Dear Mayo Clinic: During these darker months when we're getting less and less sunlight, I've heard we need to be intentional about getting more vitamin D in our diets or with supplements. Is that true? What role does vitamin D play in our health?

Answer: It's true that vitamin D is important to the human body. It helps our bone and musculoskeletal health and prevents fatigue. Vitamin D also helps with maintaining the body's immune system and may act as an anti-inflammatory agent, which decreases your risk of other types of illnesses. In limited cases, vitamin D actually may help prevent some forms of cancer.

Our skin absorbs ultraviolet light from the sun and makes vitamin D. Vitamin D also can come from food sources. If you don't get enough vitamin D, you may experience a variety of symptoms.

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There are some correlations to low vitamin D levels such as muscle aches, soreness, depression and other illnesses. If severe, vitamin D deficiency has been known to cause bone loss or osteoporosis in adults and rickets in small children.

Help from your diet

In most cases, not everyone needs to be taking vitamin D supplements. Many people get enough from their diet by eating vitamin D-rich foods, including cheese, eggs, poultry, mushrooms and fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel. Many foods, such as cereals, orange juices and milk, are fortified with vitamin D. If you get enough from your food sources, that's sufficient.

If you think you're at high risk of a vitamin D deficiency, you should speak with your health care team about checking your vitamin D level, usually done with a simple blood test. Your health care team then can tell you where you're at and make recommendations.

In cases where your level is low, a vitamin D supplement may be beneficial. A low dose of vitamin D usually is included in store-bought multivitamins and also can suffice.

Timing a supplement

When to take vitamin D supplements is a great question that we get from patients. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and should be taken with a fatty meal for absorption in most cases. Some limited data questions whether it should be taken at night because it may cause insomnia, but in general, I tell my patients to take it in the morning with food.

There are different types of vitamin D known as vitamin D2 and D3. Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) comes from plant sources, and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) comes from animal sources. The good news is that both are absorbed just as effectively in the intestine, so it really depends on whether you prefer plant-based or animal-based. They both work.

Another question we receive is whether vitamin D will help you during the wintertime to prevent seasonal affective disorder. There is a correlation, but a lack of vitamin D doesn't necessarily cause the illness. In some instances, vitamin D may help if you feel down. Talk to your health care team to see if checking your vitamin D level is right for you.

Dr. Jesse Bracamonte is a family medicine doctor affiliated with Mayo Clinic, Phoenix. Mayo Clinic Q&A is an educational resource and doesn't replace regular medical care. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org.

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