Did you know that most people, including postpartum mothers, are deficient in their vitamin D levels? According to the Cleveland Clinic, 35% of Americans have vitamin D deficiency. When your body is deficient in certain vitamin levels, it impacts the way the body feels and functions. What role does vitamin D have to play in relation to postpartum depression? That’s what we are going to explore in this article. We will look at vitamin D deficiency and postpartum depression, what roles vitamin D plays in the body, impacts of vitamin D deficiency on the body, and how you can be sure to get enough vitamin D daily to ensure good health.
The Roles Vitamin D Plays In The Body
Vitamin D is known as the “sunshine vitamin”. This is because Vitamin D is produced in the skin after exposure to sunlight.
What importance does vitamin D have in the body? There are some very important roles vitamin D plays in the health and wellbeing of people. Vitamin D aids in helping the body absorb calcium and phosphorus. Both of these are important for bone growth and health! Often individuals with weak bones are advised by their doctor to take vitamin D.
Additionally, vitamin D is an anti-inflammatory! This alone brings a host of benefits to the body such as reducing the symptoms of arthritis, preventing heart disease, brain health, etc. Below is a list of how healthy levels of vitamin D impact the body.
- Allows the body to absorb calcium
- Secondly, it helps the body absorb phosphorus
- Reduces the growth of cancer cells. Higher levels of VD levels are associated with decreased risk of breast, colon, pancreatic and brain cancer!
- Decreases the risk of dementia
- Boosts the body’s immune function, which helps the body better fight off illnesses like the flu among others.
- May prevent the development of Type 2 Diabetes
- Possibly helps prevent cardiovascular disease. This is because VD helps regulate inflammation to the heart and helps to keep the arteries flexible.
According to Harvard’s School of Public Health, a 10-year study was done among men and found that those with lower VD levels were twice as likely to have a heart attack than their counterparts with higher VD levels!
Additionally, in this same study, it was found that the men with the lowest VD levels had significantly higher risk rates to suffer from any heart disease event than their counterparts.
Daily Dosages For Vitamin D
For adults ages 19 and older, the recommended dietary allowance of VD is 600 IU (or 15 mcg). Adults who are 70 years old or greater should take 800 IU per day (or 20 mcg). When you purchase a vitamin supplement, the front label will tell you how many IUs are in a single dose. Adults who are 19+ years old can take more than 600 IU per day. It is recommended to take no more than 2,000 IU of VD per day. Once daily dosage goes above 4,000 IU of VD/day, risks of developing adverse health affects increases.
Adults who are 19+ years old, the recommended dietary allowance of VD is 600 IU. It is recommended to take no more than 2,000 IU of VD per day.
It is difficult to get vitamin D through your diet. This is because few foods actually contain vitamin D. Although, vitamin D has been used to fortify various foods like breakfast cereals, breads, and pastas.
Further, your body can produce vitamin D after exposure to sunlight. However, this varies from person to person due to the amount of pigmentation in the skin. Higher levels of pigmentation is associated with lower levels of VD produced by the body. This is because the pigmentation of the skin acts as a blanket that prohibits the body from producing VD.
The best way to get the recommended 600 IU (or 15 mcg) for adults ages 19+ is by taking a supplement.
Vitamin D Deficiency And Postpartum Depression
Now that you know the many health benefits of good vitamin D levels in the body and the recommended daily dosages for adults, let’s discuss vitamin D deficiency and postpartum depression.
The daily dosage of VD for adults is 600/IU per day. According to the MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health, most prenatal vitamins do not carry this recommended dosage of VD! Most prenatal vitamins contain 400 IU.
Most prenatal vitamins contain only 400 IU of vitamin D, which is less than the recommended daily allowance of 600 IU per day!
Furthermore, Healthline states that low levels of VD are linked to increased risk of depression. Couple this fact with the fact that most pregnant and postpartum mothers are not getting the recommended daily allowance of VD in their prenatal vitamin, we can conclude that they are at an increased risk for postpartum depression!
According to the Whole Health Library, in their article “Treating Postpartum Depression”, low levels of vitamin D have been linked to increased risk of PPD. Additionally, mothers with low vD levels have an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes, hypertension and pre-eclampsia.
Share What You’ve Learned! Pin It!
Vitamin D Supplements
There are a couple different vitamin D supplements. However, a lot of vitamin D supplements contain D3 because it is readily absorbed by the body.
NEEDED D3/K2 Supplements
I wish I knew about these NEEDED D3/K2 prenatal and “postpartum” supplements is that they are created by women’s health experts. They know that most prenatal vitamins do not contain the needed daily dosage of vitamin D levels!
What’s unique about their supplements is that they tell you how much you need during pregnancy, breastfeeding, postpartum, and normal “mom life”!
Check them out by clicking the button below!
What We Love About Them
- Made by knowledgable women’s health medical professionals
- Contain the right amount of VD for pregnancy, breastfeeding, postpartum and beyond!
- Baby benefits from mom having the right VD levels during pregnancy and breastfeeding as well!
What We Don’t Love About Them
Their bottles are slightly more expensive than other supplements. However, it may be hard to find this quality somewhere else.
Viteey D3 Gummies
Viteey D3 gummies contain 2,000 IU of VD, which is the highest amount of VD safe to take. What I love about these supplements is that they are sugar free! Women who do not enjoy swallowing pills would benefit from having the gummies instead.
Remember the recommended daily allowance of VD is 600 IUs. If you are looking for a small boost, you can take just one of these gummies. Each gummy is 1,000 IUs. However, if you know that you are VD deficient, then the IU dosage here is good for you!
What We Love About Them
- Sugar free
- 2,000 IU of VD
- Gummies instead of pills
What We Don’t Love About Them
- Each gummy is 1,000 IU of VD so the daily dosage is 2 gummies.
- Some say the gummies are flavorless, but personally, I wouldn’t be bothered by this since they are supplements and not food.
Nature’s Bounty
Nature’s Bounty VD3 supplements are another great option. They contain 1,000 IU of VD per dosage. Vitmain D3 is known to help boost immune health as well as bone health. They promote that here on their bottle.
What I love about Nature’s Bounty here is that the supplement does not contain many of the common allergens. These are fish, soy, dairy, gluten, etc. As a mother with children allergic to gluten, something I have learned is that some medications (or supplements) may contain wheat! When I read “no gluten” on supplements or medications, that always means a lot to me!
Also, they are sugar free!
What We Love About Them
- Soft gel – easy to swallow
- Gluten free
- sugar free
- no preservatives
- Free from artificial colors or flavors
- Sodium free
What We Don’t Love About Them
From this article, you know that vitamin D has more benefits to the body than just bone and immune support. So when you read that on a bottle, it may be a marketing technique.
Leave A Comment!
What was something new that you learned from this article? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below! We always love hearing from our Mama audience!
Want To Learn More?
Read these articles to learn more about postpartum depression and breastfeeding.
The Breastfeeding Accelerator Course
Breastfeeding Enchanted – It’s Not As Easy As You Think
Possible Reasons For Feeling Overly Worried As A Mom – Postpartum Anxiety
The Affects Of Folate Deficiency On Postpartum Health
What Is Postpartum Depression?