Product Review

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is crucial for cell differentiation, normalizing levels of calcium and phosphorus, maintaining strong bones, promoting healthy blood pressure and supporting immune system balance. It is an important nutrient that relies on daily skin-to-sun exposure for synthesis. Vitamin D3 requirements increase the further you live from the equator. Likewise, UV rays from tanning beds can trigger synthesis of D, but come with an increased risk of melanoma. FACTORS IMPEDING D FORMATION: • Complete cloud cover (50%) • Shade (60%) • Smog (60%) • Glass/ Windows • Sunscreen with SPF 8 + higher • Dark skin Naturally rich dietary sources of vitamin D are few and far between, and include different varieties of fish (tuna, mackerel, cod liver oil). Vitamin D is also available in goat's milk, shiitake mushrooms and eggs. Fortified foods, including milk, are other food sources of this essential nutrient. (Note that vitamin D is typically not added to cheese and other dairy foods.) As a fat soluble nutrient, digestion and absorption of vitamin D can be a problem for those with challenged digestion. Use of digestive enzymes can boost absorption of vitamin D as well as other nutrients. WHY WE NEED IT New research is starting to uncover exactly how D helps our bones: it promotes calcium absorption, and is necessary for bone growth and remodeling. But its benefits don't stop at your skeleton. Vitamin D also modulates cell growth, and supports both immune and neuromuscular function. We also know that D is a factor in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis (programmed cell death.) Vitamin D is such an important nutrient that many cells have vitamin D receptors, and some convert D into its more potent (D3) form.