The BV magazine, November ‘22 by Karen Geary, a Registered Nutritional Therapist DipION, mBANT, CNHC at Amplify which is found in plants, and D3, found in animal products. Our body makes D3, its preferred form, so it is important that you buy supplements in D3 form. Fortified foods are usually supplemented with D2. How much to take? An optimum level of vitamin D is between 75nmol/L and 100nmol/L. You can get an at-home test for £29 at www. vitamindtest.org.uk/ and you can calculate how much you may need here. Did you know that NHS and Public Health England take a test, a top-up dose over recommends that anyone over the winter of 2,000 to 3,000iu’s 12 months old should take a as a daily food supplement is supplement at a minimum of sufficient and at this level is 400iu of vitamin D per day from unlikely to lead to a too-high October to March? This level, level unless your by the way, is D3 is already too barely enough to The NHS and high, which is maintain current Public Health rare. Note this levels. Did you also England is much higher know that the US – than the NHS which is at a lower recommended recommendation. latitude than the daily dose, by There are infant UK (except Alaska) the way, is barely and junior – recommends supplements at higher amounts, enough a smaller dose and with an upper also available. tolerable limit? BetterYou offers good quality It is always better to tailor the highly absorbable supplements. dose to suit you by testing your Unless you are taking blood current levels. thinners, I would always However, if you are unable to
recommend taking vitamin D3 with vitamin K2. This is because the current research shows that vitamin K2 ensures that the calcium transported by the vitamin D is absorbed by your bones where it is needed. Vitamin D from sunlight. There is a wonderful free app for tracking this – though it is for the summer more than winter dminder.ontometrics.com/ Lack of sleep, stress, sugar, alcohol and poor diet can all deplete your immunity and no amount of supplementation can compensate for poor lifestyle. So always consider supplementation as part of a wider lifestyle approach to winter wellness.
We have to eat an enormous amount to get near the required vitamin D levels
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