I had a great conversation recently around vitamin D supplementation recently and that got me thinking about a few pearls I wanted to share with you all as we enter the dark season here in the northern hemisphere.
Vitamin D is both a vitamin and a hormone
Technically we would call vitamin D a pro-hormone. It’s synthesized in our skin and it’s biochemical structure looks similar hormones like estradiol, cortisol, and others. In terms of what it does, we’re talking support to bone health, immune health, hormone signaling, mood and brain health, cardiovascular support and more.
Which vitamin D should you take? D3 with K2
As a supplement, the version to take is Vitamin D3 paired with vitamin K2. Why?
Vitamin D aids in calcium absorption in the body and vitamin K2 directs the calcium into the bones and not into the arteries or other areas in the body.
How to test your vitamin D levels (and why not to guess)
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it is possible to get too much of it and that can cause harm. We can easily measure it on blood test either with conventional labs like LabCorp or Quest or specialty labs. The specialty lab cash pricing is a great option without billing insurance and can be done from home without having to go into a draw site.
Most labs will tell you 30 ng/mL is ‘normal.’ Technically true, in the same way a C-minus technically passes. We like to see 50-80 ng/mL.
Why chronic illness calls for a 1,25-OH vitamin D test
If you’ve got chronic illness, we need to also measure Vitamin D3 1,25-OH. With chronic inflammation and infection, the body will hyper-convert the Vitamin D3 25-OH to the active 1,25-OH form so that it can calm the inflammation in the body through its anti-inflammatory steroidal activity.
You (and I) might wonder next: why is this hyper-conversion happening? While we support with adequate vitamin D3 supplementation (either via oral and/or IM options) we must treat the underlying problems causing that: chronic infections, environmental exposures (mold, toxic metals in food/water/air), stress and more.
If you’re curious about your levels, whether oral or IM vitamin D3 is right for you, or what’s driving your chronically low vitamin D, we’re here in person and virtually to connect the dots to your unique health constellation.
Disclaimer: This document is for educational and informational purposes only and solely as a self-help tool for your own use. I am not providing medical, psychological, or nutrition therapy advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your own medical practitioner. Always seek the advice of your own medical practitioner and/or mental health provider about your specific health situation. See our full Disclaimer here.
