Getting Your Vitamin D3 above 50 ng/mL can be Life Changing
One of the most powerful supplements you can take is Vitamin D3.
There are two ways that best support healthy Vitamin D3 levels.
- Adequate sun exposure
- Adequate supplementation
Most people are deficient in Vitamin D3 and if they are supplementing, may be grossly under the recommended amount for good health.
The benefits of Vitamin D3:
Adequate levels of Vitamin D3:
- Beneficial for those with autoimmune conditions (helps body avoid attacking itself)
- Enhances the strength of the immune system (helps prevent illness)
- Supports healthy testosterone levels and prostate health
- Helps combat depression
- Improves energy
- Improves muscle strength
- Supports brain health (lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease)
- Important for healthy teeth and bones. Helps prevent osteopenia and osteoporosis. A vitamin D deficiency can lead to bone diseases such as rickets and osteomalacia.
- Helps the body absorb calcium
- Aids in a healthy nervous system
- Prevents high blood pressure
- Reduces risk of heart attack
- Decreases incidence of Type 2 Diabetes by helping with blood sugar regulation
- Reduces the risk of cancer
- Decreases inflammation
- Helps prevent and treat depression
- Reduces risk of allergies and asthma
- Important for healthy gums and teeth
- Important for optimal body weight (boosts metabolism)
- Reduces carb cravings
There are associations between low Vitamin D levels and peripheral vascular disease, certain cancers, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile diabetes, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease.
How to test Your Vitamin D Levels
- Ask your doctor for a Vitamin D test, or order your own test at DirectLabs.com (the name of the test is Vitamin D, 25 Hydroxy) for $49. Be sure to verify that your Vitamin D level is in the range of 50 – 80 ng/mL or higher.
- Below 30 ng/mL on a lab test is commonly considered deficient by most labs, however, functional medicine believes that you must get your levels above 50 ng/mL.
- I recommend getting your levels up to 50 – 80 ng/mL or higher.
How Much Vitamin D3 is Recommended?
- For supplementation most people will need 5,000 IU per day.
- For those who are deficient, below 50 ng/mL on a lab test, take 10,000 IU for a few months and retest.
- If you are severely deficient (below 30 ng/mL) do not take the prescription 50,000 of D2. Vitamin D3 is the type of vitamin D naturally produced by your body in response to sun exposure, while vitamin D2 is not. Instead you can take 10,000 IU to 20,000 IU of Vitamin D3 daily for 8 weeks, then retest.
Take Vitamin D3 in a Gel Capsule with K2
Be sure that your D3 supplement is in a gel cap with fat like olive oil since it is a fat soluble vitamin. Avoid capsules with soybean oil.
- When taking D3 ideally choose a supplement that includes Vitamin K2.
- K2 is like the traffic cop, directing calcium out of the arteries and into hard tissue, like bone.
- See this post for dosage options for children and adults.
How To Get Enough Vitamin D
- Regularly receive midday sun exposure in the late spring, summer, and early fall, exposing as much of the skin as possible (without any sunscreen). The skin produces approximately 20,000 IU vitamin D in response to 20–30 minutes summer sun exposure—100 times more than the US government’s recommendation of 200 IU per day!
- Take 5,000 IU per day for three months, then obtain a Vitamin D test kit to determine your levels.
- Adjust your dosage so that blood levels are between 50–80 ng/mL year-round.
- Always take Vitamin D3 along with K2.
I, Erin Chamerlik, am a Health and Nutrition Educator, not a physician. As such, I do not diagnose or treat disease; rather I help support the healing response of the body through food, nutritional supplements, and relaxation exercises. This information is educational only and is not intended to replace the advice of a healthcare professional. The statements made by Erin Chamerlik or Get Better Wellness, Inc. have not been evaluated by the FDA .Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult with your physician if you have any concerns about changing your diet or taking supplements.
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