Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin

Vitamin D is known as the “sunshine vitamin” and provides benefits throughout your body. It’s different than most other vitamins in the fact that it’s a steroid hormone produced from cholesterol when your skin is exposed to the sun. 

Sunscreen, protective clothing, limited exposure to the sun, dark skin, and age may prevent getting enough vitamin D from the sun. Therefore, sun exposure rarely provides adequate vitamin D, and should be supplemented with diet and/or supplements. Vitamin D is essential to your wellbeing, but many people aren’t getting enough.

There are two main forms of vitamin D: 

• Vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol, which is found in some animal foods like fatty fish and egg yolks.
• Vitamin D2 which is found in some plants, mushrooms, and yeasts. D3 seems to be almost twice as effective at increasing blood levels of vitamin D than D2.

How Vitamin D Works In Your Body 

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus. Having the right amount of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus is important for building and keeping strong bones.  Vitamin D undergoes two conversion steps to become active in your body.  Vitamin D is converted to calcidiol in your liver, which is the storage form of the vitamin. 

• It is then converted to calcitriol, mostly in your kidneys, which is the active, steroid-hormone form of vitamin D. 
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• After being converted to calcitriol, it binds to the vitamin D receptor inside your cells, turning genes on or off. 

According to the National Institutes of Health, vitamin D is important for normal growth and development of bones. 

 Where Vitamin D Comes From  

There are a variety of sources for you to find vitamin D and increase your levels of this nutrient. You can increase your vitamin D levels by taking supplements, getting more sunlight, or increasing the amount of vitamin D in your diet. 

  

The chart below is a list of food sources that provides vitamin D3:  

Food	IU/Serving	% Daily Value*
Beef Liver	42 per 3 ounces	5%
Butter	9 per tablespoon	1%
Cereal	80 per serving	10%
Cheese	12 per ounces	2%
Cod Liver Oil	1,360 per tablespoon	170%
Egg Yolks	44 per yolk	6%
Fresh Salmon	570 per 3 ounces	71%
Halibut	384 per half fillet	48%
Mackerel	360  per half fillet	48%
Milk (fortified)	120 per cup	15%
Sardines	46 per 2 fish	6%
Trout	645 per 3 ounces	81%
Tuna	40 per 3 ounces	5%
Almond, oat, or soy milk (fortified)	100-144 per 1 cup	13%-18%
Portabella Mushrooms	4 per ½ cup	1%

*Based on the U.S. FDA’s recommendation of 800 IU per day.  

Bio-Innovations vitamin D raw material (this is the starting powder) is sourced through a reputable supplier and derived from lanolin, or sheep's wool. Before production, Bio-Innovations tests every batch of vitamin D received for identity, potency, and purity before it is cleared for production. Following production, the finished capsules are tested once again for vitamin D identification and potency.

We strive daily to ensure that only the best product is delivered to your doorstep. With the extreme importance of vitamin D to practically every aspect of health, you can afford nothing less!

Research suggests that vitamin D is essential to your body and provides many additional benefits, but more studies are still needed. Vitamin D3 supplements seem to be more effective at raising vitamin D levels than D2 supplements. 

It is always recommended to consult a healthcare provider before starting a supplement regimen.