Why Vitamin D is Key
October 08, 2015
Vitamin D deficiency affects over half the population, is almost never diagnosed and has been linked to many cancers (colon, breast, ovarian, prostate), high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic muscle pain, bone loss and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. Many people believe if they eat enough Vitamin D-fortified foods that they'll be safe from deficiency. But this is not the case.
Did you know that the odds of eating enough food that have a therapeutic amount of Vitamin D that is naturally occurring is extremely slim? Another aspect of this powerful vitamin is that it is not just your regular vitamin - it's actually a steroid hormone that your body is designed to get mostly through sunshine exposure - not just your foods!
Vitamin D (hormone) controls many different functions - from preventing cancer, reducing inflammation, boosting mood, easing muscle aches, and fibromyalgia and building bones. So being deficient in it is obviously a problem you want to avoid.
5 Ways to Avoid Vitamin D Deficiency:
- Have your doctor test your Vitamin D levels
- Take the right type of Vitamin D (Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol).
- Take the right amount of Vitamin D. If you have a deficiency, take 5,000 to 10,000 IU daily for 3 months with doctor's supervision.
- Include Vitamin D sources in your diet (Ex: cooked, wild salmon, mackerel, one whole egg, etc.).
- Get outside into direct sunlight without sunscreen for at least 15 minutes a day.
For more information about the signs that you might be Vitamin D deficient, read this article.
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