5 Reasons You Need Vitamin D
January 5th, 2010
Via www.inspire.com
Vitamin D is known as the “sunshine vitamin” because the body synthesizes it with exposure to sunlight. This important hormone is used throughout the body, and:
- Helps to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus.
- Assists in the absorption of calcium and promotes bone mineralization, which may prevent or slow the progression of osteoporosis.
- Strengthens the immune system and protects against a number of serious diseases, including rickets and osteomalacia.
- May provide protection from hypertension, psoriasis and several autoimmune diseases (including multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis).
- Plays a role in defending against cancer (studies link a deficiency of vitamin D to as many as 18 different cancers).
- It isn’t easy to get enough vitamin D from your diet alone, though fortified foods (milk and cereals), eggs, salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines are all good sources. Even if you receive regular sun exposure (for most of us 20-30 minutes a day is adequate), I recommend taking 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day – look for supplements that provide D3 (cholecalciferol) rather than D2 (ergocalciferol).
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