Want Better Gut Health? Try This Supplement (Nope, Not A Probiotic)

How vitamin D helps modulate gut health

Vitamin D receptors (VDR) are found throughout the body, which provides us with valuable insight into where, exactly, we can reap the essential vitamin's health benefit (hint: pretty much everywhere—including the gut!).

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 mbg. 

But immune function isn't the only aspect of GI health that vitamin D supports! In a 2020 cross-sectional analysis2 published in Nature Communications, researchers found that men with higher concentrations of the active, hormone form of vitamin D showed greater gut microbiome diversity (which is a key indicator of optimal gut health), including the kind of gut microbiota that produce the postbiotic butyrate.* 

Are you getting enough vitamin D?

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.)

So, how can you benefit both your gut health AND your vitamin D absorption rate if your current D status is less than ideal?

How a daily vitamin D3 supplement can help

That said, not all vitamin D supplements are created equal. Here's what you should look for:

The takeaway

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

Thankfully, taking a high-potency vitamin D3 supplement that prioritizes bioavailability, like mindbodygreen's vitamin D3 potency+, can help you achieve and maintain sufficient vitamin D levels.* To which your gut says, thank you.

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.