The Importance of the "Sunshine Vitamin" During the Dark Winter Months

Approximately 95% of the US population do not meet the daily requirement for vitamin D¹

PLEASANTON, Calif., Nov. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The connection between sunlight and bone health was made over 200 years ago when a Polish doctor treated inner city children with rickets (or soft bones) by taking them to the countryside for the summer months. Leading wellness and sustainability brand Shaklee is here to explain why vitamin D is more than just for your bones. In fact, vitamin D promotes heart, metabolic, and immune system health in addition to supporting bone health. And in the winter, when our sunshine exposure is shortened, it's important to supplement vitamin D to support our overall health and well-being.

"Vitamin D is produced when sunlight touches our skin, and very few foods in nature contain vitamin D, with fortified foods – primarily cow's milk – being responsible for most of the vitamin D in the American diet,"² said Jamie McManus, MD, FAAFP, and Shaklee's Chair of Medical Affairs. "As daylight savings time ends, we have less opportunity to absorb vitamin D through sunlight. Therefore, Americans should supplement their vitamin D intake, especially during winter." Other risk factors for low vitamin D status include darker-pigmented skin color and obesity.

Backed by two Shaklee clinical studies and packed full of the "sunshine vitamin" in its most potent form, Shaklee's Vita-D3® raises the levels of vitamin D in your blood to support overall health, bone health, heart health, and immunity.*^3,4 Vita-D3 provides 2,000 IU of high-potency vitamin D3.

https://us.shaklee.com/Nutrition/Vitamin-%26-Mineral-Boosts/Vita-D3%C2%AE/p/21364

Vitamin D is absorbed into our bloodstream and converted to the active form (a secosteroidal hormone) and a storage form (25-hydroxyvitamin D) – it functions more like a hormone than a vitamin. So, it is no surprise that having sufficient levels of vitamin D is so important for a broad array of health effects.

Potential benefits associated with vitamin D include:

• Aids in calcium absorption for maintaining strong bones and teeth*
• Helps support healthy heart and immune function*
• Facilitates healthy cell development*

"At Shaklee, we can't stress enough the importance of having healthy levels of vitamin D, especially as our hours of sunlight lessen in the winter months and it's nearly impossible to get this vitamin naturally," said Roger Barnett, Chairman and CEO, Shaklee Corporation. "We're proud to offer a safe and proven vitamin D supplement in its most potent form to support bone, heart, metabolic, and immune system health."

Shaklee's mission is to bring true wellness to the world. And true wellness means physical health through great products, financial opportunity, emotional health through the love and support of the amazing Shaklee community, and the health of the planet as a whole. Every human being needs all four of these elements to live a great life. People all over the world are starting to recognize how important true wellness is.To learn more about Shaklee and to join its ambassador network, visit: www.shaklee.com. To learn more about Shaklee's Vita-D3, visit: https://us.shaklee.com/Nutrition/Vitamin-%26-Mineral-Boosts/Vita-D3%C2%AE/p/21364.

Shaklee is a leading wellness company founded by Dr. Shaklee, who invented the first multivitamin in the US more than 100 years ago. As a pioneer in sustainability, Shaklee was the first company in the world to fully offset its carbon emissions and have a net zero impact on our planet. Shaklee products are backed by over 110 published clinical studies proving safety and efficacy and are marketed through more than 2 million ambassadors in North America and Asia. With a complete wellness portfolio, Shaklee is committed to providing consumers with the products and support they need to live their healthiest lives. For more information, visit www.shaklee.com, follow @shakleehq on Instagram, or like us on Facebook.

Roger Barnett is the Chairman and CEO of Shaklee Corporation, the first company in the world to be certified carbon neutral. A graduate of Yale College, Yale Law School, and Harvard Business School, Roger has spent the majority of his career as an impact investor. In 2004, he acquired control of Shaklee, the pioneer of nutritional supplements, and has since transformed this once analog business into a digital powerhouse with a network of 2 million ambassadors across the globe. He has been selected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum and is a member of the Harvard and Yale Schools of Public Health Leadership Councils, the University Council of Yale University, and the Yale University President's Council on International Activities.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

1. Wallace TC, McBurney M, Fulgoni VL, 3^rd. Multivitamin/mineral supplement contribution to micronutrient intakes in the United States, 2007-2010. J Am Coll Nutr. 2014;33(2):94-102.
2. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, 2016, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/#en1
3. Maki KC, Rubin MR, Wong LG, McManus JF, Jensen CD, Lawless A. Effects of vitamin D supplementation on 25-hydroxyvitamin D, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and other cardiovascular disease risk markers in subjects with elevated waist circumference. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2011 Jun;62(4):318-27.
4. Maki KC, Rubin MR, Wong LG, McManus JF, Jensen CD, Marshall JW, Lawless A. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is independently associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the metabolic syndrome in men and women. J Clin Lipidol. 2009 Aug;3(4):289-96.

SOURCE Shaklee Corporation