Vitamin D3 1,000IU by Protocol for Life Balance

A 1,000 IU softgel is a maintenance dose for adults who want to keep Vitamin D (25-hydroxy) in a healthy range: people who get little midday sun, use sunscreen consistently, have darker skin at northern latitudes, or are older. It also suits anyone stepping down after a higher repletion dose. If your level is clearly low, or you carry more body weight, 1,000 IU a day will raise it only slowly; a higher dose for a few months first, then this, is the usual plan.

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is the form your skin makes from sunlight, and it raises blood levels more effectively than D2. The liver and kidneys convert it into the hormone that increases calcium absorption from the gut and helps keep parathyroid hormone in check, which is how it supports bone. Muscle and immune cells carry vitamin D receptors too. The D3 here comes from lanolin, the oil in sheep's wool, and is carried in extra virgin olive oil inside a bovine gelatin softgel, so it is not vegetarian.

Each softgel provides 25 mcg (1,000 IU) of vitamin D3. The label directs 1 softgel daily with a fat-containing meal, or as directed by your healthcare practitioner. Vitamin D is fat-soluble, which is why the meal matters; morning or evening makes no difference. If you miss a day, carry on as normal the next day.

The label says vitamin D should be used cautiously by anyone with hypercalcemia (high calcium) or taking cardiac glycosides such as digoxin, and that it may interact with atorvastatin and thiazide diuretics; if you take any of these, consult your healthcare practitioner first. Check with your clinician too if you have recurrent kidney stones, primary hyperparathyroidism, sarcoidosis or significant kidney disease. Orlistat and bile acid sequestrants reduce absorption. Count the vitamin D in your multivitamin or calcium supplement toward your total.

Vitamin D (25-hydroxy) moves slowly: retest after 8–12 weeks on a steady dose, then adjust. You will not feel it working; the result is on the lab report. Once your level is where you and your clinician want it, a yearly check, ideally at the end of winter when levels are lowest, is enough. Drops are an alternative if you prefer not to swallow softgels.