VITAMIN D3 1000iu/25ug tablets

VITAMIN D3 (Cholecalciferol)

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is required to promote calcium absorption. 

Vitamin D provides is a nutrient that plays a truly remarkable role in the body and is important for many areas of health. It not only contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and teeth but is also known for its role in supporting normal function of the immune system, normal cell division and normal muscle function, which is essential for everyone.

Some individuals who might need extra vitamin D include:

•       Older adults
•       Breastfed babies
•       People with darker skin
•       Obese individuals (or those who’ve had gastric bypass surgery)
•       People with conditions such as cystic fibrosis, Crohn’s disease, or liver disease

Vitamin D is synthesized by the body when exposed to sunlight. Even in the hottest, sunniest countries, over a billion people worldwide have very low levels of vitamin D, because of lack of sunshine. We are advised to cover up our body to protect it from the sun and we are advised to put on a sun screen, all of which helps us to protect our skin.  

Due to the negative health effects of excessive exposure to the sun's UV rays. These factors have led to widespread low vitamin D levels in adults and in children in many parts of the world.

Many governments and health organisations now recommend vitamin D supplementation for the entire population, due to the many benefits of this key nutrient. The UK Department of Health now recommends that everybody from birth take a supplement containing vitamin D to help safeguard their levels.

Between October and March the levels of sunlight in the UK and northern hemisphere is not sufficient for our body to make vitamin D. Public Health England also recommends that everyone from birth should take a supplement containing Vitamin D all year round.

Where is Vitamin D found?

Vitamin D naturally occurs in foods such as:

•       Mushrooms
•       Oily fish – such as salmon*, sardines, herring and mackerel, trout, tuna.
•       Red meat.
•       Liver.
•       Egg yolks.
•       Butter
•       Cheese, milk
•       Vitamin D supplements

* 3 ounces of cooked salmon provides about 570 international units (IU)

 FUNCTIONS & BENEFITS OF TAKING VITAMIN D

• Normal function of the immune system
• The process of cell division
• Maintenance of normal bones and teeth
• Normal absorption of calcium and phosphorus
• Contributes to normal blood calcium levels
• Maintenance of normal muscle function

Vitamin D has functions and benefits that are probably more wide ranging than any other single vitamin. There has been huge renewed interest in vitamin D recently, with new global research showing that the health benefits of this nutrient stretch beyond bone health. There is increasing evidence for the beneficial effects from dietary vitamin D, which has shown benefits for its contribution to the points outlined above.

For adults over the age of 60, it has also been shown that a daily vitamin D intake of 20µg or more from all sources helps to reduce the risk of falling associated with postural instability and muscle weakness. Falling is a risk factor for bone fractures among men and women 60 years of age and older.

D3 the preferred bioactive form

Ultimate Nutrition’s Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) is the preferred form of D3, which provides effective levels of vitamin D. It’s the specific form made for the human body and therefore more effective than D2 which is found in some supplements.

Vitamin D - the sunshine vitamin

Again, we cannot stress enough that while our bodies manufacture vitamin D on exposure to sunshine, the levels in many countries is so weak during the winter months that our body makes little or none at all, meaning that dietary supplements are often the best way to safeguard intakes of vitamin D. Many populations, including the majority of those in Europe and the northern hemisphere, require an additional dietary source of vitamin D to achieve and maintain an adequate status of this essential vitamin.

In addition, the body does not generate vitamin D when sitting behind a glass window, whether in your car or at home, because these UV rays cannot penetrate glass to generate vitamin D in the skin. Sunscreens, even weak ones, while essential to protect the skin, can affect the body's ability to generate vital vitamin D.

Vitamin D and the diet and health benefits

Vitamin D is naturally present in some foods (e.g. oily fish such as herring, sardines, fish liver oils, eggs, butter) and in a few foods that are fortified (e.g. margarine, some cereals, some yoghurts). Vitamin D is fat soluble, therefore advice to eat lower fat diets may contribute to reduced intakes from foods and hence dietary supplementation may be needed. In the UK, an average diet provides 3-4 µg of vitamin D per day and only a little more if oily fish is consumed.

There are several reasons why vitamin D supplementation may be especially recommended, including:

• Government’s health advice is to reduce sun exposure, which in turn can mean less Vitamin D is produced naturally by the body. Reduced sun exposure in some groups of the population e.g. older people, those who cover their skin, certain occupations, medical reasons and those with darker skin tones (as greater skin melanin content can reduce the skin's production of vitamin D).
•       
  Increased requirement at certain life stages e.g. the elderly population, whose skin may not be able to synthesise vitamin D as effectively.
•       
  Those with increased dietary intolerances (e.g. lactose and dairy) or allergies.
  People who are on a diet.

•  It is used to treat and prevent vitamin D deficiency and associated diseases, including rickets or osteomalacia.

                               *Ultimate Nutrition’s Vitamin D provides D3, which is preferred form of vitamin D.

WARNINGS

You should not use cholecalciferol if you have had an allergic reaction to vitamin D, or if you have:

• High levels of vitamin D in your body (hypervitaminosis D); 
• High levels of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia); or any condition that makes it hard for your body to absorb nutrients from food (malabsorption).
• Too much Vitamin D could harm an unborn baby or a nursing baby. Ask your doctor before using a vitamin D                   supplement if you are pregnant or breast feeding. Your dose needs may be different during pregnancy or while you are nursing.
• Do not give cholecalciferol to a child without medicl advise. Your child’s dose will depend on age, weight, diet and other factors.

 This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professionals regarding any medical condition and take supplements as part of a varied diet.

In addition to changing your diet and lifestyle, taking a vitamin D supplement is a good way to top up, especially in the winter months.

RECOMMENDATIONS