Sunday, December 14, 2008

VITAMIN D, the Sunshine Vitamin

Our bodies make vitamin D from sunlight, but as the days grow shorter, the rays of the sun become less direct and vitamin D production drops. Researchers have discovered that there are vitamin D receptor sites in almost all our organs as well as the brain, and that we need a lot more of vitamin D to maintain good health than was originally thought. Vitamin D is necessary for cells to communicate. It helps cells recognize “self” from “enemy”. There are cancer watch dog cells in your body which can sense and stop cell growth from becoming cancerous. Without enough vitamin D these cells can’t do their job. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to 17 different cancers. Also, no matter how much calcium you take in, unless you have enough vitamin D you can’t make strong bones. Low vitamin D levels have been linked to joint and bone pain and to osteoporosis.

Without enough vitamin D these cells can’t do their job. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to 17 different cancers as well as diabetes, irritable bowel and autoimmune conditions. Vitamin D has also been found to activate a natural antibiotic in our bodies, making our immune system much stronger. There are two forms of vitamin D: D2 and D3. Vitamin D3 is the best absorbed of the two, and you need at least 2000iu every day from Fall to late Spring. In the summer, if you are out in the sun without sunscreen long enough to color slightly, you don’t need to take any extra vitamin D that day.

REMEMBER MOST IMPORTANT:

Vitamin D: You need at least 2000iu every day from Fall to late Spring.

1 comment:

  1. Hi... I need to update that vitamin D dosage. You need 1000iu D3 for every 100lbs of body weight to get to and maintain D levels between 50-100ng/ml (the ideal range)

    ReplyDelete