Vitamin D benefits the body in crucial ways. From strengthening your bones, boosting your mood, to aiding your immune system. To improve your chances of experiencing vitamin D benefits you can take vitamin D supplements. From fighting diseases, to maintaining muscles, these are benefits of vitamin D you didn’t know about.
Table of Contents:
- What is Vitamin D?
- 6 Benefits of Vitamin D
- 5 Signs of Vitamin D Deficiency
- How to Increase Your Vitamin D Intake
- 6 Sources of Vitamin D
What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D, also known as the “sunshine” vitamin, is a vital nutrient which plays a role in essential functions in the body. Whether you take vitamin D supplements or include it in your diet, the benefits of vitamin D are vital to keeping your body healthy.
Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin because it is made in the skin from sunlight. Vitamin D benefits your mood, regulates your calcium levels, and aids regular muscle function.
6 Benefits of Vitamin D
Vitamin D benefits essential processes in your body. Taking supplements can help you reap the benefits of vitamin D and regulate your levels. That way, you can focus on what really matters. Some benefits of vitamin D include:
- Muscle function - Vitamin D helps to keep your muscles strong and healthy. Taking vitamin supplements can help to encourage proper strength and healthy recovery. It is true that magnesium helps muscle tension, but vitamin D benefits your muscles too.
- Bone health - Vitamin D plays a vital role in regulating the calcium and phosphorus levels in your bones. This helps to ensure your bones are strong and healthy. Vitamin D and vitamin K actually work together with calcium in your bones. You may consider taking vitamin K supplements alongside the sunshine vitamin to help support your bones.
- Immune health - Vitamin D benefits your immune system by helping you fight disease. Not getting enough may mean your immune defences do not react properly when you come into contact with a cold. It may be worth taking vitamin D as part of an immune system supplement plan.
- Conception - This vital vitamin can also benefit fertility chances and health during pregnancy. Maintaining normal levels of vitamin D is important for both partners trying to conceive, as well as taking vitamin D in pregnancy. Some may consider taking pregnancy supplements to help support prenatal and postnatal health.
- Teeth strength - Just as vitamin D benefits your bones, it also benefits your teeth. Bone supplements often contain vitamin D in order to boost bone strength and promote teeth health.
- Good mood - Serotonin levels in the brain can be affected by the sunshine vitamin. Serotonin is known as the happy hormone because it is important in keeping your moods up and you feeling your best. Taking vitamin D benefits your mood, so making sure your nutrient levels are where they should is important.
These benefits of vitamin D show how essential the nutrient is to your everyday life. Including it in your daily routine can ensure you’re giving yourself the best chance of reaping these vitamin D benefits and steering clear of the health concerns that come with low levels of vitamin D. This vital nutrient can be found in many natural sources, as well as supplements which ensure you’re getting your share of the sunshine nutrient.
5 Signs of Vitamin D Deficiency
Spotting vitamin D deficiency is important to ensure your body is getting what it needs, and at the right levels, to experience vitamin D’s benefits. Some signs you’re not getting enough vitamin D are more easy to spot than others. We’ve created a list of what to look out for when considering your vitamin D levels.
- Aching Bones - One of the benefits of Vitamin D is that it works to support your bones by regulating calcium levels within the body. It does this in partnership with vitamin K. If you aren’t getting enough vitamin D, or the other nutrients needed for healthy bones, your bones can weaken and you could be more at risk of stress fractures. If your bones are aching, it may be due to a vitamin D deficiency.
- Weak Muscles - The sunshine vitamin is needed for normal muscle function. If your muscles are feeling weak, they may be losing strength due to vitamin D deficiency. This can be more common in older people because elderly people’s skin cannot produce vitamin D as well as when they were younger, and therefore won’t feel the benefits of vitamin D so readily. Magnesium is the go-to mineral for muscle healing and together with vitamin D can support recovery after exercise.
- Feeling Low - Another benefit of vitamin D is its role in serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is known as the happy hormone because it keeps your moods up and you feeling your best. A low mood, especially the winter blues, could be helped with vitamin D.
- Constant Coughs and Colds - Vitamin D benefits your immune system, and not getting enough may mean your immune defences do not react properly when you come into contact with a cold. How much vitamin D you should take for your immune system varies depending on where you live and your lifestyle.
- Gut Problems - Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient and so it is affected by any gastrointestinal conditions that affect your body’s ability to adsorb fat. Issues such as IBS may link you to vitamin D deficiency. If this occurs, you may be at a greater risk of vitamin D deficiency and might not experience the benefits of vitamin D.
If you think you have any signs of vitamin D deficiency you should speak to a medical professional. Without sufficient levels, you won’t reap the essential benefits of vitamin D.
How to Increase Your Vitamin D Intake
Increasing your nutrient levels can help to ensure you give yourself the best chance of reaping the benefits of vitamin D. Increasing your intake is easy with BetterYou’s answer to easy supplementation. BetterYou Oral Sprays are a pioneering and convenient solution to traditional vitamin D supplementation. With pill-free vitamin sprays you can easily include the sunshine vitamin in your daily routine and help ensure your body receives the vitamin D benefits it needs.
The BetterYou range of Vitamin D Oral Sprays have been specially formulated to deliver the benefits of vitamin D directly into the mouth. BetterYou’s award-winning range of Vitamin D Supplements are available in a number of dosage strengths for the whole family, from children’s vitamins, to different at-risk groups.
6 Sources of Vitamin D
Vitamin D is produced in the skin from sun exposure. Your skin uses UVB radiation to make the vitamin. One of the benefits of vitamin D is that it can be found in a variety of food sources to increase your intake alongside supplements. That way, you can ensure you get the right dosage of vitamin D. These sources include:
- BetterYou vitamin D supplements
- Oily fish (tuna, mackerel, salmon)
- Eggs
- Dairy products (milk, cheese)
- Beef liver
- Fortified foods (cereal, breads, juices)
Eating more of these foods alongside supplements can be a way to encourage your intake and vitamin D benefits. This could help you avoid the unwanted issues which appear as the signs of deficiency. Those with a restricted diet may struggle to obtain enough vitamin D from their food. Vegan supplements and vegetarian supplements can help those who consume fewer animal products experience the benefits of vitamin D.
