Vitamin D3: The New Omega 7 Plus with Your Dose of Sunshine
Vitamin D3, often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin,” is a fat-soluble nutrient that’s key for optimal health. Vitamin D3 is a key player in wellness, offering many benefits, but it’s also a nutrient many don’t get enough of. What does vitamin D3 do for you, and how can you get enough of it? Let’s dig in.
D3 is Common, But it Isn’t Your Typical Vitamin
Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin that can be consumed, either through food or supplementation, and our bodies are also capable of synthesizing it from exposure to sunlight through a photochemical process. Along with vitamin B3, otherwise known as niacin, vitamin D belongs to a class of vitamins that the human body can synthesize on its own.
Another feature that makes vitamin D3 unique is that it’s also considered a hormone due to the way it behaves in the body. In a nutshell, vitamin D3 is pretty amazing.
Because food sources of vitamin D3 are limited, most of us fall short of getting what we need through food alone. Fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, tuna, and swordfish, are among the best natural food sources of vitamin D3, but there are also foods, like milk and cereals, that are fortified with the vitamin to help boost intake.
It has also become more challenging to get the vitamin D we need from sun exposure. While it only takes about 15-20 minutes of sun exposure to synthesize a proper amount of vitamin D3, it’s estimated that about fifty percent of the population has insufficient levels.
Spending more time indoors and being more mindful of using sunscreen or covering up to shield ourselves from the sun has interfered with our sun exposure enough to affect our overall vitamin D3 levels. To add to the equation, our ability to synthesize vitamin D3 diminishes as we age.
For this reason, supplementation has become the go-to way to get proper amounts of vitamin D on a regular basis.
The BIG Benefits of Vitamin D3
Many of us have heard throughout our lives about how important vitamin D3 is and how to make sure we get enough of it, but there aren’t always conversations about why it’s needed and what it does.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that vitamin D3 does the body good from head to toe. Here are the top benefits one of our favorite vitamins offers:
- Supports Immune Health – Getting ample vitamin D is one of the best things any of us can do to keep the immune system primed and ready to fight off anything that comes by during cold and flu season. Vitamin D3 is involved in human T-cell activation, which is key to a strong immune system.
- Helps Regulate Mood – Have you ever been in a down mood and had someone tell you to go outside and get some sunshine to make you feel better? This isn’t just friendly advice, but also actual science. Vitamin D has been shown to improve mood and help relieve the symptom severity of depression and anxiety.
- Provides a Boost of Energy – Vitamin D deficiency is associated with chronic fatigue, so it only makes sense that boosting your intake can boost energy, too. Taking vitamin D daily can help combat fatigue during the day and help you sleep better at night.
- Great for Bone Health – Vitamin D is great for bone health. This key vitamin assists with calcium absorption to keep bones strong, helps prevent osteoporosis, and aids in keeping muscles and skeletal supports strong and healthy.
- Protects Cardiovascular Health – Vitamin D is thought to play a protective role in cardiovascular health. Vitamin D receptors have been found in all important cardiovascular cells, and deficiency may be associated with cardiovascular events and poor cardiovascular health outcomes. Those at risk of heart disease should talk to their doctor about vitamin D supplementation.
- Protects Against Serious Disease – Current research is looking into the role that vitamin D plays in the prevention of serious diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and possibly dementia. There’s still a lot to discover in this area, but the research is promising. Vitamin D can also lessen the severity of potentially serious illnesses, such as respiratory viruses, influenza, and COVID-19.
How Do You Know if You Need More Vitamin D3?
The next time you’re chatting with your doctor, it’s a good idea to ask about having your vitamin D levels checked. Many of us have either insufficient or deficient levels and don’t know it. The signs of vitamin D deficiency can range from mild to severe and are often brushed off as being caused by something else.
The most common signs of vitamin D deficiency include: Fatigue, muscle pain, muscle weakness, bone pain, depression, anxiety and mood changes.
Never Be Deficient in Vitamin D3 Again
The suggested upper safe limit for supplements is 4000 IU per day, although some people are prescribed higher doses for specific health conditions or as a short-term remedy to solve deficiency.
Exposure to sunlight is a great way to get the vitamin D3 you need, but how much exposure is needed depends on factors such as geographical location and weather. And the level of melanin in your skin. Those who are located closer to the equator require less time in the sun than someone further north.
While UV rays still pass through on overcast days, it does take longer to get adequate vitamin D on days that are overcast or in areas where there’s more smog and air pollution. Also, people with higher levels of melanin require more direct exposure.
So, what if you can’t get enough vitamin D from the sun? Supplementation is often the best answer. As with all supplements, quality is key, and so is dosage. Some vitamin D3 supplements are offered in doses that far exceed the recommended upper limit and shouldn’t be used without first discussing the dosage with a doctor.
A good level for supplementation is 2000 IU, which is exactly what our new Omega 7 Plus supplement contains. Along with vitamin D3, there are also Omega 7 and Omega 3 fatty acids to help support health on multiple levels.
These nutrients are all important for optimal health, and taking them all at once in a combined capsule is a convenient and cost-effective solution.
Never Be Deficient in Vitamin D3 Again
We could be a little cliché and say that vitamin D3 is called the sunshine vitamin because it lights up our lives, and that’s not far from the truth. Vitamin D3 is essential for optimal health on many levels. Getting what we need from the sun and food is a challenge, but making quality supplementation, like SIBU Omega 7 Plus, is the perfect solution.