By MitchellHolisticHealth | Source

One of the most popular vitamins amongst people is vitamin D. Many supplements with it because they might have heard from others that you should, but do you understand all the benefits and the best ways to use it?

First off, let’s understand the differences between the D vitamins. You can think of vitamin D as an umbrella term under which vitamin D2 and D3 fall under them. Both play a major role in immune function, bone health, calcium absorption, and much more.

The major difference between the two is where they are derived from. Vitamin D2 comes from plant sources and it is not as absorbable as the vitamin D3 from animal sources. Our bodies make vitamin D and that form is closely related to D3, therefore making it the preferred supplement for our bodies.

So what are the benefits?

• Encourages calcium absorption which sustains bone density
• Reinforces the immune system which is directly related to managing inflammation
• Enhances mental health and balances your mood
• Potentially aids in fighting cancer development as well as decelerating tumor growth and advocates cell death
• Helps maintain a healthy body weight
• Lowers the risk of developing other autoimmune diseases

To ensure that vitamin D is absorbed to the best of our ability, it is important to consume fat alongside it. Since Vitamin D is fat-soluble, it does not dissolve in water so pairing it with a fat source will help the absorption in your bloodstream.

How do you know if you should be supplementing vitamin D?

• If you lack regular sunshine exposure
• Have a low diet in vitamin D (fish, dairy, egg yolk, mushrooms, and more)

Vitamin D from the sun

We can naturally get vitamin D from the sun. In order for our bodies to be exposed to vitamin sources, we need UV rays to come in contact with our bare skin, not having any sunscreen deflects it. Though you only need 15 or so minutes so don’t think you need to spend all day basking in the sun without sunscreen.