Public Service Announcement: Start your Vitamin D3 (plus K2) now!
As Autumn weather begins, the sun starts setting earlier each day & consequently our ability to make Vitamin D via our skin, wanes. This has always struck me as ironic. As we proceed into the cold & flu season, one of our most important vitamins for immune support can plummet.
If you have darker skin, this may put you at even more risk for low D levels. About 50% to 90% of vitamin D is absorbed through the skin via sunlight while the rest comes from diet. Twenty minutes of sunshine daily with over 40% of skin exposed is required to prevent vitamin D deficiency. However, the skin’s ability to make vitamin D declines with aging. The process is also inhibited by wearing sunscreen, which I highly recommend.
Vitamin D is a fat -soluble vitamin that has been found to be important in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism—think: building bones and preventing osteoporosis. And now, many studies are showing an association between vitamin D deficiency and cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and depression.
I recommend testing your 25(OH)D3 levels with your functional medicine provider or PCP at the end of Summer. See where your D levels are at. My goal is to keep patients at a steady level of Vitamin D3 throughout the year--about 50-60 n/ml. If your levels look good, stay on a maintenance dose of Vitamin D3 (plus K2) of about 2,000 iu a day, taken with a fat containing meal for best absorption. Then test your Vitamin D3 levels again in the deep Winter. You may need to go up to 5,000 iu or even 6,000 iu a day. Testing is great to find what makes sense for your body.
Why do they say to take K2 with Vitamin D3? K2 makes D3 & calcium more effective in that K2 helps to deposit calcium in appropriate locations, such as in the bones and teeth, and prevent it from depositing in locations where it does not belong, like the soft tissues. Much safer!
K2 can be found in goose liver, natto, hard cheeses, dark meat chicken. My favorite Vitamin D3 brands contain K2 forms MK7 or MK4 which have been noted to be most helpful in osteoporosis prevention & treatment.
