overweight , It can be stored and trapped in your fat cells , making you deficient . Not getting to its destination of every other biological function in the body , which there are a vast number of , and greatly reliant on vitamin D . Ultimately , the vitamin D you take because of its fat solubility unless you ’ re eating it or taking it with a direct effective fat source . It won ’ t get past your liver , for those who are overweight and obese the liver holds a fast amount of hepatic fat . But if it makes it past your liver , intercellular , interstitial and subcutaneous fat welcome it before it gets anywhere else needed .
You see we have vitamin D , receptors in everything from our liver cells to our brain cells to muscle cells , immune cells , and everything in between , so when I say this is essential it ’ s putting it very simply . From the immune system to hormones , and ailments like Crohn ’ s disease , IBS , autoimmune diseases , get huge benefit from simply the addition of a vitamin D supplement . I could go on a lot about other areas because there are so many , that vitamin D has a relationship to benefit in our biological systems . But I thought something more familiar , that we can all relate to , would be most effective in painting this picture .
A recent study published in the NFS journal , relating to long Covid patients and severe COVID-19 impact symptoms . Details that the people studied with long Covid , and who had strongly impacting Covid symptoms , hospitalized with one or more of the leading comorbidities mentioned above , were not just marginally , but severely vitamin D deficient . This number was 100 % in all critically ill individuals . When we get sick , our immune system requires a huge amount of vitamin D turnover to produce immune cells necessary to fight illness , or infection . So if we ’ re already deficit , that means we are at rock-bottom when we get sick .
For the athlete , think about training , and how that is affecting your immune system , that stress that onslaught of physically and mentally laborious activity . We know that when we get sick , we shouldn ’ t train with intensity , or too much other than active recovery , because it draws our immune system down even further . Yes active recovery is good because our lymphatic system is valved and we need to move to have lymph fluid circulate around our body , with NK T and B cells , lymphocytes . But intense training crushes your struggling immune system from fighting cold , virus , or infection .
So now relate these friends to the need we have for recovery from training , when we have a lot of food we ’ re doing not much cardio , not sick . Don ’ t many of us focus much of our time and effort on recovery to grow , develop , heal progress ? I should hope so . Now think of competition prep where the immune system is really challenged . We are on limited and decreasing amounts of food , increasing amounts of cardio , training multiple days a week without a day off . Our immune system is in effect being pounded on and needing to produce greater defence cells , therefore , requiring a greater amount of vitamin D , to stay at a positive turnover rate , armouring the body .
Remember there ’ s a difference between being overly insufficient , and optimizing health , performance and recovery . So when you get your physical , your doctor will test you for overt vitamin D deficiency , not optimal levels , so ask your