Why is Vitamin D important for men?

Recently, I saw interesting news about designer tomatoes which are genetically modified by a research team in the UK. It is said that deficiency of vitamin D is a serious problem all over the word. I’m afraid that I disagree with genetically modified food due to the uncertainty ADME process at this moment, however it might be one of the best solutions as the effective intake. Why is Vitamin D important for us? Nowadays, it is said that Vitamin D is important for men, especially for people around the age around 50s. Let’s go through together about the basic knowledge and the solution.

What is Male Menopause?

Have you ever heard of “Male Menopause”? In recent years male menopause has also been recognized as well as female ones. When they reach the late 40’s to early 50’s, the male hormones decline gradually and it causes male menopause. The symptoms are different depending on the person. Common ones are mood swings, irritability. loss of muscle mass and reduced ability to exercise. Some men develop depression, loss of sex drive, and erectile dysfunction, If you are concerned about the symptoms, please consult your home doctor.

Correlation between male hormones and vitamin D

One of the most important male hormones is testosterone. Many researchers have studied the correlation between testosterone and vitamin D. According to some research, a correlation was observed between vitamin D levels and testosterone levels in men when the blood level of vitamin D is 30 ng/ml or less. In other words, it is considered that people with low blood levels of vitamin D have low amounts of male hormones, which means that the risk of male menopause is also increased.

However, it doesn’t mean that testosterone also increases if you take lots of nutrient Vitamin D. Because when the level of Vitamin D is above 30ng/ml, there is no change to increase testosterone value. It tells us that it is important to maintain the blood concentration not to be below 30ng/ml (ideally, maintain around 40). For reference, the average blood concentration of vitamin D in Japanese men is 24 ng/ml. This level seems to be different depending on race or nationality. The clear thing is male hormone levels decline with age. Therefore, men should keep in mind to intake vitamin D with age.

Another important point is that one of the essential factors to intake Vitamin D effectively is cholesterol. Many people misunderstand that cholesterol is completely bad. However, cholesterol also plays an important role in making vitamin D, hormones, bile, nerve cells, and cell membranes. Male hormones cannot be produced without cholesterol. It means that it is not good to excessively reduce cholesterol by worrying too much.

Foods containing vitamin D

Vitamin D is one of the “fat-soluble vitamins” that dissolve in oil, and it mainly works to promote the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Calcium and phosphorus are materials for bones, therefore if you don’t have enough vitamin D, which helps to absorb vitamin D,  it cannot make healthy bones. Continued deficiencies of vitamin D  may cause osteomalacia and osteoporosis.

[Average intake of vitamin D per day: In case of Japan]

【Food containing lots of Vitamin D（Vitamin content per 100g）】

Summary

• Maintain Vitamin D blood content level not to be below 30 ng/ml.

• For strategy of male menopause measures: take Vitamin D-rich food.

• Vitamin D-rich food : Fish and Mushrooms

Unlike women, who have instruments being disturbed by hormones every month in half of their lives,  men are less likely to notice the changes in their bodies due to age. Therefore, this matter has not been taken up as a social issue. Now we have been facing new challenges we haven’t met. Therefore, let’s try to do what we can do based on the latest science knowledge. About male menopause, try to take vitamin D-rich foods. In your country, you may find other Vitamin D-rich foods since your country certainly has a wonderful food culture.