Vitamin D it is essential for various bodily functions and has even been shown to help the body fight coronavirus. Known as the sunshine vitamin, many Britons often suffer from a deficiency of vitamin D during winter and use supplements to increase your intake, as recommended by the National Health Service. With a range of different versions of vitamin D available for daily use, which ones work best?
What is the main function of vitamin D?
Vitamin D is essential for our general health and well-being and is well received by virtually every gland in the body.
This vital substance helps the body in a variety of ways, from boosting the immune system to regulating brain function and reducing inflammation.
When the body lacks vitamin D, it can trigger a wide range of symptoms including low moods, depression, sleep disorders, skin conditions, and has even been linked to gum disease.
As such a fundamental part of the body’s regulatory functions, it is essential to supplement vitamin D during the winter, says the NHS.
The NHS said: “Government advice is that everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter.
“Children from one year and adults need 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day.”
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What is the best type of vitamin D supplement?
From late spring to early autumn, most people in the UK can get their full vitamin D intake from natural sunlight alone.
While supplementing this intake during the winter can come from other natural sources such as certain foods, many alternatives come in the medical form of tablets or capsules.
Vitamin D3 is the more potent type of the two forms of vitamin D, raising vitamin D levels almost twice as much as vitamin D2.
Opting for vitamin D3 supplements is twice as effective, but how you choose to consume them could also play a role in increasing your intake.
Choose sprays instead of capsules
Oral supplements are simple and easy to take, but they have one big drawback.
Digesting capsules or tablets containing vitamin D3 can quickly render them ineffective as the body tries to absorb the substance.
Speaking to the Telegraph, pharmacist Shabir Daya of Victoria Health said: “The stomach is extremely acidic (PH 1), so an estimated 40 to 50 per cent of any vitamin you take orally is lost through the digestive system.
“If you prefer to take a pill, choose at least 1,000 units to ensure you reach 400 daily units of vitamin D per day.”
Spray supplements are an effective way to bypass the digestive system and funnel the vitamin directly into the bloodstream through the blood vessels in the cheeks.
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multivitamins
Combination supplements containing a number of essential vitamins are an excellent way to increase your body’s supply of essential nutrients.
One downside to this is that vitamins are often of lower quality and lower dosage when multiple ingredients are combined in a single product.
Look for ‘luxury’ supplements with a combination of vitamin D3 and vitamin K2.
This super-charged combination activates D3 and encourages calcium absorption, which cannot accumulate in the bone unless K2 is present.
Vitamin D2 is often used in some products because it is much cheaper, but half as effective as D3.
Don’t skimp on vitamins. Often the higher the price, the better the quality.
How can vitamin D help the body fight Covid?
Vitamin D is essential for the body throughout the year, but has been shown to be even more beneficial in the eyes of scientists since the start of the pandemic.
A study led by scientists at the University of Barcelona found that patients prescribed calcifediol (an intensive dose of vitamin D) had a reduced risk of admission to intensive care while suffering from COVID-19.
At the time of the study, 10 percent of patients admitted to Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar with coronavirus died within 30 days.
Early treatment with high-dose vitamin D was found to reduce deaths to just 36 of 551 patients.
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