Morgan Chamberlain is mindbodygreen’s former supplement editor. She graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science degree in magazine journalism and a minor in nutrition.
Image by Death to the Stock Photo
June 27, 2024
It’s true that vitamin D is often hailed as a vital supplement that many of us instinctively feel we should include in our daily regimen.
Its importance cannot be overstated, as it is crucial for maintaining our overall health and well-being.*
Despite its significance, however, a surprising number of folks are deficient in vitamin D (mainly due to our busy lifestyles that limit sun exposure and dietary intake).
Whether through diet, sunlight, or supplements, boosting our vitamin D levels can lead to significant improvements in our overall health.
Below, who should be taking vitamin D and what to look for in a quality supplement. Let’s start with some facts:
Almost 30% of U.S. adults1 have clinical vitamin D deficiency, and a whopping 41% are insufficient in this essential vitamin. That’s the majority of American adults.
If that’s not enough to get your attention, leading wellness experts consider true sufficiency—i.e., optimal vitamin D levels—to be significantly higher than the clinical definition (more on that phenomenon in a moment).
In terms of dietary intake, 93%2 to 100%3 of the U.S. population is failing to get a meager 400 IU of vitamin D on a daily basis.
So yes, the majority of Americans could benefit from vitamin D supplementation. But for the sake of this article, I’ve broken it down even further. Let’s dive in.
1.
Anyone who desires thriving health
Simply surviving isn’t enough—mindbodygreen readers want to truly thrive in all aspects of their health and well-being! If you’re looking for a nutrient that can help support nearly every aspect of whole-body health, then vitamin D is your guy.*
Vitamin D receptors are found in just about every cell in the human body, which means vitamin D has a critical role in brain, bone, muscle, hormone, digestive, and heart health (to name a few).* Seriously, the wide range of vitamin D benefits is nothing short of astonishing.
But here’s the catch: Your body needs ample vitamin D to help support these vital functions, and research shows that the cutoff for clinical sufficiency [i.e., 25(OH)D levels of 30 ng/ml or higher] simply doesn’t cut it. Endocrinologists and other leading health experts say we need levels at or above 50 ng/ml to help our bodies thrive in the way they deserve.
If your latest vitamin D blood test was below 50 ng/ml, it may be time to consider supplementation.
2.
Physically active individuals
Whether you’re an athlete training for your chosen sport, a dedicated weightlifter, a seasoned yogi, or a mom running after and lifting young kids, physical activity requires strong muscles and bones.
Thanks to its essential role in calcium homeostasis, vitamin D is vital in maintaining healthy muscle mass, bone density, and overall musculoskeletal integrity.*
If you’re moving more than the average American (which is fantastic for your whole-body health in its own right), you should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement to ensure the strength of your structural body.*
As we age, the efficiency of our bodies’ endogenous vitamin D synthesis and activation diminishes. Specifically, it’s more difficult to:
Convert sunlight into vitamin D
Convert circulating vitamin D into its active, hormone form
In short, older adults have a more difficult time both reaching and sustaining vitamin D sufficiency. Taking a high-potency vitamin D supplement daily can help folks over 65 achieve truly healthy vitamin D levels.*
What to look for in a vitamin D supplement
Before you begin your hunt for a quality supplement, you should know that vitamin D supplements are not all created equal.
Here are a few key criteria you should look for:
mindbodygreen’s vitamin D3 potency+ delivers all of these premium features and then some (e.g., organic, sustainably sourced D3), including an innovative infusion of organic oils (i.e., flaxseed, avocado, and olive) to help ensure optimal absorption.*
The takeaway
When considering the entire market of dietary supplements, we can honestly say that vitamin D is beneficial (and even necessary) for the vast majority of people.
