Vitamin D and Menopause Symptoms: Why It Deserves More Attention
The role of Vitamin D on women’s menopause symptoms is controversial. But in my mind, it’s not getting enough attention, especially with the increasing advice for women to undertake heavy weight training.
For over 30 years, I have studied and taught exercise physiology and exercise prescription. That’s why I know that no individual can train with heavy weights if their Vitamin D levels are low. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in calcium metabolism and nerve contraction in muscle.
Conflicting Research on Vitamin D and Menopause Symptoms
For every study that says that there is a correlation between low vitamin D and symptoms such as nerve pain, muscle aches and pains and of course, osteopenia (changes to bone mineral content that eventually may lead to osteoporosis), there are other studies that suggest that there is no correlation. That’s why Doctors tend not to test for it as part of our blood work as we move through menopause.
But for a generation of women who are very different from our mother’s generation and who have a lot going on in their lives, and we want to enjoy our exercise, I suggest that you try to get your levels tested if you can.
The Importance of Sunlight and Testing Vitamin D Levels
It’s summer here in New Zealand, so to those of you who work inside, do shift work, or are on the other side of the world in your winter months, this is a reminder about this powerful vitamin, which researchers now know is a ‘hormone’.
Vitamin D in Menopause: Beyond Bone Health
Vitamin D is necessary for the maintenance of the structural integrity and function of your musculo-skeletal system and deficiency is known to result in impaired bone strength and muscle activation.
Low Vitamin D and Midlife Conditions
It’s no surprise then, that fibromyalgia (a condition characterized by muscular or musculoskeletal pain with stiffness and localized tenderness at specific points on the body) is a disorder that manifests in numerous midlife women (Arout et al, 2018), and I was on that trajectory myself.
Low vitamin D status can cause numerous negative impacts on health and well-being for women throughout life. This includes on your fluid balance and lymphatic system. If your rings are tight on your fingers, then you will know what I mean.
Vitamin D and Thyroid, Bone, and Heart Health in Menopause
Vitamin D is also important in maintaining your thyroid health (low levels impact on the work of the parathyroid hormone, causing it to work harder to balance up levels and this can cause greater loss of calcium from bones).
Whilst both weight gain and poor sleep patterns affect post-menopause heart health, research also suggests that Vitamin D exerts a powerful influence on cardiovascular health in menopause, including in the mechanisms leading to arterial stiffness. (Al Mheid et al., 2011; Thompson et al, 2023)
Having this information is vital to gaining back a sense of control over our symptoms and weight during midlife, and as part of my 12 week online MyMT™ programmes, women download handouts as they go along, as well as listen to my webinars.
The handouts are summaries of the main points that are in my videos and webinars. Vitamin D is a topic that I talk about in my coaching community as well.
A Practical Reminder: Get Outside and Get Checked
I hope you can watch this video when you have time. In this I talk about the importance of getting your Vitamin D levels checked.
Many of you may also work indoors or you are on shift-work and these days many of you may even do your workouts indoors too, so it helps to have your levels of Vitamin D checked.
We also need some of this sunshine vitamin directly on our skin, so over the weekend, no matter where you live in the world, get outside if you can, even for a few minutes.
Not only will this boost your Vitamin D levels, but it will help your moods, your temperature regulation, your weight management and that precious sleep as well.
References:
Abed, M.N., Alassaf, F. ., Qazzaz, M.E. et al. Insights into the Perspective Correlation Between Vitamin D and Regulation of Hormones: Thyroid and Parathyroid Hormones. Clinic Rev Bone Miner Metab 18, 87–93 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12018-021-09279-6
Arout, C., Sofuoglu, M., Bastian, L., & Rosenheck, R. (2018). Gender Differences in the Prevalence of Fibromyalgia and in Concomitant Medical and Psychiatric Disorders: A National Veterans Health Administration Study. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 27(8): 1035–1044.
Ashok T, Palyam V, Azam A T, et al. (2022) Relationship Between Vitamin D and Thyroid: An Enigma. Cureus 14(1), 1-14.
Jones AN, Hansen KE. Recognizing the musculoskeletal manifestations of vitamin D deficiency. J Musculoskelet Med. 2009 Oct;26(10):389-396.
Magalhães, P. M., Cruz, S. P. d., Carneiro, O. A., Teixeira, M. T., & Ramalho, A. (2024). Vitamin D Inadequacy and Its Relation to Body Fat and Muscle Mass in Adult Women of Childbearing Age. Nutrients, 16(9), 1267. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16091267
Nettore, I.C., Albano, L., Ungaro, P. et al. Sunshine vitamin and thyroid. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 18, 347–354 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11154-017-9406-3
Pál, É., Ungvári, Z., Benyó, Z., & Várbíró, S. (2023). Role of Vitamin D Deficiency in the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases. Nutrients, 15(2), 334. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15020334
Szymczak-Pajor I, Miazek K, Selmi A, Balcerczyk A, Śliwińska A. The Action of Vitamin D in Adipose Tissue: Is There the Link between Vitamin D Deficiency and Adipose Tissue-Related Metabolic Disorders? Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 16;23(2):956. doi: 10.3390/ijms23020956. PMID: 35055140; PMCID: PMC8779075.
Vitamin D and Menopause FAQ
The role of vitamin D in menopause is controversial. Some studies suggest a correlation between low vitamin D and symptoms such as nerve pain, muscle aches, and osteopenia, but others don’t. This inconsistency is why doctors often don’t test for vitamin D during menopause. That said, vitamin D is known to influence fluid balance, temperature regulation, weight management, and sleep — which are all impacted during menopause.
Yes. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in calcium metabolism in muscle and in maintaining the structural integrity of the musculoskeletal system. Low levels can lead to impaired uptake of calcium in the small intestine, and this impacts bone strength and contributes to osteopenia and ultimately osteoporosis.
What health issues can low vitamin D cause?
- Impaired bone strength
- Muscle strength
- Osteopenia (loss of bone mineral content that may lead to osteoporosis)
- Osteoporosis
- Muscle aches and pains
- Nerve pain
- Fibromyalgia (musculoskeletal pain, stiffness, and tenderness especially in midlife women)
- Thyroid dysfunction – impacts parathyroid hormone regulation, leading to greater calcium loss from bones
- Obesity
- Insulin resistance
Fluid retention /lymphatic imbalance (e.g., rings feeling tight on fingers) - Cardiovascular issues including arterial stiffness
- Poor mood regulation or seasonal affective disorder
- Sleep disturbances
- Poor temperature regulation including hot flushes and night sweats
