HealthyNutrition.me

More Info On Vitamin D & What It Means

by, S. Steve Dounis

There have been more research studies done on vitamin D in the past three years than on any other vitamin. It has become more than the usual “supplement of the day” fad. What makes the “sunshine vitamin” unique is that it is more than a vitamin, it is a hormone. It is triggered primarily by the sun, especially in the Spring and Summer months. The sun converts the cholesterol in our bodies to vitamin D. Vitamin D can also be supplemented in pill or capsule form and is derived from the lanolin in sheep’s wool. This form is scientifically referred to as cholecalciferol or vitamin D3.

Vitamin D is important for healthy bones as well as healthy function of nerves, muscles, and the immune system. Studies show that most Americans are deficient in vitamin D. We are not in the sunshine as much as we need to be, especially in the warmer months. Using sunblockers reduces any benefit we may receive from being in the sun. Consequently, we are more proned to catching colds and the flu during the winter months. Twenty minutes a day with 40% of our bodies exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB), without sunblockers, will give us about 5,000 to 10,000 IU of vitamin D. During the fall and winter months we should be supplementing with a minimum of 2,000 IU of vitamin D3. The Vitamin D Council recommends 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 should be taken daily. Most vitamin D supplements come in 1,000, 2,000, and 5,000 IU capsules. From the Fall and throughout Winter, 5,000 IU should protect you from any cold or flu.

A recent John Hopkins University research study found that a deficiency of vitamin D increases the risk of death by 26 percent. The study also found that vitamin D decreases the mortality rate from almost every type of cancer, including breast, colon and prostate. Other research indicate that vitamin D helps prevent diabetes, kidney disease and cardiovascular disease.

In the past 3 years, an increasing amount of research suggests that some of the damage done by vitamin D deficiency is done in-utero while the fetus is developing, and is the origin for a host of future perils for the child, especially for the child’s brain and immune system. More than 95% of pregnant women have 25(OH)D, (25-hydroxyvitamin D), blood levels below 50ng/ml, (50 nanograms per milliliter). The Vitamin D Council recommends that our blood levels should be 50ng/ml or above.

The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University suggests that the effects of vitamin D on the immune system may, “enhance innate immunity and inhibit the development of autoimmunity”. Vitamin D may be a useful remedy in preventing and treating autoimmune diseases.

An autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues rather than a foreign invader. Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, Parkinson, are some examples of autoimmune diseases. In the case of multiplesclerosis, for example, the immune system attacks the myelin producing cells of the nervous system. And, in the case of rheumatoid arthritis the collagen producing cells of the joints are attacked. Bringing the vitamin D levels up may be the way to help prevent or even reverse autoimmune type diseases.

Have your doctor test your vitamin D levels. Take a minimum of 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily. Protect your immune system. Vitamin D3 supplements may also come from fish. However, it is best to get the vitamin D3 supplements from sheep. (If the supplement does not mention the origin, it is usually from sheep).

See YouTube video for more info:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–NqqB2nhBE