Vitamin D for Brain: Why is Vitamin D important for the brain?

 

Vitamin D for Brain: Why is Vitamin D important for the brain?

Vitamin D for Brain: Why is Vitamin D important for the brain?

“The mind is a powerful force. It can enslave us or empower us. It can plunge us into the depths of misery or take us to the heights of ecstasy. Learn to use its power wisely,” stated David Cuschieri, Author of the book, She wrote her own story. The power of the human brain is invincible. But for the brain to function at its fullest, it requires vitamin D too, among others. Vitamin D is extremely essential for brain development, cognition, neuroprotection, and also in emotional well-being.

In this article, ‘Vitamin D for brain: Why is Vitamin D important for the brain?’ we shall examine the significance of vitamin D for the brain and what happens if there is a deficiency of it. Let’s dive in!

About Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a neurosteroid hormone that regulates neurotransmitters and neurotrophins. It is a fat-soluble vitamin. From prenatal care to the elderly population Vitamin D is essential in all stages of life for proper brain development and maintenance. The primary source of vitamin D is sunlight; it plays a vital role in skeletal growth. With anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties, it increases neurotrophic factors such as nerve growth factor that promotes brain health. “It postpones the aging of your nervous system and also helps with brain fog,” said Amber O’ Brien, Medical doc working at Mango clinic. There are receptors for vitamin D throughout the central nervous system. It helps the brain by activating and deactivating the enzymes inside of it, it also protects neurons and reduces inflammation.“Vitamin D is not exactly a vitamin, since all vitamins are nutrients that the body can not create. This vitamin is more like a prohormone or precursor of the hormone. Our body can synthesize it as a response to sun exposure or we can ingest it with food,” said Velislav Stoykov, in response to our query. Vitamin D is generally produced by the skin through exposure to sunlight or absorbed through your diet and converted to its active form by the kidneys and the liver

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Vitamin D for Brain

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with cognitive impairment. “Based on what we know right now, it's possible that vitamin D is helpful for cognitive function (i.e., increasing brainpower). But we need more well-designed studies to know for sure. We can speculate that it is likely to help” said Dr.Neal Malik, Assistant Professor at Department of Health Science and Human Ecology, California State University. Although it is known that low levels of vitamin D is associated with cognitive impairment it is still unknown if high dosages of this vitamin will lessen cognitive losses. It is also unclear if giving vitamin D to those who lack it will help them regain some of these high-level functions.

1. COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT- But we do know that vitamin D increases neurotrophic factors such as nerve growth factors that further promote brain health. Deficiency of vitamin D leads to behavioral problems too. Its deficiency is associated with various central nervous system disorders. Vitamin D can reach the brain by crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) through diffusion. “It reduces the increase in neuronal levels of calcium and helps in the defiance of the depression caused by the rise of calcium levels in the brain. Vitamin D also plays a vital role in neuronal development,” said Asmat khan, business owner at Fitness Volt.

2. NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES- Vitamin D not only helps in bone growth and regulation of calcium homeostasis but also plays a significant role in neurodevelopment and function. Recent studies have revealed that vitamin D is an essential neurosteroid having various actions in the brain. The study also indicated development of vitamin D deficiency is associated with changes in brain structure, neurochemistry, gene, and protein expression and behavior. “Vitamin D plays a significant role against neurodegenerative processes associated with Alzheimer’s disease and cognition,” said Rashmi Byakodi, Health and Wellness writer, and Editor of Best for Nutrition. Due to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, vitamin D causes clearance of amyloid-β, a toxic protein that aggravates the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.

3. MOOD STABILIZATION- Vitamin D is essential to the brain because of the part that it plays in the brain's ability to produce serotonin (a hormone responsible for mood stabilization, feelings of happiness, digestion, and sleep). A deficiency in vitamin D can actually diminish the brain's ability to create serotonin from its precursor, tryptophan. This leads to a decrease in the levels of serotonin in the brain. This imbalance in serotonin levels can lead to issues with memory, brain fog and can even lead to depression. Vitamin D improves brain function by promoting the scaffolding and networking of the brain.

4. BRAIN FOG- The deficiency of Vitamin D can act as a hurdle in proper brain development. Brain fog can be caused due to Vitamin D deficiency. It can also cause weakness, infections and so much more. If a person doesn’t take the required Vitamin D, it may cause several problems including depression, dementia, diabetes, and more.

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Sources of Vitamin D

The primary source of vitamin D is exposure to sunlight. However, there are certain foods that consist of vitamin D.

Experts recommend ingesting 1000-2000 IU of Vitamin D daily, and taking a sunbath for 30 minutes thrice a week.

Sources of Vitamin D - 100 gr. Salmon - 526 IU (66% of daily intake), 100 gr. herring - 112 IU (27% of daily intake), 100 gr. cod liver oil - 448 IU (56% of daily intake), 100 gr. canned tuna - 268 IU (34% of daily intake), egg yolk - 37 UI (5% of daily intake), mushrooms. It is recommended to consult with your physician before starting any new supplements.

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Concluding: ‘Vitamin D for Brain: Why is vitamin D important for the brain?’

 All in all, it is imperative for us to monitor our vitamin D levels since our lifestyle is contributing to its deficiency. The issue with this, though, is that most of us don't spend adequate enough time outside in the sun to maintain optimal levels of vitamin D. It is always better to prefer natural ways of being healthy. Health is wealth. Take care of your health, and wealth automatically flows.

If you liked my work, you can also buy my ebook, 'Resuscitate yourself', by clicking here or you can get it from Kindle and Amazon. It is a self-help book, which is mainly focused on an effectively efficient approach in improving brain power and beating stress, depression, and other mental ailments. 

 I hope my article, ‘Vitamin D for brain: Why is vitamin D important for the brain?’ is of assistance. Subscribe to my newsletter to get all my articles delivered straight into your inbox at no cost.