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Have you ever been jealous of plants? They have the awesome ability of turning sunlight into usable energy, or food. Believe it or not, us humans have a similar skill. We can use the energy of the sun directly to synthesize a very important hormone: Vitamin D. Pretty cool, huh?

Truth be told, most people these days can’t rely solely on the sun to get their vitamin D fix. We depend on our diet and sometimes supplements to give us the levels we need. Like most things in science, as time passes we’re gaining a better understanding of the hormone’s role in the body. Recently, we’ve seen evidence suggesting that there’s an optimal level of vitamin D, and it differs for everyone. That’s right: too much vitamin D can actually be bad for you.

That’s why testing is so important in achieving optimal health. WellnessFX Baseline actually measures 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, which is the inactive form of vitamin D (to be activated in the liver). In the video below, our Medical Director Doctor Murdoc Khaleghi talks about the importance of vitamin D and its affect on inflammation:

You probably already know that Vitamin D has a crucial role in the absorption of calcium and is therefore important in maintaining strong bones. Relatively recently, it’s been found that vitamin D influences the expression of over 200 genes and, with an estimated one billion of the world’s population being vitamin D deficient, we can see how it plays an even bigger role than we thought.

It also plays a hand in our immune system and inflammation. Doctor Murdoc recently discussed the importance of inflammation in our on-going Biomarker Series. Varying levels of Vitamin D actually have varying positive and negative effects on inflammation, so it’s important to know what’s specifically right for you.