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I Didn't Take My Vitamin D Levels Seriously & They Dropped 40%
Maintaining healthy vitamin D levels is absolutely vital for whole-body health. Seriously, this all-important essential nutrient is critical for immune function, gut health, reproductive well-being, mood support, skin health, hair growth, and so much more.*
And I should know—I've been writing about vitamin D and its crucial role in overall well-being for about a year and a half now. So, you can imagine my concern when I received my vitamin D test results last month and discovered my levels are just on the cusp of insufficiency (which, for the record, isn't truly "sufficient" for optimal health).
Why? Because despite knowing better, I didn't take a daily vitamin D supplement over the past year. Here's what happened.
How my vitamin D status dropped 40%
After four sunlight-deprived years of college in Syracuse, New York (a region notorious for its overcast weather), I decided to move to Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2018. I spent three years getting plenty of sunshine while I was running or practicing yoga outside, swimming in the ocean, and socializing on the beach.
Six months after I moved back to New Hampshire (my home state), I had my vitamin D levels tested. My 25(OH)D serum levels were 50 ng/ml, which is just entering the truly optimal range (i.e., at or above 50 ng/ml). Although I hadn't been regularly supplementing with vitamin D for a few years, I managed to sustain healthy D status thanks to my (safe) sun exposure and a relatively fish-heavy diet.
I thought I could put off supplementation just a little bit longer, but last month I had my levels tested again and discovered that 25(OH)D results had dropped to 30 ng/ml in just 16 months! While my test results were listed in a little green box and stated they were "normal," I know that 30 ng/ml—while the cutoff for clinical sufficiency—is not an ideal serum level.
In fact, without upping my vitamin D intake, the likelihood of slipping into vitamin D insufficiency is practically guaranteed. I'm certainly not in the minority, either: Approximately 41% of U.S. adults are clinically insufficient1 in vitamin D, while another 29% are straight-up deficient.
How I'm raising my vitamin D levels
I'm on a mission to achieve (and sustain!) an optimally healthy vitamin D status.
To exceed 50 ng/ml, I'm taking mindbodygreen's vitamin D3 potency+, which delivers 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily.* Evidence suggests2 this dosage can help the average adult reach that goal level of 50 ng/ml in approximately three months (but I'll be continuing for the foreseeable future—no borderline insufficient levels for me, thank you!).*
With vitamin D3 potency+, I know that I'm optimizing not only form and dosage but absorption and bioavailability as well, thanks to the formula's built-in healthy fats (i.e., organic olive, flaxseed, and avocado oil).*
The takeaway
Unless you live close to the equator and have the perfect balance of sunlight and vitamin-D-rich foods in your diet (hint: you still would need to eat a lot of them to reach 5,000 IU a day), chances are your habits and diet aren't enough to sustain a sufficient vitamin D status—yes, even if you lead a relatively healthy lifestyle.
Simply put, taking a high-quality daily vitamin D supplement is the most effective way to help you reach and maintain truly optimal vitamin D levels.* Consider mindbodygreen's vitamin D3 potency+ for a premium formula that delivers the optimal form, dosage, and bioavailability buddies (i.e., an organic trio of oils for enhanced absorption).*
