Katharina Zillmann
Zinzino Independent Partner
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Why vitamin D is necessary for good health
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One billion people are vitamin D deficient worldwide and most of us don’t even know it. Our lifestyle, location and even the color of our skin play a huge role in our body’s ability to produce and absorb vitamin D and, much like other aspects of health, it’s a very personal matter. But it is possible to keep track of how our body is doing and to make the necessary improvements which are especially important when it comes to vitamin D.
So, why are so many people today in a deficiency? Well, lack of sunlight year-round and dangers related to sun exposure are two major, contributing factors. Urban living, indoor working, nutrition (or lack thereof), age, skin type and weight all impact the body’s ability to absorb sufficient levels of vitamin D. As one of the most essential nutrients, knowing your vitamin D status should be part of all health and wellness regimes.
What is the purpose of vitamin D?
This “sunshine nutrient” has multiple roles in the body. vitamin D contributes to a normal immune system and has a vital relationship with other nutrients, such as calcium.To promote bone growth, the body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium.
The sun takes care of up to 80% of the body’s vitamin D production, but this synthesis can only happen when we get adequate exposure to direct UV light on our skin. The remaining 20% can be sourced through a fortified, vitamin D-rich diet and food supplements. Spending 15-30 minutes in the sun every day is usually sufficient to top-up the vitamin D levels for most individuals with fair skin. You need up to 6 times more sun exposure if your skin is darker. The best time to make vitamin D from the sun is during working hours, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, between October and March, most of us in the Northern hemisphere can’t make any vitamin D from the sun at all.
There is a wide range of health benefits, all which are compromised when we don’t get enough sunlight to aid natural vitamin D production and the nutritional content of our modern diet does not have enough of this essential nutrient. This is especially true during the winter months when our food becomes a primary source of vitamin D. Common food sources of vitamin D include fatty fish such as salmon, cheese, eggs, breakfast cereals, mushrooms, spinach, kale, and soybeans.
Why is the source of vitamin D in the supplement important?
One size does not fit all and that is especially true when it comes to supplements. There is however more reason to be thorough and picky when it comes to vitamin D supplements, especially if you prefer vegan-friendly alternatives, as many manufacturers use chemically modified sources for vitamin D3. This is why most plant-derived vitamin D supplements use vitamin D2, even though vitamin D3 is absorbed better in the body. Lichen is an all-natural form of vitamin D3, free of toxins and contaminants. It is also the world’s first source of this nutrient that’s approved by the Vegan and Vegetarian Society.
Lichen, an algae surrounded by fungi, is the most bioactive and sustainable source of Vitamin D3 – the same as what our body produces when exposed to sunlight. Found on rocks, mountainsides and trees in North America, Asia, and Scandinavia, it bathes in sunlight soaking it up like a sponge.
ZinoShine+ is the all-natural and vegan vitamin D3 supplement
ZinoShine+ leverages 100% natural, wild-harvested lichen, delivering vitamin D3 benefits in its most bioactive form to help the body benefit from the nutrients. It also contains broad-spectrum magnesium to enhance absorption and contribute to reduce tiredness and fatigue. This food supplement also allows for great flexibility to tailor your intake throughout the year, based on your current vitamin D levels that are revealed in your VitaminD Test.
Shine a light on your health with the pioneers of test-based nutrition
Make sure to monitor your individual levels with the Zinzino VitaminD Test, heralded by Vitas; one of the world’s leading, independent, GMP-certified laboratories. The at-home, dried blood spot test is the very latest addition to the Zinzino test-based nutrition strategy; a natural next step after the global health and wellness company has spent a decade of driving preventive health. Today, Zinzino features the world’s largest database of fatty acid dried blood samples and is in a unique position to offer proof in writing that their scientifically proven supplements are doing their job to balance the body.
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