Description
Vitamin D is critical for your child’s health and it is estimated that up to 70% of American children are deficient. Virtually every gene in the body has a vitamin D receptor that when bound to vitamin D, can influence the expression of more than 900 genes. Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption, helps regulate immune and neuromuscular functions, promotes cell growth, maintains healthy bones and teeth, and is protective against everything from asthma to autoimmune disease.
How do we get Vitamin D?
There are various forms of vitamin D, but we supplement with D3 (cholecalciferol) because it is the more naturally occurring form of the vitamin and may raise levels more effectively. Vitamin D3 naturally comes from sunlight and food. When the solar ultraviolet B photons from sunlight hit our skin, it photolyzes a precursor called 7-dehydro-cholesterol to previtamin D3, which is then converted to vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). The D3 we get from our skin and diet is then converted by the liver into 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (which is what is measured on a lab test) and stored until it is converted into its biologically active form 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the kidneys.
Vitamin D3 is found mainly in seafood, dairy products, and sunlight. This can be problematic for many reasons: Think heavy metal contamination and the amount of fish you’d have to force your child to eat, the problems that come with consuming dairy products, and lack of access to adequate amounts of sunlight — especially in the winter or in climates where it is cloudy or rainy much of the time.
“Liquid Vitamin D3 for Kids” is an isolated liquid vitamin D supplement that provides 400 IU of D3 per drop and is in the ideal form (cholecalciferol) to maximize absorption. Using a liquid version allows us to add MCT oil to the mix to increase bioavailability, as D3 is a fat soluble vitamin.
Why is Vitamin K not in this supplement?
You’ll notice that this supplement does not contain vitamin K, that is because humans are adapted to get their nutrients from whole foods and outside of select conditions (like heart disease and unique health conditions that affect menopausal women), it is more ideal to supplement with D3 and obtain K (in its various forms) from your diet.
Check out more specifics on maximizing the benefits of this vitamin D supplement (and its co-factors) in the “usage” section.
Liz –
My kids love this! They would drink it if I’d let them.