Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients that your body requires to thrive.  

Some of its functions include regulating your immune system [1], promoting bone health by helping your body absorb calcium [2], modulating cell growth [3], and helping to keep your neurotransmitters balanced [4].  Having enough vitamin D reduces your risk of high blood pressure [5], type II diabetes [6], and certain types of cancer [7]. It even helps promote quality sleep [8] and can boost your mood [9]. 

Because vitamin D modulates your immune system, it may also help calm an overactive immune system in autoimmune diseases such as lupus [10].  

If you don’t get enough vitamin D, you’ll increase your risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures [11]. Vitamin D deficiency may also make you more susceptible to infections [12].  

Your body can synthesize vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight. Some people can meet their requirements just from sunlight exposure, but this is only if you have enough skin exposed to the sun for a long enough time and you have the right type of vitamin D receptor settings in your genes. The problem is most people spend most of their day inside, sitting under artificial lights.  

You can also get limited amounts of vitamin D from foods. But even if you’re eating lots of wild salmon and egg yolks, you still won’t get enough to meet your daily requirements. This is why it’s important to test your levels, and then find a high-quality vitamin D supplement.  

If you’re going to take vitamin D, it’s crucial that you also take vitamin K2. The reason is that while vitamin D helps you absorb calcium, vitamin K2 directs calcium to go where it needs to go [13] – into your bones and teeth instead of in your arteries, where it can cause arterial plaque buildup and lead to cardiovascular disease [14]. Without vitamin K2 you won’t get the benefits of vitamin D and without vitamin D you just won’t perform at your best. 

There are two types of vitamin D supplements available, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). The most bioavailable form is vitamin D3 [15]. The non-profit Vitamin D council recommends supplementing with 1000 IU of vitamin D per 25 lbs of body weight, or until your levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or 25(OH)D—the parameter used to assess vitamin D status- reach 70-90 ng/mL. Everyone responds differently to supplementation, so it’s important to get your blood levels tested regularly. The best strategy is to take a combined fat-soluble vitamin supplement containing vitamins D,A,K and E, and then add additional D3 until your levels reach 70-90 ng/mL. Vitamin DAKE by Suppgrade Labs contains bioavailable vitamin D3 along with the other fat-soluble vitamins in the right ratios.  

References: 

1. Aranow C. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011 Aug;59(6):881-6. doi: 10.2310/JIM.0b013e31821b8755. PMID: 21527855; PMCID: PMC3166406. 
2. Segheto KJ, Pereira M, Silva DCGD, Carvalho CJ, Massardi FR, Kakehasi AM, Juvanhol LL, Longo GZ. Vitamin D and bone health in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cien Saude Colet. 2021 Aug;26(8):3221-3244. doi: 10.1590/1413-81232021268.15012020. Epub 2020 May 28. PMID: 34378711. 
3. Vitamin D (2023) NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/#:~:text=Together%20with%20calcium%2C%20vitamin%20D,metabolism%20%5B1-3%5D. (Accessed: 21 July 2024). 
4. Pertile RAN, Brigden R, Raman V, Cui X, Du Z, Eyles D. Vitamin D: A potent regulator of dopaminergic neuron differentiation and function. J Neurochem. 2023 Sep;166(5):779-789. doi: 10.1111/jnc.15829. Epub 2023 May 14. PMID: 37084159. 
5. Jensen NS, Wehland M, Wise PM, Grimm D. Latest Knowledge on the Role of Vitamin D in Hypertension. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 28;24(5):4679. doi: 10.3390/ijms24054679. PMID: 36902110; PMCID: PMC10003079. 
6. Angellotti E, Pittas AG. The Role of Vitamin D in the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes: To D or Not to D? Endocrinology. 2017 Jul 1;158(7):2013-2021. doi: 10.1210/en.2017-00265. PMID: 28486616; PMCID: PMC5505219
7. Garland CF, Garland FC, Gorham ED, Lipkin M, Newmark H, Mohr SB, Holick MF. The role of vitamin D in cancer prevention. Am J Public Health. 2006 Feb;96(2):252-61. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.045260. Epub 2005 Dec 27. PMID: 16380576; PMCID: PMC1470481. 
8. Romano F, Muscogiuri G, Di Benedetto E, Zhukouskaya VV, Barrea L, Savastano S, Colao A, Di Somma C. Vitamin D and Sleep Regulation: Is there a Role for Vitamin D? Curr Pharm Des. 2020;26(21):2492-2496. doi: 10.2174/1381612826666200310145935. PMID: 32156230. 
9. Cheng YC, Huang YC, Huang WL. The effect of vitamin D supplement on negative emotions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Depress Anxiety. 2020 Jun;37(6):549-564. doi: 10.1002/da.23025. Epub 2020 May 4. PMID: 32365423. 
10. Singh A, Kamen DL. Potential benefits of vitamin D for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Dermatoendocrinol. 2012 Apr 1;4(2):146-51. doi: 10.4161/derm.20443. PMID: 22928070; PMCID: PMC3427193. 
11. Sizar O, Khare S, Goyal A, et al. Vitamin D Deficiency. [Updated 2023 Jul 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532266/ 
12. Aranow C. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011 Aug;59(6):881-6. doi: 10.2310/JIM.0b013e31821b8755. PMID: 21527855; PMCID: PMC3166406. 
13. van Ballegooijen AJ, Pilz S, Tomaschitz A, Grübler MR, Verheyen N. The Synergistic Interplay between Vitamins D and K for Bone and Cardiovascular Health: A Narrative Review. Int J Endocrinol. 2017;2017:7454376. doi: 10.1155/2017/7454376. Epub 2017 Sep 12. PMID: 29138634; PMCID: PMC5613455. 
14. Chen J, Budoff MJ, Reilly MP, Yang W, Rosas SE, Rahman M, Zhang X, Roy JA, Lustigova E, Nessel L, Ford V, Raj D, Porter AC, Soliman EZ, Wright JT Jr, Wolf M, He J; CRIC Investigators. Coronary Artery Calcification and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Death Among Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease. JAMA Cardiol. 2017 Jun 1;2(6):635-643. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2017.0363. PMID: 28329057; PMCID: PMC5798875. 
15. Lehmann U, Hirche F, Stangl GI, Hinz K, Westphal S, Dierkes J. Bioavailability of vitamin D(2) and D(3) in healthy volunteers, a randomized placebo-controlled trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Nov;98(11):4339-45. doi: 10.1210/jc.2012-4287. Epub 2013 Sep 3. PMID: 24001747.