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. 

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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. 
    •  
    • 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 Healthvitamin 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.