What are the Benefits of Vitamin D3?
You may have heard the saying that "sunshine is the best medicine." Part of the reason sunshine has so many mental and physical health benefits is related to the vitamin D that your body produces from the sun.
Vitamin D is vital for a strong skeleton, but research suggests the benefits of this nutritional powerhouse may also extend to improving symptoms of depression and aiding weight loss. Adequate vitamin D intake can help you conquer your health and wellness goals.
Related article: How to boost your immune system and mood.
Making Healthy Lifestyle Changes
Unfortunately, there's no magic pill or supplement that can instantly cause you to lose weight and feel great every day in the absence of healthy and consistent lifestyle choices. But the more steps you take to be healthy, the better you will feel. This leads to having more energy to tackle other challenges.
Supplements will be even more effective when you focus on the following core healthy habits:
Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is vital for energy and health. Men need 13 cups of fluid and women need 9 cups of fluid per day.
Get enough sleep. Make bedtime a priority every day! Develop a relaxing wind-down routine and aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
Stay physically active. A well-rounded fitness routine includes cardiorespiratory, strength, and flexibility training.
Eat a nutritious diet. Limit junk food, sugar, simple carbohydrates, and fried foods. Instead, consume a variety of whole foods, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and plant-based oils.
Find healthy ways to cope with stress. Whether it's deep breathing, meditation, or walking in nature, ensure you recognize and positively deal with stress.
Once you can make these healthy habits part of your foundation, incorporating supplements like vitamin D can help you further optimize your health and wellbeing.
What are the Benefits of Vitamin D?
1. Bone Health
In the early 20th century, doctors and scientists discovered that Vitamin D deficiency was associated with rickets, a childhood disease that led to improper bone development. Thankfully, we can avoid rickets with the consumption of foods high in vitamin D and exposure to sunlight.
Keeping your bones strong is a lifelong priority, however. As you age, your bones can lose calcium, grow weaker, and osteoporosis can develop. So along with calcium and vitamin K, your body needs vitamin D for proper calcium balance and strong bones.
2. Depression
Depression is a complicated disorder with many contributing factors, but diet, exercise, and vitamin D supplements can help in some cases.
A randomized, double-blind trial found that vitamin D supplementation improved symptoms of depression. In this study of over 400 overweight and obese men and women, test groups were given 20,000 and 40,000 IU vitamin D per week for one year.
The study measured serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and found that low levels were associated with higher levels of depression. Compared to the placebo groups, the supplementation groups increased serum 25(OH)D and improved their scores of depression over one year.
Another study showed that depressed adolescents had improvement in eight of nine depression-related symptoms after supplementing with Vitamin D3 for three months. In addition, their overall wellbeing increased.
3. Weight Loss
There are different theories for how vitamin D contributes to weight loss. One is that vitamin D may inhibit adipogenesis, the formation of new fat cells. Vitamin D may increase serotonin, which affects many mechanisms in the body including mood regulation and sleep.
Other studies have shown an association between vitamin D and testosterone levels. Increased testosterone has been shown to aid in long-term, sustained weight loss.
See: The 5 Best all-natural supplements to boost testosterone in men 2022
Finally, research shows promising weight loss results with a low-calorie diet combined with vitamin D supplementation. A study at the University of Milan with 400 overweight and obese individuals showed a more significant weight reduction and lower waist circumference with vitamin D supplements than in a placebo group with supplementation.
What Form of Vitamin D Does Our Body Need?
Although we must consume most vitamins in our food, our body can produce vitamin D when exposed to the sun. The two primary forms of vitamin D in foods and supplements are D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol).
The vitamin D our body gets from sunlight and food must be converted and activated within the body:
Vitamin D is converted to 25-hydroxyvitamin D (also called calcidiol or 25-OH cholecalciferol) in the liver and released into the blood. Most 25(OH)D is stored in the blood or body fat tissue.
In the kidneys, 25(OH)D is converted into the form known as calcitriol.
Why should you be concerned with these technical terms?
First of all, when your vitamin D levels are assessed via bloodwork, your concentration of 25(OH)D is measured. This form of vitamin D circulates in your blood for up to 2-3 weeks.
Secondly, when choosing a supplement, it's essential to understand what form of vitamin D you're consuming and what will be most efficient for your body to use.
Amandean's new Vitamin D3 + K2 supplement gives the optimal dosing to ensure strong bones while preventing excess calcium buildup in arteries and muscles. This supplement contains vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), which your body can easily circulate and use, paired with all-trans menaquinone-7 (MK-7), a form of vitamin K with high bioavailability.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, and about 50% is absorbed through the intestine. Amandean's D3 supplement includes coconut oil to assist in absorption. Furthermore, this supplement is made with algal oil and is 100% vegan. Their vitamin D3 + K2 is selectively sourced with no artificial flavors, preservatives, and additives and packaged at a CGMP facility in the USA for purity & safety.
How Much Vitamin D Do You Need and Where Can You Get It?
Vitamin D is vital for healthy pregnancy and infancy. In addition, as you age, your body is less effective at producing vitamin D in the skin, and vitamin D supplementation becomes more critical.
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Vitamin D
0-12 months: 10 mcg/400 IU
1-70 years: 15 mcg/600 IU
>70+ years: 20 mcg/800 IU
A limited number of food sources (mainly fatty fish) naturally contain vitamin D, but some other common foods are fortified with D. Foods with the highest amount of Vitamin D include:
Cod liver oil
Trout
Salmon
Mushrooms exposed to UV light
Milk, fortified
Fortified soy, almond, and oat milk
Sardines
Egg
Liver
Tuna
Sun Exposure
How much sunlight do you need to create an adequate amount of vitamin D? It's more complicated than you may think. Fair-skinned individuals may produce sufficient vitamin D from 5-30 minutes of midday direct sun exposure.
However, many factors can limit vitamin D synthesis from sun exposure, including:
Time of day
Time of year
Latitude
Skin melanin content
Cloud cover
Pollution or smog
Sunscreen
The only way to know if you have adequate vitamin D levels is to have them measured by a health professional. If your vitamin D levels are low, they may recommend supplementation.
Resources:
Calcium, Nutrition, and Bone Health. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/staying-healthy/calcium-nutrition-and-bone-health/
Effects of vitamin D supplementation on symptoms of depression in overweight and obese subjects: randomized double blind trial. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2796.2008.02008.x
Depressed adolescents in a case-series were low in vitamin D and depression was ameliorated by vitamin D supplementation. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2012.02655.x
Vitamin D and adipogenesis: new molecular insights. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18254883/
Association between plasma 25-OH vitamin D and testosterone levels in men. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3712348/
Testosterone and Weight Loss: the Evidence. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25105998/
https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/taking-extra-vitamin-d-reduce-body-fat-7101.html
Vitamin D. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
Disclaimer
The content on our blog is created to inform, but should never be taken as professional medical advice. The content of our articles is not intended for use as prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment of any health complications. Before making any lifestyle changes that include diet, using supplements or exercise regime, always consult your doctor or nearest health care specialist.
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