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- Vitamin D supports bone and immune health, and your body absorbs it best when it is consumed with foods that contain healthy fats.
- Foods such as avocados, eggs, fatty fish, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and full-fat dairy products may help improve vitamin D absorption.
- Certain medications, digestive conditions, fiber intake, sunlight exposure, age, and skin pigmentation, can also affect vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D is a nutrient that plays important roles in the body, such as supporting skeletal and immune health and regulating levels of inflammation. Your body produces vitamin D from sunlight, and it’s also found in foods like fish and eggs. However, many people struggle to maintain optimal vitamin D levels. Fortunately, there are several ways to boost vitamin D absorption, including pairing it with certain foods.
Vitamin D Absorption Basics
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Unlike water-soluble vitamins, which aren’t readily stored in excess, fat-soluble vitamins (like vitamins A, D, K, and E) are stored in your body’s fat tissue and liver.
Vitamin D is absorbed in the small intestine. It’s packaged into structures called micelles, which are fat-based compounds that help transport vitamin D and other fat-soluble vitamins across the intestinal lining for absorption. Once absorbed, vitamin D is incorporated into larger fat-based particles called chylomicrons, which travel through your lymphatic system before entering the bloodstream. From there, vitamin D can be delivered to tissues throughout the body or stored in fat tissue for later use.
Vitamin D depends on fat-based compounds for absorption. This has led many people to believe that you must consume fat with vitamin D-containing foods and supplements to achieve superior absorption.
Can Foods Help Boost Vitamin D Absorption?
While it’s true that fat is necessary for your body to absorb and transport vitamin D and other fat-soluble nutrients, it’s unnecessary to always pair vitamin D-containing foods and supplements with a source of fat.
While dietary fat can improve vitamin D absorption, your body can still absorb some vitamin D even when no fat is consumed. For example, if you take a vitamin D supplement on an empty stomach, a portion of the vitamin can still be absorbed through mechanisms such as passive diffusion, a process in which substances move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.
That said, consuming vitamin D with a meal or snack that contains fat generally enhances absorption. For this reason, many experts recommend taking vitamin D supplements with a fat-containing meal or choosing formulations specifically designed to improve absorption and maintain optimal levels.
What Other Dietary Factors Impact Vitamin D Absorption?
There are several other dietary factors that may impact vitamin D absorption. Though more research is needed, some studies suggest that a high fiber intake may reduce the bioavailability of vitamin D through several mechanisms, including impairing micelle formation.
For this reason, you may want to take high-fiber foods and supplements, like psyllium husk, separately from vitamin D supplements.
Because they compete for the same absorption sites, consuming very large amounts of other fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin E, may also affect vitamin D absorption.
Foods To Pair With Vitamin D Supplements
If you're taking a vitamin D supplement, taking it with foods rich in healthy fats may help improve absorption. Because vitamin D is fat-soluble, dietary fat helps your body absorb and transport it more efficiently.
Foods that pair well with vitamin D supplements include:
- Avocados
- Olive oil
- Eggs
- Fatty fish
- Nuts and seeds
- Full-fat dairy products
If you'd rather not take your vitamin D supplement with food, you may want to consider a supplement specifically formulated to enhance absorption.
For example, some vitamin D supplements use liposomal technology. Liposomes are tiny fat-based spheres that act as carriers for vitamin D and other fat-soluble nutrients. Research suggests that liposomal vitamin D may be more bioavailable than some conventional vitamin D supplements because the liposomes help protect the vitamin and improve its absorption in the intestinal tract.
What to Know When Taking Vitamin D Supplements
While taking vitamin D with a source of fat may help maximize absorption, it's important to remember that several other factors can affect your vitamin D status.
Certain medications may lower vitamin D levels by increasing its breakdown in the body. Additionally, medical conditions that impair fat absorption, such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and cystic fibrosis, can make it more difficult for the body to absorb vitamin D and other fat-soluble nutrients.
Some research also suggests that taking very high doses of other fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin E, may interfere with vitamin D absorption.
Beyond diet and supplements, factors such as age, skin pigmentation, and sunlight exposure can impact vitamin D levels.
If you're concerned about your vitamin D levels, your healthcare provider can order a blood test and recommend supplementation or prescription vitamin D if necessary.
