6y ago
If they are deficient: it is always a good idea to address that. Some reasons to suspect you are deficient: You don't get much exposure to sunlight for some reason (which would be a lot of people this year, what with lock down), you have a genetic disorder where you misprocess fats/fat soluble vitamins, you have known symptoms of deficiency. If you are concerned at all, I highly recommend you look up known symptoms of deficiency. Look for a source you trust. .gov and .edu sites are typically deemed to be more trustworthy for info of that sort.
- derekp7 6y ago
  Considering that humans evolved having most of their skin exposed to sunlight, and typically people have their hands and face only exposed (or arms if summer and wearing short sleeves), And combined with most people having indoor jobs -- wouldn't that cause most people to be at least somewhat deficient?
- ianai 6y ago
  I suspect there may be a bad meme involved here too. People have been told “just fifteen minutes per day outside in the sun is enough for your body to produce all the vitamin d it needs.” But I’ve heard it’s more like you need to basically be running around naked in the sun all day - like how we evolved. Not sure how they’d measure that though.

zenexer 6y ago

> We can manufacture it in the body. "Essential nutrients" are things we cannot manufacture. Entirely anecdotal, but there are definitely people out there who have to take supplements to achieve normal levels. My most recent blood tests showed that I had a vitamin D deficiency, so my PCP prescribed vitamin D. At the time, I was getting outside plenty and was exposed to the sun more than most people with desk jobs, but it wasn't enough. I wouldn't be surprised if being stuck inside due to the pandemic has made it worse. Did the prescription change anything? Dunno. I haven't died yet, and it costs nothing since it's prescribed by my PCP, so I'm not complaining, but otherwise I feel exactly the same. Would I go around taking random supplements without the oversight of my doctor? Nope.