As winter approaches we need to consider our immune system to help keep at bay the traditional winter season ailments.

As the sunshine decreases it is a good time to consider supplementing with the sunshine vitamin D. Our main source of vitamin D is from the action of sunlight on our skin.

The fact is that during autumn and winter (from October until the end of March) the sun isn’t strong enough in the UK to produce vitamin D.

Vitamin D is manufactured within our body however during the winter months in northern climates the levels we can manufacture are much lower.

Sunshine is the key factor for the skin to create vitamin D. Researchers have found that in northern climates the amount of vitamin D we can create may drop by almost 53%.

Researchers found from studies winter deficiencies of vitamin D are widespread. Vitamin D supplements are suggested by researchers as probably one of the better ways to boost intakes of vitamin D.

Public health.

Public health officials and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition have reviewed the evidence from research and suggest that during winter months people should consider supplementing with additional vitamin D.

Some foods are fortified with vitamin D which can be considered however the amount we obtain from these processed food sources may not be sufficient. Vitamin D facilitates the transport of calcium and other important nutrients to our bones, teeth, and muscles.

According to Public Health in England people and children over the age of 10 years should consider taking vitamin D supplements.

Other researchers say that children need vitamin D support from the age of 5 years old. Public Health England says that it’s difficult for us to get the recommended amount of vitamin D from food alone.

With so many organisations, doctors and nutritionists suggesting that during winter we all consider taking vitamin D supplements, it is useful to understand that there are different forms of these available.

About 98% of the world’s vitamin D supplements are available as what is known as “an isolated” form.

This means that the vitamin D comes as a single chemical form even when called “Natural”. This “isolated chemical form is not found in foods because in nature vitamin D is bound to additional (and necessary) additional nutritional factors that govern the absorption and utilisation of vitamin D.

There is good evidence now from published studies in the scientific and nutritional literature that the use of foods containing active metabolites of vitamin D is a superior form to the traditional vitamin D supplement form. As has been said about 98% of all vitamin D supplements are in an “isolated chemical form” which can restrict the benefits of this important winter vitamin.

The Food State vitamin D is in a bound food complex that provides us with the extra nutrients that boost the actions of vitamin D.

This bound form of vitamin D is a proven superior and more effective nutrition form. The Food State vitamin D is attached to very important beneficial additional nutrients called metabolites.

Food State vitamin D with the beneficial active metabolites improves the absorption and utilisation of other important nutrients that includes calcium for helping to protect our bone structure.

Vitamin D is needed to help maintain our defences by boosting our immune system.

It is also notable that optimum vitamin D levels have been shown in research to help delay the onset of the ageing process – serum vitamin d levels decline by up to 50% in tandem with the ageing process.

Research has shown that almost 40% of people of the overall population have vitamin D deficiency. As we age the deficiency increases considerably.

The superior form of Food State vitamin D can also benefit other important immune system functions that include;

• Optimum vitamin D is essential to help maintain proper heart function.
• An important factor with regard to the heart is that optimum vitamin D is necessary to deliver calcium to the bones and muscles.
• Without optimum vitamin D calcium can remain in our arteries which can contribute to hypertension, additional stress and digestive disorders.
• Vitamin D is a potent fat-soluble antioxidant necessary to help combat and deactivate what are known as Harmful free radicals.
• Harmful free radicals are undesirable stray bits of chemistry that as the name implies can be harmful.
• Optimum vitamin D plays a very important role as an antioxidant that scavenges, deactivates and helps remove these harmful substances.
• Harmful free radicals can accelerate the process of aging when vitamin D is below optimum levels.
• Many studies have concluded that low vitamin D has been associated with obesity.
• Vitamin D deficiency is widespread according to research and is considered as one indicator associated with obesity in both men and women.
• Optimum levels of vitamin D provide additional protection against chronic diseases.
• Optimum levels of vitamin D were associated with protection for the prostate and lower risks for pancreatic cancer In studies in the USA.
• Optimum levels of vitamin D was shown to may help to prevent Preeclampsia by 27%
• Optimum levels of vitamin D may help to prevent Insulin Resistance.
• Low levels of vitamin D were associated with substantial cognitive decline in the elderly population.
• Optimum levels of vitamin D may protect against age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).
• It is important to remember that the use of sunscreens can severely reduce the production of vitamin D in the skin which can result in a vitamin D deficiency.

 

In conclusion we may consider that a winter supplement of vitamin D could be a sensible way of boosting our immune defences. Dietary intervention to boost vitamin D levels is helpful however for many people the calculations required to obtain sufficient vitamin D from food sources has proven substantially too complicated.

Regarding vitamin D supplementation the suggestion and recommendation is to consider supplementation the Food State option.

The traditional vitamin D supplements (isolated chemical form) are not as effective as the superior Food State complex vitamin D with the active metabolites.

The biologically active metabolite levels in the Food State vitamin D complex was measured independently by Dr. J. Bland of the Laboratory for Nutritional Supplement analysis, at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine.

The results did show that the active metabolite levels were significant for both that the 25-hydroxy vitamin D (at 50 micrograms per kilogram) and the 125-dihydroxy vitamin D (at 100 nanagrams per kilogram).

 

Food State vitamin D with active metabolites nutrients is in these Wise Owl formulas

• The Food State vitamin D formula – at 25mcg per tablet/capsule
• The Food State Multivitamin and mineral complex – at 2.5 mcg per tablet
• The Food State Joint and Bone complex – at 10mcg per tablet
• The Food State Pregnancy support formula – at 2.5 mcg per tablet
• The Children’s Multivitamin and Mineral complex – at 2.5 mcg per tablet
• The type 2 support formula – at 2.5 mcg per tablet/capsule

University and peer reviewed published studies regarding vitamin D deficiencies have been reported in:

• Australia
• Canada
• China
• Denmark
• Ireland
• Japan
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Turkey
• UK
• USA

There are several additional countries that also report vitamin D deficiencies of over 40%.

For further information please go to the Wise Owl practitioner website at www.wiseowl.com or telephone +44 (0) 845 3900 400.