Should we be supplementing right now?
Right now we are all trying to balance our time and prioritise our health. Mixing our time caged in with a daily dose of exercise and trying to plan our healthy nutritional intakes. But is there something we’re all missing at the moment? Something living in the uk this winter cannot provide us? The answer unfortunately is yes!
The uk’s dull climate together with our increased time indoors, is without doubt leaving us with reduced levels of arguably the most important vitamin to our bodies. Naturally, Vitamin D deficiency is most prevalent during the winter months but this year it of course coincides with the ongoing pandemic and increased time spent indoors with even less exposure to sunlight.
So what is vitamin D and what is it used for?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble hormone and extremely important vitamin that has powerful effects on several systems throughout your body. Your body makes it from cholesterol when your skin is exposed to sunlight and unlike other vitamins, Vitamin D functions like a hormone meaning that every single cell in your body has a receptor for it.
Vitamin D can be found in certain foods such as fatty fish and fortified dairy products, although it’s very difficult to get enough from diet alone. Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common and it is estimated that around 1 billion people worldwide may have low levels of it in their blood.
One of Vitamin D’s most important roles is keeping your immune system fighting fit so that you’re able to fend off viruses and bacteria that can potentially cause illness. Vitamin D directly interacts with the cells that are responsible for fighting infection so if you become sick often, especially with colds or the flu, then low vitamin D levels could be a contributing factor.
- 3,000,000- The number of colds which could be prevented in the uk alone each year with a high quality vitamin D3 supplement.
- Sports scientists founds that taking vitamin D3 before strength training increases speed and accelerates fat loss.
- Recent research at university of London suggests that vitamin D3 supplementation can reduce your risk of lung disease by up to 40%.
So what should we buy and how should we take it?
Vitamin D3 is the most potent and active form of Vitamin D that’s easily absorbed by the body and mimics what you get from natural sunlight. Vitamin D2 is often used in some products because it’s much cheaper and easier to come by - but don't settle for it as it's nowhere near as effective.
When taking Vitamin D3 it should always be combined with Vitamin K (specifically K2). These two vitamins work synergistically together to boost absorption and effectiveness. Adding Vitamin K2 also reduces the potentially dangerous risk of calcium build up. Without Vitamin K2 any cheap Vitamin D supplement just isn't worth your money.
So do yourselves a favour this winter and start your year off on the right foot. Forget your cheap multi-vits and grab probably the most important supplement you’ll ever take. Plus its ability to brighten your mood and boost fat burning, what’s not to like?
For more information on supplements and the right vitamins for you please see links below
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/195878#what_are_vitamins
https://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/micronutrients/9241546123/en/