How A Quality Vitamin D Supplement Can Help Promote A Healthy Gut*

Probiotics are great, but they aren't the be-all, end-all for gut health. Diversity is key for a healthy gut microbiome, which is why eating a diverse diet filled with lots of different fruits and veggies is often recommended for enhancing gut health.

If you've done any research on gut health, you already know how important a well-functioning GI tract is for supporting optimal immune function (since the bulk of our immune system is actually located in our gut1!). As it turns out, vitamin D plays a key role in critical immune defenses—and, in turn, helps optimize overall gut health.* 

"The vitamin D pathway is important in the regulation of immune responses and gut health. There are different genes regulated by the vitamin D receptor that can affect the integrity of the gut barrier and the immune defenses in the gut,"* Adrian F. Gombart, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry at Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute, previously told mindbodygreen. 

Vitamin D status and gut health are a classic chicken-and-egg scenario—without sufficient vitamin D, your gut microbiome isn't as healthy as it could be. And without a healthy gut, vitamin D doesn't get absorbed as well.

According to a 2016 study published in Frontiers3, vitamin D deficiency is associated with gut bacteria disruption, meaning gut health isn't so easily obtained with suboptimal vitamin D status. Luckily, the study also found that sufficient levels of vitamin D may improve gut health.*

If you're not sure what your current vitamin D status is, unfortunately, the odds are stacked against you: A shocking 29% and 41% of American adults4 are deficient or insufficient, respectively, in vitamin D. (And those are conservative estimates considering those cutoffs aim low, and higher levels of vitamin D status are supported by science and doctors.)

Choosing the right daily vitamin D supplement can help support both vitamin D sufficiency and a healthy gut.* 

Already feeling overwhelmed with the many vitamin D supplements on the market? We've got you covered. 

If you're looking to comprehensively support your gut (and whole-body!) health, ensuring that your vitamin D levels are sufficient is critical.