Why You Should Take Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that works as a steroid hormone in the human body. Vitamin D is very important because it regulates the amount of calcium and phosphorus we have in our body, which are two very important minerals we need to maintain healthy and strong bones. Too little vitamin D can cause calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood to decrease, leading to calcium being pulled out of the bones to help maintain stable blood levels. This can lead to softening of the bones in children, and osteoporosis (fragile bones) in adults which can increase the risk of fractures.

A vitamin D deficiency has also been linked with several cancers, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure, and thyroid problems. According to research, proper levels of Vitamin D can help to reduce of the chance of getting all cancers by 65%. It is hands down one of the best supplements to take to lower your risk of getting the flu, a cold and cancer!

The amount of daily Vitamin D you should have depends on a variety of factors including age, race, where you live, the season, sun exposure, clothing, and others. Sun exposure is an easy reliable way to attain vitamin D. However, if you live in an area where sun exposure is not attainable all year round then you should consume food with vitamin D or take vitamin D supplements.

There are two forms of vitamin D that can be found in your diet, vitamin D2 (found in some mushrooms) and D3 (found in oily fish, fish liver oil, and egg yolks). Vitamin D3 is the stronger of the two and raises vitamin D levels twice as much as D2; therefore, you only need to take D3.

Interestingly, any excess vitamin D will be stored in your body fat for later use. Also, every cell in your body has a receptor for vitamin D, and it is involved in many processes including bone health, immune system function, and protection against cancer.

As a supplement, vitamin D3 of 1000-4000 IU should be enough for most people. However, the amount will vary depending on a variety of factors so please feel free to talk to Dr. Kim Greene-DesLauriers and Dr. Pierre DesLauriers for more information.

Here at our clinic we sell high quality supplements, including vitamin D3 at 1000 IU per tablet.

References:

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/vitamins-minerals/vitamin-calcium-updated-dietary-reference-intakes-nutrition.html

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-vitamin-d-to-take#section8

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-929/vitamin-d