Recommended Vitamin D3 for Women 2022
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it dissolves in fats and oils and can be kept for a long period in your body.
Vitamin D is essential to the body in many ways. It helps the body absorb calcium from food and supplements. Muscles need it to move, for example, nerves need it to carry messages between the brain and every body part, and the immune system needs vitamin D to fight off invading bacteria and viruses. Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis. Apart from its role in maintaining bone health, vitamin D also has a role in maintaining skin health.
What Does Vitamin D Do For A Woman’s Body?
Does Vitamin D Help Balance Hormones?
Does Vitamin D Raise Estrogen Levels?
Can I Take Vitamin D 5000 IU Daily?
Based on current research, it seems that consuming 1,000–4,000 IU (25–100 mcg) of vitamin D daily should be ideal for most people to reach healthy vitamin D blood levels.
However, don’t consume more than 4,000 IU of vitamin D without your doctor’s permission. It exceeds the safe upper limits of intake and is not linked to more health benefits (Trusted Source).
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FAQ
What Is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is important to the body in many ways. It helps the body absorb calcium from food and supplements. Muscles need it to move, for example, nerves need it to carry messages between the brain and every body part, and the immune system needs vitamin D to fight off invading bacteria and viruses. Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis. Vitamin D is found
in cells throughout the body.
Vitamin D2 vs D3
There are two main dietary forms (NIH):
- Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Found in some animal foods, like fatty fish and egg yolks.
- Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Found in some plants, mushrooms, and yeasts.
Difference between vitamin D and D3? Of the two, D3 (cholecalciferol) seems to be almost twice as effective at increasing blood levels of vitamin D as D2 (ergocalciferol) (NIH, NIH).
What Does Vitamin D Do in Your Body?
First, it is converted to calcidiol, or 25(OH)D, in your liver. This is the storage form of the vitamin.
Second, it is converted to calcitriol, or 1,25(OH)2D, mostly in your kidneys. This is the active, steroid-hormone form of vitamin D.
Calcitriol interacts with the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which is found in almost every single cell in your body (Trusted Source, Trusted Source).
When the active form of vitamin D binds to this receptor, it turns genes on or off, leading to changes in your cells. This is similar to how most other steroid hormones work (Trusted Source, Trusted Source).
Vitamin D affects various cells related to bone health. For example, it promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from your gut (Trusted Source).
But scientists have recently discovered that it also plays roles in other areas of health, such as immune function and protection against cancer (Source).
Vitamin D3 supplements appear to be more effective at raising vitamin D levels than D2 supplements.
Vitamin D ensures that your blood levels of calcium are high enough to meet your body’s demands. However, vitamin D does not fully control where the calcium in your body ends up. That’s where vitamin K steps in. Vitamin K2 supplements have been proven to be more effective than vitamin K1. That’s why most of the top vitamin D supplement brands do.
Benefits of Vitamin D3 for Skin
Vitamin D for Dry or Itchy Skin
Severe dryness of the skin or Ichty can be an indicator of Vitamin D deficiency. Getting enough Vitamin D can improve symptoms of skin disorders that cause dry, itchy skin.
Vitamin D and Psoriasis
Nutritionists are particularly interested in vitamin D supplementation for these two reasons. First, oral vitamin D supplementation is an important supplementary therapeutic choice for psoriatic patients. Second, vitamin D supplementation may be crucial in preventing psoriasis-related comorbidity, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome.
Vitamin D and Vitiligo
According to one study, high-dose vitamin D therapy may be both safe and beneficial in the treatment of vitiligo. Sixteen vitiligo patients with low vitamin D status were given 35,000 IU per day for six months, along with a dairy and calcium-rich food limitation and minimum hydration of 2.5 L per day. And the outcome, fourteen of them had re-pigmentation ranging from 25 to 75%.
It’s still uncertain if high-dose supplementation provides any benefits for long-term patients with vitiligo.
Vitamin D and Atopic Dermatitis
Vitamin D may play a role in improving the symptoms of Atopic Dermatitis. The findings of this study imply that vitamin D supplementation may help reduce the severity of atopic dermatitis and can be considered as safe and manageable treatment option. However, this conclusion still needs larger-scale studies over a longer duration of treatment.
Vitamin D Supplement for Absorption
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that it does not dissolve in water and is absorbed best in your bloodstream when paired with high-fat foods.
For this reason, it’s recommended to take vitamin D supplements with a meal to enhance absorption.
According to one study in 17 people, taking vitamin D with the largest meal of the day increased vitamin D blood levels by about 50% after just 2–3 months (NIH).
In another study in 50 older adults, consuming vitamin D alongside a fat-heavy meal increased vitamin D blood levels by 32% after 12 hours compared to a fat-free meal (NIH).
Avocados, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy products and eggs are nutritious sources of fat that help boost your vitamin D absorption.
Types of Vitamin D
There are two main dietary forms (NIH):
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Found in some animal foods, like fatty fish and egg yolks.
Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Found in some plants, mushrooms, and yeasts.
Difference between vitamin D and D3? Of the two, D3 (cholecalciferol) seems to be almost twice as effective at increasing blood levels of vitamin D as D2 (ergocalciferol) (NIH, NIH).
Vitamin D3 and K2 Vitamin Supplement Benefits
This is likely because vitamin D gets the calcium into the blood, then vitamin K tells the calcium where it is most needed.
Taking vitamin D3 and K2 together actually promotes new bone growth. In 2019, researchers observed that vitamin D3 and K2 worked in tandem to form new osteoblasts, the cells that secrete osteocalcin, which is a biomarker for new bone growth.
To maintain healthy levels, only 400 to 800 IU (15 to 20 mcg) of vitamin D is required daily, but, to boost low levels, higher doses, such as 2,000 IU daily, are used and are generally safe.
Vitamin D Dosage Recommendations
In the US, current guidelines suggest that consuming 400–800 IU (10–20 mcg) of vitamin D should meet the needs of 97–98% of all healthy people (Trusted Source).
However, many experts believe the guidelines are far too low (Trusted Source).
Your vitamin D needs depend on a variety of factors. These include your age, skin color, current blood vitamin D levels, location, sun exposure and more.
To reach blood levels linked to better health outcomes, many studies have shown that you need to consume more vitamin D than the guidelines recommend (Trusted Source, Trusted Source, Trusted Source).
For instance, an analysis of five studies examined the link between vitamin D blood levels and colorectal cancer (Trusted Source).
Scientists found that people with the highest blood levels of vitamin D (over 33 ng/ml or 82.4 nmol/l) had a 50% lower risk of colorectal cancer than people with the lowest levels of vitamin D (less than 12 ng/ml or 30 nmol/l).
Research also shows that consuming 1,000 IU (25 mcg) daily would help 50% of people reach a vitamin D blood level of 33 ng/ml (82.4 nmol/l). Consuming 2,000 IU (50 mcg) daily would help nearly everyone reach a blood level of 33 ng/ml (82.4 nmol/l) (Trusted Source, Trusted Source, Trusted Source).
According to Dr John Campbell:
Deficiency: Less than 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L)
Insufficiency: 21 – 29 ng/ml (52 – 72 nmol/L)
Sufficiency: More than 30 ng/ml (75 nmol/L)
Another analysis of seventeen studies with over 300,000 people looked at the link between vitamin D intake and heart disease. Scientists found that taking 1,000 IU (25 mcg) of vitamin D daily reduced heart disease risk by 10% (Trusted Source).
Based on current research, it seems that consuming 1,000–4,000 IU (25–100 mcg) of vitamin D daily should be ideal for most people to reach healthy vitamin D blood levels.
However, don’t consume more than 4,000 IU of vitamin D without your doctor’s permission. It exceeds the safe upper limits of intake and is not linked to more health benefits (Trusted Source).
Vitamin D Deficiency
Some people are at a greater risk than others. In the United States, 41.6% of the total population is deficient, although minorities fare worse — 82.1% and 69.2% of blacks and Hispanics are deficient, respectively (Trusted Source).
Additionally, older adults are at a much greater risk of being deficient (Trusted Source).
Those who have certain diseases are also very likely to be deficient. One study showed that 96% of people who had experienced heart attacks were low in vitamin D (Trusted Source).
Overall, vitamin D deficiency is a silent epidemic. The symptoms are usually subtle and may take years or decades to surface.
The most well-known symptom of vitamin D deficiency is rickets, a bone disease common in children in developing countries.
Rickets has been mostly eliminated from Western countries because of the fortification of some foods with vitamin D (Trusted Source).
Deficiency is also linked to osteoporosis, reduced mineral density, and increased risk of falls and fractures in older adults.
What’s more, studies indicate that people with low vitamin D levels have a much greater risk of heart disease, diabetes (types 1 and 2), cancer, dementia, and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (Trusted Source).
Finally, vitamin D deficiency is linked to a reduced life expectancy (Trusted Source, Trusted Source, Trusted Source).
That said, it’s unclear whether deficiency contributes to these diseases or whether people with low levels are just more likely to get them.
Does Vitamin D Affect Metabolism?
Vitamin D is involved in the regulation of metabolic processes and development. This includes nerve conduction, normal mineralization of bone, muscle contraction, and general cellular function throughout the body.
Does Vitamin D Help Lose Belly Fat?
What is the Best Vitamin D Foods?
| Food | Amount | % RDI |
| Cod liver oil, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) | 1,360 IU / 34 mcg | 227% |
| Salmon, cooked, 3 ounces (85 grams) | 447 IU / 11 mcg | 75% |
| Tuna, canned in water, 3 ounces (85 grams) | 154 IU / 4 mcg | 26% |
| Beef liver, cooked, 3 ounces (85 grams) | 42 IU / 1 mcg | 7% |
| 1 large whole egg (D is found in yolk) | 41 IU / 1 mcg | 7% |
| 1 sardine, canned in oil, drained | 23 IU / 0.6 mcg | 4% |
Although fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, swordfish, trout, tuna, and sardines are decent sources, you would have to eat them almost every day to get enough.
The only excellent dietary source of vitamin D is fish liver oil — such as cod liver oil — which contains upwards of two times the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) in a single tablespoon (15 ml).
Keep in mind that dairy products and cereals are often fortified with vitamin D (NIH).
Some rare mushrooms also harbor vitamin D, and egg yolks contain small amounts.
Vitamin D and COVID 19
In recent weeks and months, there’s been an upshot of studies demonstrating the benefits of vitamin D against COVID-19. The evidence is so compelling, more than 100 doctors, scientists and leading authorities have signed an open letter calling for increased use of vitamin D in the fight against COVID-19.
Of those with a vitamin D level below 20 ng/ml (deficiency), 12.5% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, compared to 8.1% of those who had a vitamin D level between 30 and 34 ng/ml (adequacy) and 5.9% of those who had an optimal vitamin D level of 55 ng/ml or higher.
Another study, published in JAMA (JAMA Netw Open – Sep 2020) found that persons who are likely to have deficient vitamin D levels at the time of COVID-19 testing were at substantially higher risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than were persons who were likely to have sufficient levels.
The same team above, has also published a preprint article: A study at the University of Chicago of over 4,000 patients that found that untreated vitamin D deficiency was associated with an increased risk for COVID-19 infection.