Vitamin D is an essential nutrient our body needs. The most common benefit know is its role in bone health. However, there are several other benefits that you can obtain from getting enough vitamin D, like improving your immune system, decreasing your risk of chronic disease, and regulating your mood.
One interesting fact about vitamin D is that even though it is called a vitamin, it is a precursor of a hormone (pro-hormone).
In this article, we will talk about the role of vitamin D3 and the benefit of taking it along with K2. Also, we will talk about the production process, dosage, and natural ways to increase your vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D3 Benefits
There are several health benefits from receiving the correct dosage of vitamin D. Some of the potential benefits are improving bone health, increasing immune function, reducing the risk of chronic disease, and helping regulate the mood.
Vitamin D3 For Bone Health
Vitamin D plays an essential role in regulating calcium intake in the body. It also helps maintain the proper levels of phosphorus, which, combined with calcium intake, provides bone health support.
A lack of vitamin D could lead to osteoporosis, a silent but deadly disease that could produce fractures with the slightest movement.
Vitamin D3 For Improving Immune Function
Evidence suggests that keeping your vitamin D levels high could help boost your immune function. This means that you are less likely to get sick. A recent study saw that to reduce the risk of influenza (and COVID-19), you needed a higher vitamin D dosage (10,000 IU).
Additionally, it seems to play an essential role in autoimmune diseases. A study concluded that people supplemented with vitamin D (2,000 IU per day) had a reduction in autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune thyroid, and psoriasis, among others) by 22%.
Vitamin D3 Might Decrease The Risk of Chronic Disease
Heart disease is one of the most frequent ailments seen worldwide. While several factors can affect the appearance of heart disease, epidemiological studies have shown that people who have low vitamin D levels have a greater incidence of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension.
However, more research is still to be determined when discussing the relationship between low vitamin D levels and chronic disease.
Vitamin D3 Helps Regulate Mood
Research shows that vitamin D can have an essential role in regulating our mood. It seems to reduce the risk of developing anxiety and depression. A review done in 7,534 participants showed that taking a vitamin D supplement reduced the perceived symptoms of depression.
Since vitamin D can be synthesized through our skin, we sometimes hear about “winter blues.” Due to less sunlight exposure, less vitamin D is produced, which leads to feeling more depressed during winter. Thus, supplementing with vitamin D3 during these times could significantly help improve mood.
Vitamin D Deficiency
Several factors can affect the amount of vitamin D in your system. It could be due to a fewer food intake or because you are taking less sunlight during the day. Whatever the reasons, the deficiency of vitamin D has the same effect.
A vitamin D deficiency could have some of the following symptoms:
- Constantly getting sick or infections
- Fatigue
- Depression or bad mood
- Impaired wound healing
- Severe bone or muscle pain
Why Vitamin D3+ K2?
Vitamin D and vitamin K are essential nutrients that your body needs. While vitamin D is known for its role in bone health, many people don’t know that vitamin K also plays an essential part.
Vitamin K helps in the blood clotting process, but it also helps accumulate calcium in your bones and teeth.
Though vitamin D has several health benefits, a large dosage of it for a long time could produce certain health risks like high calcium levels in the blood (which is toxic), and it can lead to calcium accumulating in your blood vessels, increasing the risk of atherosclerosis.
Thus, this is where the combination of vitamin D and vitamin K2 plays an essential part. Combining both nutrients promotes that calcium is properly absorbed in the body. Additionally, it prevents calcium from accumulating in your blood vessels which protects the heart.
Dosage of Vitamin D3
The daily recommended intake varies according to age. Here is the recommended intake according to each age group:
- Infant (0-12 months): 400 IU
- Children (1-18 years): 600 IU
- Adults (18-70 years): 600 IU
- Adults (>70 years): 800 IU
- Pregnant or lactating women: 600 IU
While this is the base of the recommended intake for optimal health, several studies have shown that greater intakes (like 5000 to 10,000 IU for a certain time) could lead to more significant health benefits.
Ways to Naturally Increase Your Vitamin D Levels
There are different ways to get enough vitamin D during the day. The first is through food sources like salmon, sardines, tuna, liver, egg yolk, mushrooms, fortified milk, and fortified orange juice.
The second way is to get vitamin D through sunlight. Grabbing at least 15-20 minutes of sunlight daily can significantly increase your vitamin D levels.
Finally, if you cannot get enough sunlight or foods high in vitamin D, you can always supplement with vitamin D3 + K2 to ensure that you are getting it during the day.
The Bottom Line
Vitamin D plays an essential role in bone health and immune function, preventing chronic disease and improving mood. While you can get vitamin D from foods and sunlight, there might be times when it is deficient.
Suppose you have a reduced intake of foods rich in vitamin D or cannot take daily sunlight (due to personal or environmental reasons), then a supplement with a combination of vitamin D3 + K2 is the best option. This powerful combination helps absorb calcium better and prevents any arterial calcification.