How Long Does It Take For Vitamin D To Start Working?

It’s vital that you get the recommended amount of the essential vitamins in order to maintain proper bodily functioning. Vitamin D is no exception. Still, a jarring number of people suffer from vitamin D deficiency. 

There are several ways that you can boost your vitamin D levels, but some are easier than others. One of our favorite ways is to simply incorporate a vitamin D supplement into your daily routine. 

If you’re vitamin D deficient and start taking vitamin D, you might be wondering how long it will take to begin seeing the signs that your supplement is kicking in. 

Today, we’re going to answer that question for you and more. We’ll begin by running through some background information on vitamins. Next, we’ll dive into the importance of vitamin D and what happens when you have a deficiency. Finally, we’ll discuss how long it takes for vitamin D to begin working.

What Are Vitamins?

You’ve heard about the importance of vitamins before, but if you’re unsure about what exactly they are, we’ve got you covered. The word “vitamin” refers to the organic compounds that the body requires to keep your body running smoothly. 

Humans only require these in small quantities, but it’s important to be sure you have enough. You can acquire them through food, supplements, or in the case of vitamin D, sunshine. (We’ll discuss why that isn’t the best option later though.) 

Each vitamin plays a different role in the body, which is why you should ensure that you have enough of every vitamin — not just a particular one. Having too little of a vitamin can mean that you’re at increased risk of developing health problems. 

Because vitamins are organic compounds, they contain carbon. This is also a nutrient that nourishes the body and it needs to acquire, usually from food. 

There are currently 13 recognized vitamins. Vitamins can either be water or fat soluble. The fat soluble vitamins include A, D (both types), E, and K. Because fat-soluble vitamins can stick around in the body for a bit longer, you can expect your body to store them in the fatty tissue and liver for days or even months. Dietary fats are necessary to help your body absorb the vitamins by way of the intestinal tract. 

On the contrary, water soluble vitamins, such as C and B, don’t remain in the body for an extended period of time. They cannot be stored and instead, exit the body through the urine. Due to this, you’ll need a more regular supply of water-soluble vitamins in comparison to fat-soluble ones.

What Is Vitamin D and Why Is It Important?

Vitamin D is sometimes referred to as “calciferol.” It’s one of the fat-soluble vitamins that occurs naturally in only a few foods, gets added into others, and can be taken as a supplement. In addition, you can acquire vitamin D when ultraviolet rays from the sun strike your skin. This triggers a process referred to as vitamin D synthesis.

There are several reasons why you need vitamin D. It promotes calcium absorption and ensures that you’re maintaining adequate phosphate and serum calcium concentrations for regular bone mineralization. 

In addition, the human body requires vitamin D for bone growth. During childhood, it can ensure that your bones become healthy and strong. For older people, it can prevent the potentially devastating effects from a fall from being so devastating. 

If those are enough reasons for you to be sure that you’re getting your vitamin D, what if we told you it has other roles in the body? It’s the truth! 

Vitamin D also works to soothe the body, as well as helps with modulating processes including neuromuscular and immune function, glucose metabolism, and cell growth. It even works with your parathyroid glands. It can’t be understated how important this vitamin is to the human body’s proper functioning.

All About Vitamin D Deficiency

If you suspect that you have a vitamin D deficiency, the first thing that you should do with your doctor is figure out what your levels are. This is easy to do by simply taking a quick blood test. 

Once you’ve received test results regarding your vitamin D levels, you can begin treating the deficiency (if there is one). But first, let’s discuss everything you need to know about having a vitamin D deficiency. 

(Spoiler alert: If you know you’re deficient, it’s important to try to get to a normal level.)

If you have a vitamin D deficiency, you simply don’t have enough vitamin D present in your body. Keeping vitamin D deficiency at bay can help protect you from several conditions. 

Some of these include:

• High blood pressure
• Infections or immune system problems
• Falls (especially in older individuals) 
• Other diseases that can occur when cell growth doesn’t occur correctly 

There are certain groups of people who are more prone to having a vitamin D deficiency. If you find that you are part of one or more of these groups, it’s especially important that you check your levels and take appropriate action to raise them if they’re low. This includes:

• Older people, as the skin’s ability to create vitamin D itself lessens as we age
• Mobility, as people who don’t get outside much won’t be able to naturally acquire vitamin D from the sun
• Skin color, as people with deeper skin tones are unable to make vitamin D as effectively
• Infants, as human breast milk and formula don’t contain that much vitamin D

It’s much easier to notice a vitamin D deficiency in children than it is in adults. In children, you’ll usually notice weakness in their muscles, bone pain, incorrect growth patterns, and even deformities in joints — which is more rare but can happen. In adults, it’s not as obvious. 

You might notice fatigue, pain in your bones, muscle cramps, aches, or weakness, or mood changes. If mood change is a significant symptom for you, we suggest reaching out to a trusted therapist or counselor. While getting more vitamin D can help reduce symptoms, it’s important that you’re nourishing your body and mind. 

How Do I Get More Vitamin D?

There are several ways that you can acquire more vitamin D. The first way is to eat foods that are high in vitamin D or are fortified with the vitamin. 

While not many foods naturally contain vitamin D, it’s becoming more widespread for it to be added in, so be sure to check the label. These can include: 

• Swordfish
• Cod liver oil
• Salmon
• Tuna 
• Orange Juice (fortified)
• Some types of cereals (fortified)
• Milk (fortified)
• Yogurt (fortified) 

Another option is to acquire your vitamin D through the sun. However, there are a few things that you should know about this. For one, you need to make sure you’re getting enough sun exposure. This isn’t realistic for people that live in some parts of the world, especially those that have long, rainy seasons. 

In addition, the vitamin D through sunlight approach is better for those who have fair skin. Finally, you should also always make sure that you’re putting on sunscreen when you sit outside in the sun. The problem? You guessed it — sunscreen reduces the vitamin D you can acquire from the sun.

Our personal favorite way is to add a vitamin D supplement to your daily routine. If you play your cards right, you can even find a vitamin that you enjoy taking (like our vitamin D gummy!). Taking a gummy supplement is simple, effective, and helps you get the vitamin that you need. 

There’s no sitting around in the sun and getting burnt or scanning food labels to see if the product has been fortified with vitamin D. It’s easy and efficient. Not to mention we know you’ll love Cosmos Vita’s Beaming vitamin D gummy supplement as much as we do. They’re made right here in the United States, and they’re entirely gluten-free, vegan safe, and created without artificial dyes or flavors. Now that’s what we call a win-win. 

Beaming was carefully created with high potency D3. That means that you can rest assured that you’re getting a supplement that tastes great and has the vitamin you need in it. All of our gummies were created with simple ingredients, because why make things complicated? 

We can taste the difference — and you will be able to, too. 

How Long Does It Take for Vitamin D To Start Working?

The good news is that it won’t necessarily take very long to begin to see an improvement. Of course, there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer, because how long it will take to see results truly does depend on how deficient you are. 

Still, If you add a vitamin D supplement into your lifestyle, you can even begin to see results as early as three to four months. 

The most important thing is to be patient — raising your vitamin D levels is a marathon, not a sprint. Trust us, it will be worth it.

In Conclusion

There are plenty of reasons why raising your vitamin D levels is important if you’re currently low. When you do this, you’re nourishing your body and can help make holistic, positive impacts on your health which is always an excellent decision. 

 

SOURCES: 

How to Spot a Vitamin D Deficiency | UnityPoint

How long does it take for vitamin D to work? | Drugs.com 

Vitamin D Deficiency: Symptoms & Treatment | Cleveland Clinic

Vitamin D - Health Professional Fact Sheet | NIH 

Vitamins: What are they, and what do they do? | Medical News Today