Vitamin D Test – Everything You Need to Know

What is vitamin D?

Vitamin D has always been a well-known nutrient for a healthy life. A deficiency of vitamin D may lead to lethargy, grogginess, body ache, and improper sleep schedules.

Unfortunately, after the Covid pandemic, due to prolonged periods of staying indoors, people are unable to get adequate vitamin D. So much so that governments have been dispensing large amounts of vitamin D doses to ensure that people don’t become deficient.

Hence its importance has only increased. In this post, we will understand the most well-known vitamin. We will highlight its purpose and the importance of getting a vitamin D test.

There are two different types of Vitamin D – Vitamin D₂ and Vitamin D₃. The body’s main source of Vitamin D comes from direct sunlight (Vitamin D₃)². You can also get vitamin D (both types) from certain foods². Interestingly, our body stores vitamin D in our fat reserves until needed¹.

How does vitamin D affect health and wellbeing?

• Vitamin D absorbs calcium and phosphates from the intestines².
  • Thus, it plays a role in maintaining the strength of your bones.
• It plays a role in immune response, which is how the body fights off illnesses³.
• In our body, there are specific cells where vitamin D is attracted, called receptors. Usually, receptor cells are in the vicinity of hormone producing cells⁴.
  • One of these areas is the part of the brain which controls moods. The feel-good hormone, dopamine, is produced here and vitamin D plays a role in its production⁴.
• Similarly, vitamin D also controls the levels of melatonin and leptin.
  • Melatonin is a hormone that controls your sleep patterns⁵.
  • Leptin is a hormone that controls the amount of energy the body uses¹.

Undeniably, these are crucial aspects of a healthy life. So it’s a no-brainer that maintaining the right levels of vitamin D is crucial.

What are the side effects of low vitamin D levels?

Low levels of vitamin D can make you feel the following things:

• Not feeling 100%
• Lack of energy
• Poor sleep
• Vague aches and pains
• Muscle weakness in more severe cases

The good news is that by improving vitamin D levels, these side effects due to the deficiency can be reversed!²

What are the side effects of high levels of vitamin D?

• Calcium build-up around the body, causing damage to the kidney, heart, and bones⁶.
• Difficulty in concentration¹¹.
• Upsets the digestion system¹¹.

There is no normal limit for vitamin D. However, the NHS suggests that an intake of 100 micrograms/ 4000 international units (IU) and above can cause harmful effects⁶.

But it is important to know that it is impossible to have elevated vitamin D levels through sunlight alone⁶. When out and about, enjoy the sun with mild sun cream!

What lifestyle habits affect vitamin D levels?

Healthy vitamin D levels are achievable through a balanced diet.

Vitamin D synthesis is connected with calcium levels in the body. This makes it imperative to have the correct levels of calcium in your diet. The ideal amount of calcium intake is 700 milligrams a day. To find out how much calcium you take in a day, you can use this calculator tool.²

But wait, apart from diet, there’s one more important source – the sun.

The sun is also a major source of vitamin D. In the darker months, vitamin D levels may dip due to the reduction of sunlight hours. And your diet might not be a sufficient source. Thus, it is good practice to take vitamin D supplements. 

Moreover, in this day and age, a lot of us work indoors and miss out on daylight. So finding opportunities to bask in the sun (like an outdoor lunch) is a great way to get a free vitamin D top-up! 

How is the vitamin D test performed?

A simple blood test can measure vitamin D levels. Our health test includes a finger-prick blood test for 21 biomarkers. It gives you a detailed analysis of your current levels and things you can do to improve them.

What are the normal values of vitamin D?

A range of about 25 – 50 nmol/L is used in most labs as the ‘normal’ value with 125 nmol/L as the highest level. However, that’s the reference range.

At ElevateMe, we use optimal ranges to compare your test results with the averages of the healthiest individuals. You can read more about how optimal ranges are better than reference ranges for blood tests here. The optimal range for vitamin D is between 75 – 250 nmol/L.  

How to improve vitamin D test results?

There are some lifestyle changes that can be adopted to increase your vitamin D intake. Vitamin D₃ is about three times stronger than vitamin D₂⁴.

So the fastest way to increase your vitamin D intake is through spending more time outdoors.

Both vitamin D₃ and D₂ are present in natural foods. Thus, upping the intake of vitamin D rich foods helps. Some examples of these foods include:

• Oily fish
• Red meat
• Liver
• Egg yolks
• Milk
• Mushrooms
• Fortified foods – such as fat spreads yogurts, and some cereals. ²⁶

Additionally, vitamin D levels can be increased through supplements. These can be bought at your local pharmacy and supermarkets. 

Because there are many uses of vitamin D and everybody is uniquely built, there is no one correct level for everyone. But the NHS suggests aiming for 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day⁶. Due to this difference in our bodies vitamin D requirement, it is a good idea to get a vitamin D test and track it periodically. With  our health test plans, you can re-test your blood levels every 3 or 6 months.

Are there people more at risk for vitamin D deficiency?

Don’t fret if you have low levels of vitamin D, because you are not alone! Vitamin D deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world².

Since the sun is the most efficient way of obtaining it, the autumn and winter seasons causes vitamin D deficiency in a lot of people⁶.

Unfortunately, there are several groups of individuals who are more prone to vitamin D deficiency. These include:

• Pregnant women: Because the growing baby needs their own vitamin D and calcium for development, there is a bigger need for vitamin D⁷.
• Breastfeeding women: Because vitamin D is transferred through breast milk, more vitamin D is needed than normal⁸.
• Older people (above 65 years of age): The natural ageing process affects the skin and it becomes less efficient at converting sunlight to vitamin D⁹.
• People with malabsorption conditions: Because vitamin D is absorbed from the food we eat, this vitamin D will be less than other people and can cause a vitamin D deficiency.
• People with darker skin tones: The chemical that makes the skin darker also absorbs sunlight, leaving less for vitamin D production⁹.
• Being overweight: Increased body fat storage means it is harder for the body to find the stored vitamin D⁹.
• People with a family history of vitamin D deficiency: According to ongoing research, there is a genetic factor in our body’s ability to produce vitamin D¹⁰.

Improve your overall health to feel better everyday

Vitamin D is one of those nutrients that has a significant impact on how you feel. The fact that its value in the body depends on sunlight and food makes it quite important to track. With the ElevateMe health test, you can track 21 biomarkers including vitamin D that affect your core performance areas like sleep, fitness, energy, metabolism, cognition, mood, and immunity. 

You can also take this free health quiz and receive instant feedback and actionable advice based on your scores.