VITAMIN D: CRUCIAL FOR T-CELL FUNCTION AND MUCH, MUCH MORE . . .

VITAMIN D CRUCIAL for T-cell function! 💪 Keep it above 55 ng/mL, as per dr. Ryan Cole. pic.twitter.com/6AmEiJNb6b

— Natural Immunity FTW (@NaturallyFTW) June 2,

We hear all the time about the deficiency of this vitamin and that vitamin.  But this article does a decent job of explaining why a vitamin D deficiency is harmful.  Without enough vitamin D, our immune cells aren't fully activated into killer cells that take out pathogens.  See here,  

Scientists have found that vitamin D is crucial to activating our immune defenses and that without sufficient intake of the vitamin – the killer cells of the immune system — T cells — will not be able to react to, and fight off, serious infections in the body. The research team found that T cells first search for vitamin D in order to activate, and if they cannot find enough of it will not complete the activation process.

So how much vitamin D does one need?  The recommendations often fall short because they don't take into consideration prior health conditions, age, and levels of daily stress which accumulate over time and can turn into chronic conditions down the road.  Chronic conditions combined with vitamin D deficiency can turn into disease.  For example, those who suffer from cluster headaches are often found with vitamin D deficiency, which may signal the importance of vitamin D for the brain.  I know that I when I get a headache, I will often reach for vitamin C and vitamin D3: C is for circulation, and the D is to regulate the D receptors in the brain for better functioning, better mood, and better cognition.  I've posted an excellent lecture on how vitamin D improves everything that you're body is going through, even recovery times and recovery outcomes for people of all ages, but especially for the elderly.  

Vitamin D3 deficiency can also exacerbate insulin sensitivity.  Take vitamin D3, and you'll get the can Diet is a factor too.  If your diet isn't the healthiest, if you're not getting enough D3 from your diet, then you'll need a little more from supplementation.  John Jacob Cannell suggests 10,000IU for adult men and women.  Another factor is age.    

To elaborate further, 

“For T cells to detect and kill foreign pathogens such as clumps of bacteria or viruses, the [T] cells must first be ‘triggered’ into action and ‘transform’ from inactive and harmless immune cells into killer cells that are primed to seek out and destroy all traces of a foreign pathogen.”

The researchers found that the T cells rely on vitamin D in order to activate and they would remain dormant, ‘naïve’ to the possibility of threat if vitamin D is lacking in the blood.

For the research team, identifying the role of vitamin D in the activation of T cells has been a major breakthrough.

“Scientists have known for a long time that vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and the vitamin has also been implicated in diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis, but what we didn’t realize is how crucial vitamin D is for actually activating the immune system — which we know now.“ 

So without enough D, you're more likely to get sick when exposed to pathogens, which is all the time.