Sitting here in UK and looking out at the wintery conditions, it’s hard to remember the last time I felt that warm glow from sitting out in the sun for a few minutes. We hear about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and the increased chance of various ailments during winter, and it’s easy to understand why. We see less sunshine to produce vital Vitamin D3 and we tend to consume far less quality Omega-3s during the colder months of the year.

It is well known that in winter we obtain far lower Vitamin D levels as a result of the weather conditions, but often people don’t realise the huge impact consuming less Omega-3 in our diets can have on our health.

Our body just doesn’t produce sufficient Vitamin D in winter

Granted, if you live near the equator you probably have an abundance of Vitamin D3!

However for most of us during the winter/colder months of the year, even on a beautiful crispy, sunny wintery day, the intensity of UV light insufficient to allow our bodies to produce enough Vitamin D to keep us healthy. In fact for a lot of people in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s a rarety during the entire year that they get sufficient Vitamin D production simply from sun exposure.

This leaves us at high risk of Vitamin D deficiency and puts our health and wellbeing under the cosh.

We typically don’t get sufficient Omega-3 in winter

Sadly it isn’t just Vitamin D that is a problem, we typically consume far less omega-3 rich foods in winter/colder months.

Those enjoying diets rich in oily fish tend to consume far less in the winter months, simply as a result of seasonal changes in dietary preferences and fish availability, and of course Vegans and Vegetarians are already at risk of obtaining no Omega-3 in the vital forms of EPA & DHA from their diets.

Omega-3 deficiency has a hugely negative impact on our health, mood and general wellbeing.

Omega-3 and Vitamin D3: working synergistically

‘Synergy’ is a term that describes items that, when combined, provide benefits/actions way over and above simply using them both individually. That is exactly the case with Omega-3 and Vitamin, and explains why so many Omega-3 supplements on the market also contain Vitamin D3.

Research suggests the Omega-3 and Vitamin D3 work together synergistically in many ways, including the regulation of serotonin levels in the brain. Opti3 and Vitashine: helping you through winter.