The average adult can get most of their vitamins and nutrients through a variety of healthy foods and spending time outdoors. However, our daily lifestyle and geographic location can affect this nutrient intake.
this is where supplements get in. For example, some people take B12 supplements if they don’t eat a lot of animal products, or they can take a probiotic supplement if they have problems with their gut health.
We wanted to find out if there were any supplements that people should be taking regularly to improve their health, so we talked to registered dietitians. Amy DavisDR, LDN and Joan BordeauxDR to see what they had to say. Both dietitians believe that getting enough is crucial vitamin D daily, and taking a daily vitamin D supplement may be a good option.
“The supplement I always recommend to my clients is vitamin D. Since most foods don’t contain much vitamin D and we’re indoors most of the time, it’s hard to get adequate amounts of daily vitamin D from food alone,” says Davis, “and vitamin D is crucial for health. immune system, so low levels are commonly associated with an increased risk of chronic disease.
Read on to learn more about why vitamin D supplementation is so important to your health, and for more health tips, read The #1 Best Supplement for Your Heart next.
Why do people need vitamin D?
Vitamin D it is necessary for many functions in your body. While you can naturally absorb it through sunlight, or eat foods rich in vitamin d like salmon, eggs, or yogurt, taking a supplement can help make sure you’re getting enough.
“Vitamin D helps optimize bone health by absorbing calcium in the intestine and maintaining calcium and phosphate levels to strengthen bones. Vitamin D also helps decrease inflammation and modulates cell growth and immune functionsays Bordeaux.
What if you are deficient?
If you’re deficient in vitamin D, you may notice symptoms like fatigue, muscle weakness, and even some feelings of depression. In fact, having low levels of vitamin D from not getting enough exposure to sunlight is a common risk factor for developing SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, in the winter time.
“Vitamin D deficiency can lead to chronic conditions as well as mood disorders,” says Bordeaux.
RELATED: The best foods that are rich in vitamin D
Who needs more vitamin D?
There are many circumstances in which you can benefit from vitamin D supplements, but you may not need them. You can talk to your doctor and get screened if you’re not sure. According to Bordeaux, these are the common situations in which you are most at risk of being deficient in vitamin D:
“People who don’t eat foods rich in vitamin D, people who don’t get enough sunlight, people with a darker skin tone because an increased amount of pigment or melanin decreases the skin’s ability to produce vitamin D in response to sun exposure, people with kidney disease because the kidneys help cover up vitamin D to the active form, people with certain digestive disorders such as Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and celiac disease, people with a higher BMI, and people in nursing homes and hospitals.”
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