One of the few ‘benefits’ of the COVID season was the acknowledgement of how crucial Vitamin D is to a strong immune system. We’ve all heard of Vitamin D but have you made it part of your daily supplement protocol? It’s a simple and affordable 1st step in protecting you from flu and cold season! Approximately 35% of U.S. adults are Vitamin D deficient! And deficient is way less than adequate!
Knowing your Vitamin D level is easy and affordable. Look for a score in the 70-100 ng/ml range (the range that most medical people will say is normal is about 30). If your doctor has not done it for you, you can order it yourself through blood testing facilities like QuestHealth.com. Price is typically $75.
Vitamin D is the only Vitamin that your body actually makes (all others come in through the food we eat). This lets us know how important it is! However, our modern lifestyle ensures that the vast majority of us are not producing adequate Vitamin D for optimal health.
What can Vitamin D deficiencies look like? What areas of your health can it impact?
- Inflammation
- Osteoporosis
- High Blood Pressure
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Thyroid Problems
- Low Immunity
- Muscle Pain and Weakness
- Bone Pain, Fractures
- Energy vs Fatigue
- Mood Changes
- Tingling in Hands or Feet
- Depression
- Hair Loss
- Loss of Appetite
Many ‘stressors’ can significantly lower Vitamin D:
- Stress and virus exposure – these challenge your immune system and deplete Vitamin D levels.
- Lack of sun exposure – we simply don’t get enough sun to let the body make adequate Vitamin D, even for those living in sunny locations. It is even harder to absorb adequate sunlight if you have dark skin.
- Chron’s/Celiac Disease – decreases the absorption of D.
- Obesity – decreases Vitamin D consumption.
- Kidney and/or liver disease – along with the medications associated with those issues.
- Medications – laxatives, steroids, cholesterol-lowering drugs.
- Age – the skin’s ability to make D decreases with age.
Vitamin D supports many key functions in your body:
- Bone Density – One of the main functions of vitamin D is to enhance the active absorption of calcium and phosphate to assist in building bone and maintaining muscle function.
- Immune support – Vitamin D is essential for proper immune system function. We saw this clearly during COVID-19 – low Vitamin D levels were a primary indicator of who would be hospitalized with COVID-19 complications.
- Disease Prevention – Vitamin D is essential in helping prevent numerous chronic diseases, including cancers, type 1 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and osteoporosis.
- Doug Grant (OHS owner and product formulator) – “I’ve been testing blood for 30 years. The Vitamin D deficiencies have never been as high as post-COVID. Viruses ‘eat’ Vitamin D. Something in this recent virus is ‘eating’ more Vitamin D than any other virus I’ve ever seen. This has a significant impact on COVID-19 long-haul symptoms.”
Can you get D from food? Yes, but are you getting enough?
The best food sources include: eggs (especially the yolks), red meat, liver, fatty fish, and sardines. These are all proteins.
Supplements
All Vitamin D supplements are not created equal. How do you find out if your current Vitamin D supplement is working? Get your Vitamin D level tested regularly! This can be easily done, without a doctor’s order, through companies like QuestHealth.com for about $75.
The problem: most Vitamin D is sourced from lanolin, which comes from sheep’s wool. On the label this will be called Cholecalciferol (which is the name the government requires be used for D3 labeling). Whole food Vitamin D sources will give much better results! On the label you’ll still see it labeled as Cholecalciferol, but there will be additional text to indicate a food source. The Optimal Health System’s labels indicate this with the additional text “from whole food cultured food” (Longevi-D-K2) or “from algae” (DAK1K2). Sheep’s wool/lanolin is not used in either of the OHS products.
For Vitamin D3 to be maximally effective, it needs to be paired with Vitamin K2 which works with Vitamin D to keep the blood vessels from building up calcium and to ensure calcium is used in your bones. The preferred form of Vitamin K2 will be labeled MK-7. This is a more expensive form of K2. You can be assured that if that is the form being used, it will say it on the label! New research is beginning to show that adequate K2 support is very helpful in dealing with Dementia and Alzheimers!
Vitamin A and K1 can be a great addition to your Vitamin D supplement. (Note: people on blood thinners are often told to avoid K1). K1 is helpful in preventing blood clotting, supporting proper bone metabolism, and regulating blood calcium levels. Vitamin A supports your immune system, proper bone growth, and reduces the risk of fractures. A quick self-assessment that can indicate low Vitamin A levels: Is your night vision worse than it used to be?
Our Preferred Vitamin D Supplements:
OHS DAK1K2 – 60 Softgels – These are very small and can be helpful if you have trouble swallowing larger pills/capsules
- Dose 2/day – whole food cultured (no lanolin)
- D3: 5000 IU / 125 mcg
- A: 1500 mcg / 5000 IU
- K2 as MK-7: 100 mcg
- K1: 25 mcg
- DAK1K2 is OHS’s Best Seller – due to the synergistic benefit of all four ingredients in one product.
- Click Here to Learn More
OHS Longevi-D K2 – 120 Capsules
- Dose 2 caps/day – whole food cultured (no lanolin)
- D3: 4000 IU
- K2 as MK-7: 120 mcg
- CoQ10: 30 mg (a sparkplug for producing cellular energy – essential for the heart)
- Acerola Cherry Extract: 5 mg
- Plant Enzymes and Whole Food Opti-blend delivery system
- Click Here to Learn More
Now you can understand why we’ve made Vitamin D supplementation one of our Foundational 4 Products!
You should be able to raise your vitamin D levels in 4-6 weeks with appropriate supplementation. If you are currently low, load with a double dose for 2-3 weeks.
Is it time for YOU to up your Vitamin D Levels?