4 Main Benefits of Vitamin D to Strengthen Immune System
Vitamin D for Strong Immune System
Vitamin D is considered as a hormone rather than a vitamin. In recent years, extensive research has been done in the role of vitamin D playing an essential part in strengthening the immune system in your body. Your body produces vitamin D in response to sun exposure. That is why it is also known as “sunshine vitamin.”
UV rays from the sun convert 7-dehydrocholesterol in your skin cells to cholecalciferol. It is further metabolized in the body into the active vitamin D. You can also get vitamin D from various foods and supplements.
This article aims to explain the beneficial effects of vitamin D on your immune system and how it helps to prevent various illnesses.
1. Supports the Immune System
Your body has 2 types of the immune system: the innate system and the adaptive system. Both are equally important to fight the infection in the body. Vitamin D modulates both systems and is famous for playing an essential role in autoimmunity. Vitamin D deficiency has been commonly seen in patients with autoimmune diseases and other immunity-related ailments.
2. Activate Immune System
Vitamin D plays a vital role in promoting your immune response to certain infectious agents. It has both immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. So, it is very critical for the activation of your immune system defenses. Immune cells have receptors for vitamin D and respond by initiating specific responses.
3. Increases the Function of Immune Cells
It also increases the function of immune cells including macrophages and T cells that protect your body against several infectious agents. It helps the immune system to stay balanced. Low levels of Vit D may lead to enhanced susceptibility to various diseases and infections, including respiratory diseases like asthma, tuberculosis, and certain other bacterial and viral infections.
4. Immunologic Function
Vit D has various beneficial effects on cells within the immune system. It inhibits the proliferation of different immune cells like B-cell and T-cell. This inhibition is particularly critical in the context of autoimmunity.
The Bottom Line
Vit D has numerous important functions in your body beyond keeping the bones healthy. If you want to strengthen your immunity and reduce the risk of various viral and bacterial infections like COVID-19, influenza, and tuberculosis, a balanced Vit D level is very important. Regular exposure of your body to sun light is the best way to get adequate Vit D levels in your body.
References:
Aranow, C. (2011). Vitamin D and the immune system. Journal of investigative medicine, 59(6), 881-886.
Bivona, G., Agnello, L., & Ciaccio, M. (2018). The immunological implication of the new vitamin D metabolism. Central-European Journal of Immunology, 43(3), 331.
Di Rosa, M., Malaguarnera, M., Nicoletti, F., & Malaguarnera, L. (2011). Vitamin D3: a helpful immuno‐modulator. Immunology, 134(2), 123-139.
