What is the easiest way to get healthy: Vitamin D, Healthy Food, or Exercise


Let us assume, for argument, that they result in similar health benefits

Now let us estimate the monthly costs and time for each.

Does include: purchase, preparation, use, and cleanup
Does not include travel (time or cost)

COST per monthHOUR per month
Vitamin D    $0.50    0.2 hour
Healthy Food     $200
Vit D is 400X lower cost
    30 hour
Vit D takes 150X less time
Exercise    $30
Vit D is 60X lower cost
    10 hour
Vit D takes 50X less time


Thus, assuming that they have the same health benefits,
   Vitamin D is at least 50X better use of our time and 30X lower cost.

Ways to improve health has a venn diagram of food, exercise and supplements

Importance to Health VDW10426


VitaminDWiki - Ultra-processed food consumption: 2X increased risk of vitamin D deficiency – Dec 2023


65+ VitaminDWiki pages have EXERCISE in the title

This list is automatically updated

Items found: 68
Title Modified
Reduce ageing with Vitamin D, Omega-3, and Exercise (video) - Patrick March 2024 06 Mar, 2024
How Not To Age book (diet, exercise, supplements) Dr. Greger - Dec 2023 10 Dec, 2023
Life-extension, improved healthspan: Diet, Exercise, Omega-3, Vitamin D - many studies 09 Dec, 2023
How Vitamin D, Omega-3s, and Exercise May Increase Longevity - Patrick Nov 2023 10 Nov, 2023
US truckers die 16 years sooner (UVA-low Vitamin D, obesity, little exercise) 19 Oct, 2023
Muscle pain in obese women reduced by aerobic exercise plus 50,000 IU Vitamin D - RCT May 2021 27 Aug, 2023
Sarcopenia (muscle loss) fought by Vitamin D, exercise and protein - many studies 11 Jul, 2023
Senior men with good vitamin D exercised more and had less metabolic syndrome – May 2023 11 May, 2023
Exercise and Vitamin D are synergistic - many studies 09 Apr, 2023
Bones not helped by tiny Vitamin D and Mg, for a short time with no exercise - Feb 2023 11 Feb, 2023
Diabetic inflammation synergistically decreased by Vitamin D and exercise – RCT June 2022 09 Oct, 2022
Exercise-induced muscle damage fought when enough vitamin D used for long enough – review Sept 2022 24 Sep, 2022
Doggie dementia 6.5X more likely if not get exercise (probably low vitamin D) - Aug 2022 27 Aug, 2022
Vitamin D raised after intense exercise if initially low and can burn fat – June 2022 27 Jun, 2022
Exercise Performance improved by Vitamin D or Magnesium – 2021 05 Jun, 2022
2.5 X reduced risk of cancer in 70 year-olds by a small amount of Vitamin D, Omega-3 and exercise – RCT April 2022 25 Apr, 2022
COVID fought by Vitamin D as well as both mild and intense exercise - March 2022 09 Mar, 2022
Treadmill exercise helps (Diabetics in this case) - Jan 2022 30 Jan, 2022
Vitamin C is as good as exercise at reducing cardiovascular problems - Sept 2015 04 Jan, 2022
Intense exercise increases vitamin D receptor activation 26 Dec, 2021
Off Topic: Exercycle for high-intensity exercise with UV 11 Dec, 2021
Exercise improves bone strength (good), but not bone mineral density (can be measured) – RCT Oct 2021 08 Oct, 2021
Exercise training by seniors may benefit from as little as 800 IU of vitamin D – Sept 2021 01 Oct, 2021
Less muscle inflammation after exercise if high level of Vitamin D (50 ng) -July 2021 08 Jul, 2021
Poor food, little intense exercise again associated with low Vitamin D (and more COVID-19 in this case) – July 2021 07 Jul, 2021
Most exercise occurs in the evening (when there is little or no Vitamin D) – July 2017 18 Mar, 2021
Diabetes 50X less likely if 30 ng of Vitamin D and intense exercise – April 2018 11 Nov, 2020
Live 7 years longer free of major disease if eat well, not smoke, not obese, moderate drink and exercise (100,000 people) – Jan 2020 22 Feb, 2020
Sarcopenia reduction: Protein, Leucine, Omega-3, Vitamin D, and exercise - hypothesis Aug 2018 30 Jan, 2020
2X less muscle soreness after exercise if Omega-3 index higher than 4 – RCT 2014 23 Dec, 2019
Muscles not improved by just Vitamin D weekly (also need exercise) – Dec 2019 17 Dec, 2019
Depression treatments: diet, exercise, bright light, Vitamin D, B12, Omega-3, Zinc, Music, etc. – May 2019 08 Dec, 2019
Vitamin D and Calcium do not increase bone density (also need exercise, Mg, K2, protein etc.) – RCT Aug 2019 28 Aug, 2019
Vitamin D and Calcium does not increase bone density (also need exercise, Mg, K2, protein etc.) – RCT Aug 2019 27 Aug, 2019
Exercise reduces cancer deaths, Magnesium RDA reduces deaths even more – Aug 2019 23 Aug, 2019
Muscles of senior women not helped by just vitamin D (also need exercise) – Aug 2019 10 Aug, 2019
Hip fracture recovery best with home exercise plus Vitamin D – RCT Dec 2018 12 Dec, 2018
2 Vitamin D pills per month may be as good as 10 hours of exercise - Nov 2018 14 Nov, 2018
Sweating (sunbathing, intense exercise, sauna) removes toxins and increases Nitric Oxide 28 Sep, 2018
What is the easiest way to get healthy: Vitamin D, Healthy Food, or Exercise 16 Sep, 2018
Exercise plus vitamin D increases elderly muscles (Nordic walking in this case) – RCT Sept 2018 14 Sep, 2018
Postmenopausal women need Vitamin D, protein and exercise to prevent loss of muscle and bone – Aug 2018 21 Aug, 2018
Seniors can restore lost muscle (Sarcopenia) – first restore vitamin D, then exercise – July 2018 13 Jul, 2018
Seniors getting Vitamin D (but no exercise) for 3 months failed to increase muscle strength – RCT June 2018 03 Jul, 2018
Benefits of Micronutrients, fasting, saunas, intense exercise, cold showers – Patrick April 2018 21 Apr, 2018
Bones helped by Vitamin D, Physical Exercise, etc (this time - Bariatric Surgery) – RCT March 2016 30 Aug, 2017
Resistance exercise combined with Vitamin D is great for seniors – meta-analysis July 2017 24 Aug, 2017
Vitamin D and exercise after hip fracture surgery – far fewer deaths – July 2016 23 Aug, 2017
1 in 3 died after hip fracture but only 1 in 14 if add Vitamin D and exercise – RCT April 2017 19 Apr, 2017
How vitamin D helps exercise (IGF) – RCT Nov 2016 20 Nov, 2016
Elderly falls reduced 3.6 times by 900 IU of vitamin D and simple exercise – RCT Nov 2016 15 Nov, 2016
Diabetes 3X more likely if little aerobic exercise (perhaps low vitamin D) March 2016 24 Mar, 2016
Exercise capacity (VO2) 25 percent higher if high level of vitamin D – Dec 2015 23 Jan, 2016
Overweight women got 3X benefits from 8 weeks of Omega-3 and exercise vs placebo – RCT Dec 2015 15 Dec, 2015
Resistance exercise increases Vitamin D receptor for a few hours (in rats) – Oct 2015 17 Oct, 2015
Rate of injuries from falls cut in half by just 800 IU of vitamin D and exercise – RCT May 2015 13 Sep, 2015
4000 IU increased peak power in exercise vs placebo April 2010 27 Jul, 2015
T2 Diabetes helped by aerobic exercise, adding 1200 IU vitamin D helped even more – RCT Sept 2014 10 Jan, 2015
Outdoor exercise better than indoor for postmenopausal women (no mention of vitamin D) – Dec 2014 06 Dec, 2014
Breast Cancer probability reduced 12 percent with daily hour of (outdoor) exercise – March 2014 20 Mar, 2014
Vitamin D creates autophagy, as does calorie restriction and high intensity exercise – Feb 2013 11 Feb, 2013
Vitamin D Omega 3 and Exercise are being used in controlled trial to support healthy ageing – Feb 2012 24 Nov, 2012
Off Topic – Light exercise extend life by 4.5 years – perhaps more than vitamin D – Nov 2012 14 Nov, 2012
4000 IU vitamin D and exercise for overweight – PhD 2010 02 Jul, 2011
Postmenopausal women with higher vitamin D exercised more – Mar 2011 20 Mar, 2011
Seniors who increased vitamin D got more physical exercise – Feb 2011 15 Mar, 2011
Metabolites of vitamin D and exercise - May 2010 02 Jul, 2010
Vitamin D, Muscle Function, and Exercise Performance in kids – June 2010 09 Jun, 2010
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