Winter is here! Are you getting your daily dose of vitamin D? You may be surprised to learn that during the winter, the sun is too low in the sky for most of the US to receive adequate amounts of UVB radiation or vitamin D.
Many experts believe that, for optimal health, levels should be maintained between 50–80 ng/mL year round. This is easily accomplished by taking 4–5,000 IU of vitamin D per day during the winter months (for the average adult).
To be sure you are taking the correct amount, I highly recommend regular vitamin D3 testing. In my experience, the best and easiest form of vitamin D to absorb and digest is derived from sheep lanolin, rather than from fish.
Here is some of the latest research on the benefits of vitamin D.
Vitamin D Benefits
- The New England Journal of Medicine finds that risk of death for intensive care patients is 45% for vitamin D-deficient patients, and only 16% for folks with sufficient vitamin D1: almost three times the risk!!
- As we age, risk of stroke rises, with about 6.8 million Americans living after having a stroke. In one study, having optimal vitamin D levels are associated with a 90% return in functional outcome after a stroke.2
- Vitamin D levels have been linked to accelerated death of beta (insulin-producing) cells in cases of diabetes.3 Today, diabetes is considered the next epidemic.
- In one study, low levels of vitamin D are associated with mood-related issues and psychiatric disorders.4 Vitamin D receptors develop in the brain embryonically, suggesting that Vitamin D is developmentally linked to brain and neurological function.
- In a long-term study conducted over 11 years with 1,650 mother-child pairs, for every 10 ng/mL of vitamin D concentration in the mother’s blood during pregnancy, an 11% decrease in ADHD-like symptoms occurred.5
- In another double-blind placebo study, 218 post-menopausal women are split into two groups. The group that supplemented with 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day had 37% less inflammation in the body compared to the group that received the placebo.6
- In a study from the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 961 female nursing home residents over age 70 are tested for vitamin D. The group with the lowest levels has a 49% increased risk of mortality compared to the group with highest levels.7
- Vitamin D expert Dr. John Cannell has developed a theory that some immune issues are seasonal, due to variations in sunlight, which cause fluctuations in vitamin D levels.8 Vitamin D activates genes that support an immune response to foreign entities in the body.9 Vitamin D has also been shown to support respiratory health.10, 11
- In one therapeutic study, the normalization of vitamin D levels is shown to significantly improve the severity of fatigue symptoms of primary care patients.12
- In a two-year trial of vitamin D supplementation with 1,500 patients, healthy sleep patterns are linked to normal vitamin D levels. The most significant changes are seen when vitamin D levels are kept between 60–80 ng/mL.13
How to Get Enough Vitamin D
Make sure to use an easy-to-absorb supplement. As stated above, I recommend taking 4–5,000 IU of vitamin D derived from sheep lanolin. Unfortunately, very few brands of vitamin D list the source of their vitamin D, most likely because most of them use fish oil. You can find a liquid form of this on my site.
How Do Sheep Create Vitamin D?
UVB rays from the sun combine with sheep lanolin to create pre-vitamin D. The sheep lick their skin and voila! This is similar to the process by which humans absorb pre-vitamin D through the oil on our skin, which combines with UVB radiation and absorbs into the blood. Vitamin D from sheep has a transport process much like humans’ and the only damage to them is a haircut. Fish-based vitamin D is often a challenge to digest, making it difficult to reach optimal levels.
Take your supplement with your earliest and fattiest meal. The meal with the most fat will stimulate better bile flow, which is required to break down vitamin D, as it is a fat-soluble vitamin. New research from The Cleveland Clinic indicates that when you take your vitamin D with your main meal, blood levels increase by 50%.14 This means that many folks can cut their vitamin D use in half and still get the same benefits.
In fact, take all of your fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, E, D, K, and any fish oils or omega supplements, with the heaviest or fattiest meal of the day.
Why take it in the morning? Noble Prize-winning science on circadian medicine has shed new light of the timing of taking certain foods, medicines and supplements. We typically get vitamin D from the sun, as opposed to something like melatonin, which we manufacture at night. To help maintain and reset our circadian rhythms, we should take our vitamin D3 with the sun in the same way we take melatonin in the night.
Taking vitamin D3 with a fatty breakfast like eggs or avocado toast is a great strategy to get the biggest bang for your circadian buck.
Note: If you have trouble metabolizing fats, considering applying the vitamin D3 on your skin topically as it absorbs well and supports the appearance of healthy and radiant skin.
Supplement smartly with vitamin D and this just may be your best winter yet!
I have heard that you should take vitamin D with vitamin K2 – what are your thoughts? Thanks!
I understand that taking vitamin D with turmeric increases its bioavailability. Every morning I mix 2 teaspoons of turmeric in a small glass of water and then take 2×2000 I U of D3. Your thoughts, please.
Live in Puerto Rico and take sun for about 30-45 minutes. The day there’s no sun I take 5000iu. Have being doing it now for about three years. My d levels last time read 81. Saw in one report that a local farmer had come up with 225 (no sups). I think I’ll go somewhat higher like a 100-125 since a guy who has a book on Amazon worked it up to 160 abd is feeling great. Plus I’m adding Vit K2 (not the synthetic K1).
My brother suggested I would possibly like this web site.
He was totally right. This put up actually made my day.
You cann’t imagine just how much time I had spent for this info!
Thanks!
What about the topical use of vitamin D3? Would it be as effective to use a lanolin based D3 on your skin?
Yes lanolin based D3 is great topically, check out the LifeSpa brand here … http://store.lifespa.com/liquid_sun_vitamin_d3.html
I take 800 IE a day and have no muscle pain. in the winter. I do alot of sports. Thank you.
Thanks for the great article. Just had a concern with the dosage. 4 X 5000IU=2000IU/day. Will that not lead to Vitamin D toxicity? Also, what would be the ideal dosage for children?
I believe it meant 4 to 5 thousand (4,000-5,000).
If your diet is healthy and you live a healthy lifestyle, even 20,000 vitamin D shouldn’t cause chronic toxicity symptoms. Large doses at once, however, can cause acute, temporary symptoms similar to overexposure to the sun. Of course, for this info to be correct, we’re also assuming a healthy liver and sufficient macro/micro nutrient stores in the body, which isn’t always the case.
My recommendation based on experience is to spread vitamin D doses out best you can, and try to stop your doses for the day intuitively, when you’re satisfied. I always go for the lowest vitamin D dose possible, so I can play with amounts. (In fact, the liquid JD sells in his shop is very similar to what I use.)
Also, make sure to get plenty of vitamin K/K2 in your diet! Dark greens, parsley and celery, and ghee are all great sources. Bio-active forms of vitamins A, D, and K work together in the body, and depend on each other’s influence. (Similar to how magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium work with each other.)
Hope this info helps! 🙂
Hey JD: Thanks for the interesting article! Side mention: Vitamins A, D, and K sure are a powerful triad! I’m surprised you didn’t mention taking your vitamin D supplement with ghee; they synergize really well, and I remember you had some high quality stuff you were selling or recommending.
I don’t know if links are allowed, but check out the Weston A. Price Foundation article “On the Trail of the Elusive X-Factor: A Sixty-Two-Year-Old Mystery Finally Solved.” The section on A, D, and K synergy and all the rest of the article really enlightened me on how important it is for us to live a more natural life, eating a natural diet. The only thing I might disagree with is the possible inability of regular vitamin K (plant source) to turn into vitamin K2 in the human body, because strict vegans around the world have somehow proven it wrong. Oh, I’m talking too much… but maybe that’ll be inspiration for another cool lifespa article, if I didn’t just overlook there already being one!
It is only 4,000 – 5,000IU per day total. For children between 4-12 it is suggested to take 1,000-2,000IU of vitamin D per day. The best way to know how much is correct for you would be to do a vitamin D deficiency test.