Everybody knows that vitamins are so important for our overall health, but how many people really know why?

Vitamins are essential to your body’s daily functions, and equally essential to your body’s growth and repair. In particular, one of the most important vitamins to the body is vitamin D3.

Around the globe, more and more people now work indoors. Since the start of industrial revolution, many people work within offices. Do you? The only way in which Vitamin D can be produced without supplementation is through direct sunlight exposure to the skin. Clearly this speaks volumes alone – How many people can honestly say they believe they have been exposed to sunlight enough hours of the day (and not at their work desk) in order to produce enough Vitamin D, and do not need to question the idea of supplementation?

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) encourages absorption and the metabolism of calcium and phosphorous. The recommended healthy amount of calcium and phosphorus levels within the diet can be obtained with the aid of carefully controlled diet or additional supplementation for calcium, however if Vitamin D levels are low in the body, as mentioned previously, these vitally important macronutrients are wasted! Vitamin D is vital!

So why is the absorption of calcium and phosphorus so important, you may ask? To name only a few reasons; intake can prevent rickets, keeps our bones strong, it can prevent osteoporosis, it maintains our muscles and also helps in preventing hypocalcemic tetany. A sufferer with low vitamin D can develop hypocalcemic tetany, where spasm can occur more frequently, cramps also occur which can extent to cramps and spasms within the larynx (voice box.) This has been shown by studies conducted by Anne L. Schafer (M.D)

We all know calcium allows us to have strong bones, but without intake of vitamin D, this calcium will not even be absorbed, and wasted! This lack of vitamin D can result in weak bones. Someone with a diet high in calcium may not ever develop strong bones due to their deficiency in Vitamin D. Vitamin D is just as (if not more so) important as calcium is to bone growth.

You’re at higher risk of diseases such as hypertension, heart failure, and heart attacks the farther you live form the equator. Given that people living at the equator have the highest levels of Vitamin D from sun exposure, this shows a clear correlation between Vitamin D and good health. Latitudinal studies such as those conducted by the department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery lead by Dr Zitterman demonstrate how Vitamin D can prevent cardiovascular diseases. Strong correlations have also been shown between Vitamin D and general good health, a particular study lead by Dr Robert Scragg demonstrated this.

Vitamin D also acts as an immune system regulator, demonstrated in studies by Dr Aranow. ‘Deficiency in Vitamin D is associated with increased susceptibility to infection’  It’s common knowledge to think that people are more likely to develop cold and the flu during cooler winter months, but why exactly does this happen? People’s deficiency in vitamin D may be the answer, with supplementation being the solution. Naturally people are less exposed to sunlight to produce vitamin D in the winter months, and therefore a deficiency in vitamin D occurs. With much less vitamin D in the body acting as an immune system regulator, the body is more susceptible to viruses such as the common cold. With supplementation, this can easily be avoided.

With supplementation of Vitamin D, this allows the body’s immune system to work much more efficiently. The body produces ‘killer’ cells to destroy viruses that cause common colds and illness, however without supplementation, the body is much more susceptible to the viruses, which can take over our immune system causing many people that are deficient in Vitamin D the nasty effects of illness. All which can be avoided by Vitamin D supplementation.

Many people argue against supplementation and say that all the nutrients we need can be available in food. This is partially true; however in the case of Vitamin D this is much harder. Very few foods contain levels of vitamin D, the only foods that have been found to contain moderate levels of vitamin D are some types of fish (note some) mushrooms, liver, cheese, and small levels in eggs. With supplementation, the necessary levels can be quickly obtained through a much more simple, and manageable tablet- rather than having to cook and eat a tedious amount of fish, liver and eggs!

We have NEW recommendations for Vitamin D supplements. Click here for more information.