Vitamin is an important vitamin for human function and it more unique than other vitamins. Vitamin D is called a vitamin, but it can actually be produced in the human body with enough sunlight. If a person receives enough sunlight, the body can synthesize vitamin D from cholesterol in the body. However, there are cases in which it is important to get vitamin D as part of a regular diet. Vitamin D is an important vitamin for human function and it more unique than other vitamins.

Vitamin D is called a vitamin, but it can actually be produced in the human body with enough sunlight.

If a person receives enough sunlight, the body can synthesize vitamin D from cholesterol in the body. However, there are cases in which it is important to get vitamin D as part of a regular diet. There are a lot of factors that can contribute to the levels of vitamin D in the body so it is important to make sure that you are getting enough through diet and supplements as well.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that falls into the category of secosteroids. The defining factor of a secosteroid is that it has the same organic design as a steroid. Since vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it is stored in the body’s fat cells and used as needed. Vitamin D does have some of the properties of a water-soluble vitamin though.

When a person takes vitamin D, the body uses what it needs quickly and completely. If there is any vitamin D leftover that the body does not need, it stores it away in fat cells for later use, for instance days in which you do not get enough vitamin D in your diet.

Types of Vitamin D

Vitamin D can be taken in either vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 form. The difference between vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 is that vitamin D3 is much more potent than vitamin D2. Vitamin D2 is a synthetic creation in our bodies whereas vitamin D3 is what is found in foods so it more natural to take vitamin D3 via supplement or food.

This is why most supplements and vitamins contain D3, not D2. Vitamin D3 is almost ten times more potent than vitamin D2, making it more effective to take vitamin S3.

This vitamin has gained the nickname the "Sunshine Vitamin" because it requires sunlight to process. Vitamin D is stimulated by sunshine absorption on the skin. When the body gets adequate sunlight, vitamin D is created and works in the body.

Association Between Calcium and Vitamin D

There are many things that vitamin D is helpful for in the human function. Vitamin D is responsible for helping the body absorb Calcium. This is a vital role for people because of bone health that is so important in preventing osteoporosis.

Calcium plays a vital role in women’s health as well. Since calcium is a key player in reducing the symptoms of PMS, it is important for vitamin D to be present so that calcium can be absorbed and help treat PMS symptoms. Calcium is useful for fighting cramping, mood swings, tiredness and pain associated with PMS.

Calcium cannot work without vitamin D being present. Vitamin D is the catalyst that gets the body moving towards using the calcium it is taking in. If people have calcium, but not enough vitamin D, there are some very severe side effects like calcium blockages in the heart and lungs. This is why vitamin D deficiencies are so serious.

While calcium helps with PMS symptoms, vitamin D is an important player in its own right. Vitamin D has been shown to be directly responsible for mood and migraines associated with PMS.

By getting enough vitamin D, women can effectively avoid the mood swings, depression and headaches that come with PMS. When vitamin D levels are low, the problems are twofold. There is a calcium deficiency and vitamin D deficiency that can cause severe swings in mood and depression.

Tests and Studies on Vitamin D and PMS

One study conducted by the American Medical Association and printed in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that 85% to 90% of women experience PMS symptoms in their lifetimes. In this particular study, women were given vitamin D fortified skim milk.

The results were that the more vitamin D the women received, the fewer PMS symptoms they experienced. This milk was fortified with 400 IU of vitamin D and showed that this level of vitamin D is sufficient to reduce the effects of PMS symptoms in women. archinte.jamanetwork.com

Not only do most women suffer from PMS, but it has been shown that it can be avoided. The American Medical Association study shows that when women get appropriate amounts of vitamin D in their diets, they are less likely to incur the symptoms associated with PMS.

A direct link was also found between PMS headaches and vitamin D deficiencies in a study done by Mount Sinai Medical Center and published in The Journal of Head and Face Pain. This study found that women who had a history of menstrual related migraines and PMS found relief with increases of vitamin D.

By taking a group of women and increasing their levels of vitamin D to between 400 and 1000 IU per day, the researchers were able to conclude that with an appropriate level of vitamin D in a diet, women can avoid the headaches associated with PMS. onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Since it is known that when hormone levels fluctuate, vitamin levels are reduced in the body, studies are showing that increasing the levels of vitamins in the body is having a positive effect on women’s health.

The University of South Carolina conducted a study published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health that indicated that there is a strong correlation between low levels of vitamin D and PMS syndrome and mood changes. When women experience low levels of vitamin D, they also experience mood swings and premenstrual syndrome. When vitamin D levels are increased, these symptoms go away. onlinelibrary.wiley.com

These studies have great implications for women’s health. What many doctors have long to believe to be untreatable problems in women are now being shown to be easily treated with natural cures like increasing vitamin levels. When vitamin levels come back up to a normal state, PMS symptoms are gone.

Diet and Foods

There are many different ways to get vitamin D in the body. The difficulty is that there are few foods that contain vitamin D. These include cheese, butter, cream, fortified milk, fatty fish, oysters and other fortified foods.

Mushrooms, eggs, and liver also provide good sources of vitamin D. Since there are so few foods that contain vitamin D, it can be difficult for people to get enough vitamin D in their diets. This means that most people need to take a vitamin D supplement to get the required daily allowance.

When trying to maintain a diet that is high in vitamin D, make sure to get plenty of dairy products in your diet. Keeping these to low fat diary is best so that you maintain a healthy balance.

Utilizing fortified foods can also help to maintain higher levels of vitamin D in a diet. There are many that are now incorporating vitamin D into their product so check the labels to see how much is being added to the food. It can make it easier to eat your favorite foods and get the vitamin D you need.

Supplements

A vitamin D supplement is also a helpful way to maintain the levels of vitamin D you need. Most supplements are going to be formulated on the recommended daily allowance and combining a supplement and a healthy diet will keep your vitamin D levels where they need to be to be healthy and reduce the symptoms associated with PMS.

There are many supplements on the market that can be taken to get the appropriate levels of vitamin D. Also getting enough sunlight on the skin can help to reduce the effects of vitamin D deficiency.

Deficiency

A vitamin D deficiency occurs when people get less than 400 milligrams of vitamin D per day. A vitamin D deficiency can cause diseases that create a softening of the bones of the body that lead to osteoporosis later in life.

Vitamin D deficiencies are the causes of rickets in children. While many children today no longer get rickets, osteoporosis is still a large problem in the older generations.
Vitamin D toxicity can also occur.

Overdose

Adults can tolerate up to 4000 IU of vitamin D per day without any problems. When people get more than 50,000 IU of vitamin D per day, problems start to occur. When people get too much vitamin D, it can lead to high levels of calcium in the blood since vitamin D is responsible for the absorption of calcium.

When this occurs, people can get calcium deposits in places like the heart and lungs, permanent damage to the kidneys, and kidney stones. Other problems that occur with too much vitamin D are nausea, vomiting, constipation, lack of appetite, weakness, weight loss, confusion or disorientation.

Dosage & Recommended Daily Intake

To maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce the effects of PMS symptoms, women should get a minimum of 600 IU of vitamin D per day. If needed, they can go as high as 4,000 IU per day without any harmful side effects.

As people get older, they need more vitamin D to make sure the body is absorbing enough calcium. This can also help during menopause to help with symptoms associated with those hormone changes. It will help to decrease the mood swings and headaches that are associated with drastic hormone fluctuations.

It is also recommended that people get fifteen minutes of sunshine three times per week. The sun needs to make direct contact with skin to make this effective. Often, people who live in colder, darker climates do not get enough vitamin D and show symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. Sunlight will help to create vitamin D that you may have been missing from your diet or supplement.

How Does Vitamin D Help With PMS

As the Mount Sinai study showed, there are direct links between low levels of vitamin D and headaches. The University of South Carolina study showed that women who got more vitamin D had fewer PMS symptoms including mood swings.

Women experience low levels of vitamin D when their hormone levels change and thus, get PMS symptoms.

By maintaining a steady intake of vitamin D, it is possible for women to reduce the effects of mood changes, fatigue, and headaches that come with PMS.

Vitamin D also helps maintain calcium absorption that fights other symptoms of PMS like cramping, mood, fatigue, uterine pain, and breast pain. Vitamin D is a vitamin women need daily whether PMS is occurring or not to ensure bone health as well.

To get the appropriate levels of vitamin D to stave off the effects of PMS, supplements like Period Vitamin can get women the right levels of vitamins they need to fight the symptoms of PMS like headaches and mood swings. Period Vitamin contains 400 IU of vitamin D3.

This is the bottom end of the recommended daily allowance, but provides enough vitamin D to prevent PMS symptoms from occurring while allowing a person to eat a well balanced diet to get the rest of the vitamin D they need in a day.