Location, time of day, age, and skin tone all affect the body’s ability to produce the vitamin in the skin (not to mention the fact that many of us slather on sunscreen to protect us from sun damage and signs of aging). What that leaves us with is an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. And given the numerous functions of D in the body, this is for sure not a good thing. Involved in an array of physiological processes, vitamin D is not only essential for your body to function properly but is a key component of a thriving body. So, what does vitamin D do? Approximately 93% of Americans1 consume less than 400 I.U. a day, and as it turns out, we need much more than that to positively affect vitamin D status and health.* When it comes to vitamin D levels, 41% of American adults meet the criteria for clinical insufficiency, and around 30% of American adults are straight-up deficient2. That means you or one of your closest friends or family members could use some help with their D intake. With research suggesting a baseline of 3,000 I.U. of vitamin D33 per day to achieve the minimum cutoff for vitamin D sufficiency (30 ng/mL—though the science indicates the goal is 50 ng/ml or higher), you can see why our nation’s current vitamin D consumption (or lack thereof) is a cause for concern. The only vegetable that contains the all-important vitamin D is irradiated mushrooms (and they really aren’t even a vegetable, but a fungus). “Mushrooms produce vitamin D2 by converting ergosterol in their membranes via a photochemical reaction in the same way that UV from the sun converts cholesterol to vitamin D3,” says Robert Bruce Beelman, Ph.D., an expert on the effects of UV light on mushrooms. Mushrooms contain a different type of D than what’s formed as a result of sun exposure in our bodies (or what we consume from fatty fish or eggs). When hit with adequate and sustained UV light, mushrooms produce D2, while our bodies produce D3. Vitamin D2 usually comes from plant sources like mushrooms and D3 from animal sources like salmon. Another cool thing about mushrooms is that you can expose them to more UV light to increase the amount of D2 in them. Beelman used pulsed light emitted from a Xenon lamp on mushrooms in his research8, but even placing your shrooms outdoors will do the trick to boost their D supply, according to famous mycologist Paul Stamets. The only other plants containing vitamin D are algae and phytoplankton, which actually contain D3 rather than D2. Though often put in the “sea vegetables” category, algae isn’t actually a vegetable. Nonetheless, this marine botanical provides a potent—and highly sustainable—source of plant-based D3.* While our bodies can still use D2 (ergocalciferol), a large body of science underscores its inferiority to vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Indeed, D3 is far superior for human consumption based on its bioactivity, stability, and bioefficacy.* Case in point: You would have to eat a lot of D2-rich mushrooms daily, approximately seven cups, to consume about 5,000 I.U. (i.e., the amount to achieve vitamin D sufficiency in normal-weight adults). But since vitamin D2 is two to three times less effective than vitamin D3, you actually need 14 to 21 cups of mushrooms. Who’s ready for that fungi challenge? As an essential component to whole-body health, vitamin D is always important to talk about. Whether you can’t figure out how to get your vitamin D levels up, need more info about what this deficiency looks like for your body, or are ready to commit to a primo, organic vitamin D3 supplement that promotes healthy vitamin D levels in the body, mbg has you covered for all things D.*
