The farther away from the equator you are, and the further away you are from the summer months, the less likely it is that you will produce adequate vitamin D levels from sun exposure alone. In these cases, supplementing with vitamin D is acceptable.
The Right Kind of Vitamin D
There is one other thing you need to be aware of if you choose to use an oral vitamin D supplement and that is that there are basically two types – one is natural and one is synthetic.
The natural one is D3 (cholecalciferol), which comes from animal sources, is the same vitamin D your body makes when exposed to sunshine . The synthetic one is vitamin D2( ergocalciferol ) which comes from plant.
Once either form of the vitamin is in your body, it must be converted to a more active form. Vitamin D3 is converted 500 percent faster than vitamin D2, and is clearly a better alternative. So if you choose to use vitamin D supplements make sure it is in the form of vitamin D3.
Please be aware that nearly all the prescription-based supplements contain synthetic vitamin D2, so if you receive a prescription for vitamin D from your doctor, you’re most likely receiving the inferior vitamin D2.
Benefits of Optimizing Vitamin D Levels
When it comes to the benefits of optimizing your vitamin D levels, the evidence is simply overwhelming. Research in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (January, 2011) suggests that low vitamin D levels could increase the likelihood of children and adolescents developing both environmental and food allergies. Both environmental allergens, such as ragweed, and food allergens, including peanuts, were among the allergens found to be affected by low vitamin D levels. Other research shows you can drastically reduce your risk of cancer and countless other chronic diseases by getting safe sun exposure, using a safe tanning bed, or taking a high-quality supplement. See Vitamin D and Cholesterol, Vitamin D and Thyroid,
Vitamin D and Autoimmune, and Vitamin D and Diabetes. However, a great deal of people around the world have heard nothing of this great “discovery.” As a result of flawed assumptions about sun exposure, and the subsequent recommendations, a vast majority of people are deficient in vitamin D. It’s thought that over 95 percent of Canadian senior citizens may be deficient, along with 85 percent of the Canadian public.
Vitamin K is included in the product because of its unique partnership with vitamin D. Vitamins K and D work together to promote healthy calcium absorption and utilization. Vitamin K supports the delivery of calcium to the bones and helps maintain arterial health.
· Factor in the maintenance of good health
· Helps in the development and maintenance of bones and teeth
· Helps in the absorption and use of calcium, and phosphorus