{"id":595766,"date":"2026-04-09T13:48:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/595766\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:48:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:48:46","slug":"down-arrow-button-icon-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/595766\/","title":{"rendered":"Down Arrow Button Icon"},"content":{"rendered":"

You might have heard that vitamin D can be crucial for bone health, and that taking supplements<\/a> may be in order if you\u2019re not getting enough naturally from sunlight or from D-rich foods<\/a> like eggs, oily fish, or fortified milks.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve maybe even heard that vitamin D has been shown to improve cognitive function<\/a> and to lower the risk of heart attack<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It may come as welcome news to learn that vitamin D could also heighten your energy levels<\/a>. <\/p>\n

That makes sense, since, according to the\u00a0Cleveland Clinic<\/a>, some of the top symptoms of vitamin D deficiency in adults are fatigue, muscle weakness, and low mood, which can lead to feeling down and exhausted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What is vitamin D?<\/p>\n

Vitamin D, also referred to as calciferol, is a fat-soluble vitamin available in foods, either naturally or through fortification, and through supplements, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements<\/a>. It is also produced within the body\u2019s cells when ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight hit the skin, triggering vitamin D synthesis.<\/p>\n

No matter what the source, though, vitamin D must be activated within the body\u2014first through the liver, which converts vitamin D to calcidiol, and then in the kidney, which forms what\u2019s known as calcitriol.<\/p>\n

Once activated, vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut, prevents muscle cramps and spasms, and leads to healthy bone growth.<\/p>\n

Vitamin D also plays a role in reducing inflammation, immune function, and glucose metabolism.<\/p>\n

Does vitamin D give you energy?<\/p>\n

A fair amount of research backs the idea that vitamin D may help put some pep in your step. <\/p>\n

A study published in the journal\u00a0Medicine<\/a>\u00a0compared the results of two groups with fatigue and vitamin D deficiency\u2014one of which was given\u00a0vitamin D supplements, the other a placebo. In just four weeks, the group given vitamin D experienced significant improvements in energy levels.<\/p>\n

Similarly, a small study out of the U.K.<\/a> found vitamin D vital for making our muscles work efficiently and boosting energy levels. It showed that muscle function improves with vitamin D supplements, suggesting that fatigue could be due to \u201creduced efficiency of the mitochondria: the \u2018power stations\u2019 within each cell of the body.\u201d<\/p>\n

One study of soccer players<\/a> found a link between vitamin D and improved athletic performance; another found<\/a> vitamin D improved the energy levels of recent kidney transplant patients. Researchers have even linked<\/a> vitamin D insufficiency to the chronic fatigue of fibromyalgia, and with fatigue and weakness in pre-menopausal women<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Do I need a vitamin D supplement?<\/p>\n

Before rushing to take D supplements, experts recommend seeing your doctor to test for vitamin deficiencies and to rule out other conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone is dealing with low energy, my initial response would be to recommend a series of tests before considering supplements,\u201d Dr. Elizabeth Sharp, internist and medical director at\u00a0Health Meets Wellness<\/a>\u00a0in New York City, previously told<\/a>\u00a0Fortune. \u201cTesting for vitamin deficiencies, such as vitamin D and\u00a0vitamin B12<\/a>, especially in vegetarians, is crucial. Additionally, I would screen for thyroid disorders if other symptoms suggest such a condition, and I would also rule out anemia and iron deficiency<\/a>. It\u2019s important to identify the underlying cause accurately to ensure appropriate and effective treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts caution that a supplement is unlikely to help if you\u2019re not deficient in a nutrient. Still, notes a\u00a0Harvard newsletter<\/a>, \u201cIt\u2019s very hard to get the vitamin D you need from your diet; oily fish and fortified dairy products are the only important sources.\u201d An analysis of 2013\u20132016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)\u00a0data<\/a> showed that 92% of men and more than 97% of women ingested insufficient amounts of vitamin D daily from food and beverages. So supplements likely make sense for most adults.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once vitamin D supplements are determined to be appropriate, exercise caution when making your purchase.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe wary of supplements that are far cheaper than the rest or look like a good deal,\u201d\u00a0Jolene Brighten<\/a>, naturopathic endocrinologist and author of\u00a0Is This Normal?, previously told<\/a> Fortune. \u201cOften these are using poor quality ingredients, and in some cases \u2026 they won\u2019t actually have what the label lists.\u201d (The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates supplements, but doesn\u2019t approve them for safety or effectiveness before they are sold to the public.)<\/p>\n

Consumers may want to consult the\u00a0National Institutes of Health [Office of Dietary Supplements]<\/a> as well as subscription-based sources, such as\u00a0Consumer Lab<\/a>, which looks into issues ranging from possible contaminants to making sure a supplement contains what it claims to.<\/p>\n

How much vitamin D do you need?<\/p>\n

Recommended daily intake for adults up to age 70 is 600 IU and 800 IU for adults over 70, according to the NIH<\/a>. Brighten adds, \u201cIt is also important to be getting enough sunlight.\u201d She also underscores the importance of testing D levels to help determine what you need.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t overdo it on supplements, caution experts. Taking too much vitamin D can be toxic in rare cases, as with an 89-year-old U.K. man who died last year<\/a> in part from vitamin D toxicity (though he did have several underlying conditions).<\/p>\n

Further, notes the Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin D can interact poorly with some medications, including statins and steroids, so be sure to discuss with your doctor.<\/p>\n

A version of this story originally published on Fortune.com<\/a> on Oct. 5, 2024.<\/p>\n

More on nutrition and supplements:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You might have heard that vitamin D can be crucial for bone health, and that taking supplements may…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":595767,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[8786,14307,10772,64,63,9930,4046,22663,538,137,50643,532,10771,2286,284515],"class_list":{"0":"post-595766","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-advice","9":"tag-always-free","10":"tag-and-wellness","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-dietary-supplements","14":"tag-doctors","15":"tag-editors-picks","16":"tag-fitness","17":"tag-health","18":"tag-illness","19":"tag-nutrition","20":"tag-personal-health","21":"tag-study","22":"tag-well-migrated"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=595766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/595767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=595766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=595766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=595766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}