15 Vitamin D3 Benefits and Best Uses for Your Health
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is most well-known for promoting bone health. But this vitamin is also pivotal for boosting the immune system, enhancing mood and muscle function, and supporting heart health. Taking a vitamin D3 supplement may help you achieve glowing skin and better mental clarity.
Your skin naturally produces vitamin D3 when exposed to the sun. Eating fish, beef, and cheese provides a natural boost of vitamin D3, too. Still, vitamin D deficiency is a common problem that can result in bone pain, muscle weakness, and spasms. Your healthcare provider may suggest a vitamin D3 supplement if you are deficient, live in a low sunlight area, or have a health condition, like osteoporosis, that would benefit from taking vitamin D3.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate supplements the way it regulates prescription drugs. That means some supplement products may not contain what the label says. When choosing a supplement, look for third-party tested products and consult a healthcare provider, registered dietitian nutritionist (RD or RDN), or pharmacist.
1. Bone Health
Vitamin D3 plays a crucial role in the formation and maintenance of strong, healthy bones. This vitamin is important for bone health because it:
- Enhances the absorption of calcium from your digestive tract
- Regulates the use of calcium and phosphorous for proper bone formation
- Supports bone repair to maintain and regrow bones as needed
- Prevents bone disorders, such as osteoporosis and rickets
Low calcium intake and vitamin D deficiency are directly linked to the onset of osteoporosis. Researchers have found that older people who take vitamin D3 supplements and calcium supplements have a reduced risk of hip fractures and non-vertebral fractures (bones outside the spine).
2. Immune System
Vitamin D3 regulates immune responses, ensuring your immune system responds appropriately to pathogens and other suspected invaders. Your immune system requires vitamin D3 because the vitamin:
- Enhances the immune system’s ability to fight infections
- Boosts the production of peptides that help defend against bacteria, viruses, and fungi
- Regulates inflammation
- Helps prevent the immune system from attacking the body’s own tissues
- Boosts overall immune strength
Some studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation may reduce the severity of certain autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and Sjögren’s syndrome. However, there is no consensus on how best to use vitamin D3 to prevent or treat autoimmune diseases.
3. Mental Health
Low vitamin D levels are associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety. In fact, some experts recommend screening for low vitamin D levels when developing a prevention and/or treatment plan for these disorders. Vitamin D3 is beneficial for your mood and mental health because it:
- Regulates neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine, which are responsible for regulating mood
- Supports the brain’s ability to learn, organize memories, and adapt to changes (neuroplasticity)
- Reduces inflammation, which has been linked to several mental health and mood disorders, including depression, anxiety, and seasonal affective disorder
Numerous studies have examined the direct and indirect relationship between vitamin D and mental health. One standout revealed that people with vitamin D deficiency may be 75% more likely to develop depression compared to people with normal vitamin D levels.
4. Muscle Function
Although not everyone with vitamin D3 deficiency experiences symptoms, those who do commonly report muscle twitches, muscle pain, and muscle weakness. Vitamin D3 is beneficial for muscles because it:
- Maintains muscle strength
- Supports the contraction and relaxation of muscles, improving their performance
- Prevents muscle cramps and weakness by maintaining calcium levels
- Promotes muscle recovery after exercise by reducing inflammation and promoting muscle tissue repair
- Reduces muscle fatigue, weakness, and falls
- Enhances overall exercise performance and endurance
Over 80 years of research indicates that sun exposure enhances physical performance. While these studies don’t directly mention vitamin D3, it’s likely that the enhancements are due to the benefits of vitamin D from sunlight on muscle function, growth, and repair.
5. Cardiovascular Health
Adequate vitamin D levels are crucial for preventing calcium imbalances. In severe cases, imbalanced calcium levels can lead to severe heart complications and may contribute to heart disease. Vitamin D3 is beneficial for heart health because it:
- Plays a key role in regulating blood pressure
- Reduces inflammation, protecting the heart and blood vessels from cardiovascular disease
- Supports endothelial health, which is crucial for proper blood flow (the endothelium is the layer of cells lining the blood vessels)
- Helps “clean arteries” and prevent atherosclerosis, or the buildup of plaque in arterial walls, a significant risk factor for heart attack and stroke
- Supports healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels, thus reducing the risk of heart disease
Research shows that high doses of vitamin D are no more effective for improving heart health than modest doses. Taking small to moderate amounts of vitamin D can effectively reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.
6. Metabolic Health
There is substantial evidence that taking a vitamin D supplement can help improve glucose homeostasis (steady blood sugar levels), insulin sensitivity, and overall metabolic health. Vitamin D is beneficial for metabolic health because it:
- Regulates insulin sensitivity, which is important for managing blood sugar and preventing type 2 diabetes
- Reduces inflammation, a significant risk factor for numerous metabolic disorders, including obesity and insulin resistance
- Helps your body break down, metabolize, and store fat
In people with pre-diabetes, taking a daily vitamin D supplement has been shown to reduce the risk of progression to type 2 diabetes. Evidence suggests vitamin D supplementation may reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes, as well.
7. Glowing Skin
For people who wish to brighten dull skin and prevent or relieve inflammatory skin conditions, maintaining healthy vitamin D levels is critical. Vitamin D3 offers numerous benefits for skin. The sunshine vitamin:
- Plays a crucial role in skin cell growth and repair
- Supports a strong and healthy skin barrier, which is essential for locking in moisture and preventing harmful microbes, chemicals, and allergens from penetrating your skin
- Enhances the wound healing process, reducing the risk of infection
- Promotes glowing skin by improving skin tone and texture
- Protects your skin from damage due to UV rays from the sun
- Reduces the risk of many skin conditions, including acne, psoriasis, and eczema
- May reduce the risk of skin cancer
- Can reduce the appearance of age-related fine lines and wrinkles by promoting skin renewal and repair
Vitamin D3 supplements and skincare products containing vitamin D are often recommended for people with sensitive, mature, and aging skin, and skin that is prone to redness and visible blood vessels (capillaries).
8. Cognitive Function
Vitamin D3 is thought to have many benefits for your brain and cognitive health. Vital for cognitive health and function, vitamin D3:
- Protects the brain from inflammation and cell-damaging free radicals, both of which are linked to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease
- Supports proper cognitive development; Healthy vitamin D levels have been linked to improved learning and memory in both children and adults
- Stabilizes mood and reduces the risk of mood and mental health disorders
- Promotes neuroplasticity, further reducing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders
- Reduces the risk of brain infections
Some evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency, when it occurs both before birth and throughout life, may contribute to the development of numerous diseases. In fact, in expecting mothers with vitamin D deficiency, there appears to be a greater risk of the infant developing autism, schizophrenic-like disorders, and other mental illnesses later in life.
9. Digestive Health
A growing body of research shows that vitamin D supplementation has positive benefits for digestive health. Vitamin D3 is important for digestive health because it:
- Promotes a healthy and balanced microbiome, or the ecosystem of microbes that live in your digestive tract and influence your overall health
- Protects against gut inflammation and disorders linked to it, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis
- Improves the function of immune cells in your gut, preventing against gut infections
- Enhances the epithelial lining in your gut, by turn enhancing the absorption of key nutrients like calcium and magnesium
- Prevents constipation by regulating gut motility, or the movements of the digestive system that push food from the stomach, through the intestines, and out the body
People with irritable bowel syndrome (IBD) often have vitamin D deficiency, even during remission. Having a reduced level of vitamin D is also a risk factor for worsened IBD symptoms.
10. Pregnancy Health
Vitamin D deficiency is a significant risk factor for several problems in both expecting mothers and their infants. Having adequate vitamin D3 levels is critical during pregnancy because it reduces the risk of the following:
- Pre-term birth and low birth weight
- Infant mortality within the first month of life
- Recurrent miscarriages
- Bacterial vaginosis in the expecting mother
- Gestational diabetes mellitus in the expecting mother
- Pre-eclampsia in the expecting mother
Vitamin D supplementation may also reduce the risk of the infant developing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and other mental development issues in childhood.
Some experts suggest that all pregnant people should take a vitamin D supplement of at least 400 IU per day to ensure adequate vitamin D levels and prevent pregnancy complications. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are pregnant and considering vitamin D supplementation.
11. Cancer Prevention
Researchers started investigating vitamin D’s role in cancer prevention after noticing that people in southern regions with high sun exposure appear to have lower cancer rates and mortality compared to those in northern regions with less sun.
Evidence suggests that vitamin D supplementation may:
- Reduce the risk of some cancers, including breast, bladder, lung, and colorectal cancers, but more studies are needed
- Enhance the immune system’s ability to detect and destroy cancer cells
- Slow the progression of existing cancer cells
- Reduce the side effects of cancer treatments and improve quality of life
- Help maintain bone health and density in people receiving chemotherapy
It’s important to note that the overall research on this subject mixed, with some studies showing no benefit for cancer prevention at all. If you have been diagnosed with cancer or are undergoing cancer treatment, consult with your healthcare providers before starting vitamin D or any other supplement.
12. Weight Management
Vitamin D supplementation appears to have several benefits for people with overweight or obesity who are trying to lose weight. Vitamin D3 is beneficial for weight management because it:
- Helps regulate hormones, like leptin, that are involved in stimulating appetite
- Promotes a healthier body composition with less excess fat and more muscle
- Boosts muscle function and strength; having more muscle means you burn more calories at rest
- Improves insulin sensitivity, which also enhances fat burning
People with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to have a high body mass index (BMI) compared to people with adequate vitamin D levels. According to one clinical trial of women with overweight and obesity, women who took 50,000 IU of vitamin D per week had reduced weight, waist circumference, and body mass index after six weeks.
Keep in mind that taking 50,000 IU of vitamin D per week is well over the recommended daily intake. The maximum safe dose of vitamin D supplementation is 4,000 IU per day. Do not exceed this amount unless supervised by a healthcare provider.
13. Healing and Recovery
Having adequate vitamin D levels is vital for your body’s ability to heal and recover from infections, injuries, and other ailments. Beneficial for healing and recovery, vitamin D3:
- Accelerates the growth of healthy new cells
- Strengthens the skin barrier
- Increases immune system activities that are essential to wound healing
- Reduces inflammation
- Protects against bacterial infections
Having adequate vitamin D levels is also known to enhance the healing of bone fractures. More research is needed to determine a safe and appropriate vitamin D3 dosage for this purpose.
14. Blood Pressure
Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, is cardiovascular disease commonly seen in people with vitamin D deficiency.
Recent studies suggest that vitamin D3 may help lower blood pressure in people with hypertension and vitamin D deficiency as well as certain groups of people with hypertension only.
According to a 2019 review of studies in the journal Medicine involving 1,687 people, vitamin D3 was able to significantly reduce systolic (“top number”) blood pressure in people over the age of 50 and those with obesity.
This is important because isolated systolic hypertension can increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, and chronic kidney disease over time.
15. Hair Loss Prevention
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to several hair loss disorders, including telogen effluvium and alopecia areata. It has also been linked to scarring alopecia, a disorder that results in permanent hair loss. Supplementing with low levels of vitamin D3 can effectively improve symptoms of these alopecias due to the vitamin’s anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects.
Who Needs to Take Vitamin D3?
If you have an existing vitamin D deficiency or are at risk for developing one, you may need to take a vitamin D supplement. You are at greater risk for vitamin D deficiency if you have:
- Celiac disease
- Crohn’s disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Gastric bypass surgery
- Liver disease
- Malnutrition
- Obesity
- Ulcerative colitis
You may also need to take a vitamin D3 supplement if you:
- Are housebound
- Spend long hours indoors
- Live in a region with low sunlight
- Have dark skin
Your provider may recommend a vitamin D3 supplement if you have an ailment that would benefit from it. Vitamin D3 supplements are commonly recommended for people who have or are at an increased risk for:
- Osteoporosis
- Inflammatory bowel diseases
- Autoimmune diseases
- Heart diseases
- Metabolic disorders
- Cancers
How Much Vitamin D3 Should I Take Daily?
The National Academy of Medicine recommends a daily intake of 600 IU of vitamin D for people ages one to 70, and 800 IU for adults ages 71 and over. The majority of vitamin D intake should come from food. The maximum safe dose of vitamin D3 is 4,000 IU per day. Do not exceed this amount without consulting a healthcare provider.
Symptoms of Vitamin D3 Deficiency
Not everyone with vitamin D deficiency experiences symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they may include:
- Muscle pain
- Bone pain
- Increased sensitivity to pain
- Tingling or “pins and needles” sensations in hands or feet
- Muscle weakness in body parts near the trunk of the body, such as upper arms or thighs
- Muscle weakness in hips or legs, which may cause you to waddle while you walk
- Increased risk of bone fractures
- Muscle spasms
- Bowed legs (in severe cases)
Sources of Vitamin D3
Whether you are nutritionally deficient or simply want to meet your recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin D, you can get vitamin D3 from:
- Animal-based foods: Food should be your primary source of vitamin D. Key sources include cod liver oil, salmon, trout, halibut, mackerel, fortified milk, cheese, and beef liver. Some fruit juices, dairy products, margarine, and plant-based milks are fortified with vitamin D3 for added nutritional value.
- Dietary supplements: Supplements should not be your main source of vitamin D; they should only be considered when you cannot get enough vitamin D from your diet. Vitamin D3 is available in capsules, softgels, gummies, and liquid drops. Consult your healthcare provider for the best dosage based on your age and medical history.
- Sun exposure: The compound 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin converts UVB light into vitamin D3. Production varies by age and skin tone, with older adults and those with darker skin producing less. Sunscreen can also reduce vitamin D3 production by blocking UV rays. While daily sunlight helps maintain vitamin D levels, it’s not the safest method due to the risk of skin cancer.
When Is the Best Time to Take Vitamin D3?
Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin. This means that taking it with fat helps it absorb better. It doesn’t matter what time of day you take it, but you should eat fat-containing food when you do.
Possible Risks
Vitamin D3 is generally considered safe, but it can occasionally cause toxic effects if you take too much. This is referred to as hypervitaminosis D.
With vitamin D toxicity, the balance of minerals like calcium and potassium is upset. This can lead to a condition known as hypercalcemia, in which too much calcium builds up in the body. This can lead to symptoms like:
- Stomach upset
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Bone pain
- Muscle weakness
- An increased risk of bone fractures
People with hyperparathyroidism, kidney disease, or hypercalcemia (high blood calcium) should typically avoid vitamin D3 supplements. Certain medications can also interact with vitamin D. Speak with your healthcare provider or pharmacist before starting any supplement.
Summary
Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium and phosphate from food. It is important for bone and muscle strength, immune function, and healthy skin. It may also help prevent numerous diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, heart disease, and infectious diseases. You can get vitamin D from food or supplements, and your body can make D3 when exposed to sunshine.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have a medical condition that might benefit from taking vitamin D3 supplements. The upper limit for safe vitamin D supplementation is 4,000 IU per day. Do not take more than this unless directed by your healthcare provider.
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