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There are groups that have a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency. Do you belong to any of the following groups?
Did you know that 48.7% of Filipinos are either Vitamin D-deficient or insufficient? This means that many Filipinos are at risk for health issues due to Vitamin D deficiency. (FNRI, 2013)
It’s never too early—or too late—to boost your vitamin D levels and support your health. Learn more about the importance of vitamin D, which deficiency symptoms you should watch out for, and the benefits of a supplement like Colecalciferol (Forti-D®).
Signs of Vitamin D Deficiency
A vitamin D deficiency can manifest as any of the following symptoms.
Poor Sleep
Higher risk for chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes
Hair loss
Muscle pain
Bone weakness
Weak immune system
Respiratory infections
Fatigue and tiredness
Who Are at Risk for a Vitamin D Deficiency
There are groups that have a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency. Do you belong to any of the following groups?
Avoiding the sun
One source of Vitamin D is sunlight. You can get adequate amounts while staying under the sun for enough time. Skin color is also a factor. Thus, the strength of UV rays available to you depends on the length of exposure to sunlight, location of your place, and amount of pigment in your skin.
Not eating enough fish or dairy
Natural and fortified foods like fish and dairy are rich in Vitamin D. A few examples are salmon, sardines, mackerel, and tuna, as well as milk, infant formulas, yogurt, butter, and margarine, respectively. With this kind of diet, you're helping your body absorb calcium and transport it to respective organs. With a deficiency, the active transport of calcium stops.
Existing health problem
Obesity, for example, affects the Vitamin D levels in the body. The higher a person's body mass index, the lower the Vitamin D level. In kidney failure, 99% of calcium is lost, as the said organ fails to absorb it when blood-carrying calcium (and other nutrients) passesthrough it. That's why Vitamin D deficiency is linked to mortality of people on dialysis, while Vitamin D levels are also linked to cardiovascular incidences, especially those with hypertension.
Aging
Elderlies tend to have fall incidences due to muscles weakness and frail bones. Several trials show that these can be minimized with higher Vitamin D levels, which is key to improved muscle function. The trials show that a significant 22% decrease in fall risk among those treated with vitamin D versus placebo or calcium only. Thus, vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of falling among elderlies and recommended to be part of a fall prevention program. Encourage your aging parents to have ad
Postmenopausal women
Women past menopausal stage can benefit from Vitamin D like those in a population based, randomized controlled trial where they received Vitamin D and calcium treatments. The result: it lowers their risk of cancer after the first year of treatment. Increase your chances of avoiding calcium-related cancer with adequate Vitamin D levels in your body.
Having Dark Skin
Skin color is a factor in Vitamin D absorption — people with darker skin or more melanin absorb less UV rays, and thus Vitamin D.
Health Benefits of Vitamin D
Vitamin D levels because of its many health benefits.
It helps with the following health benefits:
Improved sleep
with proper diet and exercise
May help lower the risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension
with proper diet and exercise
Linked to a possible decrease in the risk of cognitive decline and depression
with proper diet and exercise
Improved immunity
with proper diet and exercise
Can help contribute to a lower likelihood of respiratory infections
with proper diet and exercise
Improved mobility and muscle strength
with proper diet and exercise
Helps maintain gut health
with proper diet and exercise
Reduced risk for osteoporosis
with proper diet and exercise
To boost vitamin D levels, sun exposure (particularly of the skin on the arms, legs, and back) is recommended for at least 5 to 30 minutes daily, between 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, at least twice a week. (Wu S-E and Chen W-L, 2022 in Moderate Sun Exposure Is the Complementor in Insufficient Vitamin D Consumers. Front Nutr.)
Vitamin D and Body Aging
Did you know that we have two ages? There’s our chronological age or birth age, or how old we are from our date of birth. Then there’s our body age, or how our body feels and functions due to a process called biological aging.
Take this simple quiz to know more about your body age!
Our body age is influenced by several factors such as:
Diet and nutrition
Genetics
Frequency of exercise
Stress levels
Lifestyle habits, especially involving sleeping and/or exposure to cigarette smoke
Physical environments, particularly where you live and/or work
Presence of diseases and other conditions
Vitamin D deficiency
Studies show that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a faster rate of body aging, and thus a higher risk of age-related diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Vitamin D
Why take 2,000 IU of Vitamin D?
Studies showed that a daily 2,000 IU dose of vitamin D helped maintain ideal levels for longer than 1,000 IU of vitamin D.
For adults aged 50 to 59, the recommended intake increases to 400 IU, and for those 60 and older, it’s 600 IU. The Philippine Dietary Reference notes 2000 IU is considered the tolerable upper limit for Vitamin D.
How can I get vitamin D from the sun?
While the sun is a natural source that helps activate vitamin D production in our body, factors such as older age, darker skin, smoking, obesity, and chronic diseases (including liver and kidney disease), can reduce the body’s ability make enough vitamin D by itself, even with sun exposure.
Adequate sun exposure may also be challenging, because you need to expose 30% of your skin (arms, legs, and back), for 5 to 30 minutes, between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM to promote Vitamin D production.
How often should you take Colecalciferol (Forti-D®)?
Colecalciferol (Forti-D®) is available in 800 IU or 2000 IU doses of Vitamin D3.
Suggested use of Colecalciferol (Forti-D®) 800 IU or 2000 IU is one (1) softgel capsule per day, or as prescribed by your doctor.
What Has Been Said About Vitamin D
The so-called sunshine vitamin is poised to become the nutrient of the decade
- New York Times
Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased risk of common cancers, autoimmune diseases, hypertension, and infectious diseases.
- Michael F. Hollick and Tai C. Chen
published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2008)
Evidence is growing that the'sunshine vitamin' helps protects against a wide range of conditions including cancers.
- The Guardian
Vitamin D may support skeletal health and improve bone mineralization by increasing intestinal calcium absorption, reducing secondary hyperparathyroidism, and decreasing bone turnover.
- The New England Journal of Medicine, 2022
Which Colecalciferol (Forti-D®) Supplement to Choose From?
If you are looking for a supplement that can help put you on the right track toward improved vitamin D levels, choose Colecalciferol (Forti-D®)! It helps provide these vitamin D-related benefits, alongside a proper diet and exercise.
₱7.25
SRP Per tablet
800 IU
Helps prevent and address vitamin D deficiency and maintain adequate vitamin D levels with proper diet and exercise.
Helps reduce vitamin D deficiency to help slow down body aging with proper diet and exercise.
₱11.00
SRP Per tablet
2,000 IU
Helps prevent and treat vitamin D deficiency with proper diet and exercise.
Helps prevent vitamin D deficiency to help slow down body aging with proper diet and exercise.
More effective in increasing and maintaining optimal Vitamin D levels vs. 1000 IU formulation with proper diet and exercise.
Important
There are groups that have a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency. Do you belong to any of the following groups?
Now that you know the risks of vitamin D deficiency, let Colecalciferol (Forti-D®) help protect you against it and assist in slowing down body aging so you can live healthier and stronger for longer along with proper diet and exercise!
Whether your doctor recommends the 800 IU or 2,000 IU tablet, the Vital Vitamin in Colecalciferol (Forti-D®) can help target and address some of the early signs of a vitamin D deficiency along with proper diet and exercise!
Colecalciferol (Forti-D®) is available online and in leading drugstores nationwide at a suggested retail price (SRP) of ₱7.25 per 800 IU tablet and ₱11.00 per 2,000 IU tablet.