What you need to know about Vitamin D

The news is constantly trumpeting something about Vitamin D, almost everyday. It seems that both the medical community and the general public have greatly underestimated the significant role that Vitamin D plays in overall health and well-being.Originally, Vitamin D was for known for playing a critical role in helping to maintain calcium levels, for bone health.Today, we know that Vitamin D does much more. Some health experts are so concerned that they feel that the public is facing an epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency, with potentially, grave consequences. The good news is that Vitamin D, deficiency is easy to correct, once you understand its role in promoting better health.Here is what you need to know about Vitamin D-

It may be surprising to learn that although it's called a vitamin, Vitamin D is really a hormone, and not a vitamin. This distinction is made because vitamins, cannot be produced by the body, (we get them from dietary sources). On the other hand hormones, like Vitamin D are made in your body. Vitamin D is classified as a steroid hormone. There are several benefits of Vitamin D. Some of these include:

• It makes hundreds of enzymes, and proteins, which are crucial for preserving health and preventing disease.


• It has the ability to interact, and affect more than 2,000 genes in the body.


• It is also known to enhance muscle strength, and builds bone.


• It has anti-inflammatory effects and bolsters the immune system.


• It helps the action of insulin, and has anti-cancer activity.

Extensive studies have linked Vitamin D deficiency, with so many of the diseases of modern society. Because of its vast array of benefits, it has become crucial to maintain optimal levels of Vitamin D for your health. Researchers have been surprised to learn that Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to play a role, in almost every major disease, including:

• Heart disease


• High blood pressure


• Osteoporosis


• 17 varieties of Cancer (including breast, prostate and colon, the most common forms)


• Obesity


• Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes


• Autoimmune diseases


• Multiple sclerosis


• Rheumatoid arthritis


• Osteoarthritis


• Bursitis


• Gout


• Infertility and PMS


• Parkinson's Disease


• Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder


• Alzheimer's Disease


• Chronic fatigue syndrome


• Fibromyalgia


• Chronic Pain


• Periodontal disease


• Psoriasis

There are only two reliable sources of vitamin D. These are the sun and supplements. Sunlight exposure has been found as the only reliable way, for your body to generate Vitamin D. Vitamin D is produced by your skin, in response to exposure, to ultraviolet radiation, from the sun. Our bodies work so well at this, that most of us make approximately 20,000 units of Vitamin D, after only 20 minutes of summer sun, without suntan lotion. That is 100 times more than the government even recommends per day! However you should keep in mind, that you do not generate Vitamin D when sitting behind a glass window, whether in your car, or at home, because these UV rays cannot penetrate glass, to generate Vitamin D in your skin Also it is important to remember that sunscreens, (even weak ones), almost completely block your body's ability to generate Vitamin D.

Because of this, that leaves the other reliable source of getting Vitamin D, through supplements. It is important to understand that only about 10% of your Vitamin D comes from what you eat. This makes it nearly impossible, to get adequate amounts of Vitamin D, from your food. While there are good sources of Vitamin D (fatty fish, fortified milk, juices, cereal and egg yolks) you would have to eat nearly astronomical amounts, to get enough Vitamin D.Nutritional experts agree that the best way to get Vitamin D is by supplementing through a vitamin.