Harnessing Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that helps the body absorb calcium, build strong bones, and maintain immune system health. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that can be found in certain foods such as fish and dairy products, or produced by our bodies when we are exposed to sunlight. Because of this, it is often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin.” Let’s explore the benefits of vitamin D and how you can integrate it into a healthy lifestyle.
Why Vitamin D is Important
This vitamin is an essential nutrient for overall health and wellness. It helps to strengthen the bones, teeth, and muscles, as well as regulate calcium and phosphate levels within the body. Vitamin D can also fortify the body to protect against untimely illnesses and diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis. It is important to ensure that you get enough of this vitamin in your diet through supplements or eating foods high in this nutrient. Some great sources for this vitamin include fish, egg yolks, cheese, and fortified foods. It’s important to maintain normal daily levels (approximately 50–125 nmol/L (20 ng/mL) to keep the body in optimum health.
Signs of Low Vitamin D Levels
Checking vitamin D levels with a simple blood panel is essential for both adults and children, as adequate levels of this important vitamin are necessary for proper bone, heart and immune system health. While too much of this vitamin is possible, it’s very rare as the body limits excess absorption. Low levels may present as fatigue, weak bones or muscle pain which can lead to fractures or falls. It’s particularly important for those who don’t consume enough dairy, who don’t live in very sunny climates, and those with malabsorption issues. Knowing your levels puts you in control so you can make the lifestyle choices that aid in better overall health.
The Benefits of Vitamin D
Vitamin D plays an important role in human health. Getting this nutrient from the sun is often considered to be superior to a supplement because of the way it is absorbed into the body. Sun exposure helps the body get its highest bioavailability, meaning that more will be absorbed by our cells than if taken in another form, such as a pill or injection. This nutrient is responsible for helping regulate calcium absorption for healthy bones and teeth, and supports muscle strength.
Vitamin D helps your body fight off many different diseases and illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. It is also known to lower inflammation, and support cardiovascular health. This nutrient can even influence your mood and energy levels. While the body does naturally produce some of this nutrient from exposure to sunlight, many people don’t get enough from sun exposure alone due to their lifestyle or skin color. That’s why it can be beneficial to get your daily recommended dose through food sources or supplements.
Taking Vitamin Injections Instead of Supplements
Although vitamin pills and tablets can help to supplement your diet, vitamin injections are a more reliable way to ensure you are getting your optimal daily intake. When you opt for vitamin injections, you are able to bypass the digestion process, which allows the body to absorb 100% of the vitamins without any risk of them being broken down or lost during digestion.
These injections are administered directly into the muscle—usually in the arm—which means they have a faster onset effect than oral supplements taken orally and can provide almost immediate relief from deficiency symptoms if needed. Another downside to oral supplementation is that Vitamin D needs to be taken with Vitamin k2 to ensure the highest level of absorption. Many healthcare professionals recommend taking a vitamin injection once every two weeks for optimal results.
Boost your Health with Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that provides many benefits for overall health and well-being. For those who cannot get sufficient amounts through their diet or natural sunlight exposure, supplementing with injections is an effective option that ensures you can still get all the necessary levels of this vital nutrient on a regular basis. For most people that work in offices or don’t get much sunlight, getting regular vitamin injections would be an excellent way to ensure you are getting enough nutrients without having to take time out throughout the day for oral supplements or change up your diet drastically!
To learn more about how Regenics can help boost your vitamin D absorption, schedule an appointment and talk with our trained providers.