Vitamin D: The Calcium Absorber

The Deal with Vitamin D

Before calcium can do its job, it has to be absorbed by your body - and that's where Vitamin D comes in. Vitamin D regulates calcium absorption in the body, maintains calcium and phosphate levels, and promotes bone growth.

Your body produces vitamin D when your bare skin is exposed to sunshine — specifically ultraviolet B rays — making vitamin D known as “The Sunshine Vitamin”. You can also get vitamin D from your diet and supplements like Viactiv Calcium + Bone Strengthening, which delivers 12.5 mcg (500 IUs) of vitamin D in every tasty chew.

And Yet, You May be Deficient in Vitamin D

Without enough vitamin D, your body can’t properly absorb calcium. And while sunshine and a healthy diet are key to vitamin D, getting enough isn’t easy. A clinical review published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association reveals that nearly 1 billion people worldwide are not getting sufficient levels of vitamin D. These reasons include:

• Spending more time indoors, out of direct sunlight

• Wearing sunscreen, which blocks UVB rays

• Being 50 or older

• Having dark skin

• Living in higher altitude areas

• Being overweight or obese

Here's How to Get More Vitamin D

The best way to know you’re getting enough vitamin D is to ask your health care professional for a blood test that checks your vitamin D levels. In the meantime, there are 3 things you can do to get more vitamin D, starting now: 

Get More Sun

Depending on your skin type, getting as little as 10 to 15 minutes a day of sun exposure on your bare skin, without sunscreen can stimulate vitamin D production. After that, put on your sunscreen.

Eat Foods with Vitamin D

To help make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D in your diet, here are some of the foods that rank high in this all-important vitamin:

• Fatty fish (like salmon)

• Tuna fish (canned)

• Cod liver oil

• Sardines

• Eggs

• Swiss cheese

• Orange juice

• Milk (Vitamin D-fortified)

• Ready-to-eat cereal (Vitamin D-fortified).

Take a Supplement

In addition to sun and diet, a supplement with vitamin D can help you get what you need. While vitamin D is available in two forms — D2 and D3 — Viactiv Calcium + Bone Strengthening contains 12.5 mcg (500 IUs) of vitamin D3. Both raise vitamin D levels in the blood, but some research indicates vitamin D3 may be more effective in raising and maintaining vitamin D levels in the long term.