Vitamin D Levels Are At An All Time Low

First of all, what is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, and the only vitamin that can be produced by our body.

Vitamin D helps your body absorb and use calcium, a mineral that gives strength to your bones and teeth, and helps your nerves and muscles function properly. Vitamin D also helps your immune system work effectively, and reduces inflammation.

A growing body of data now indicates that adequate levels of Vitamin D in our body can also provide protection from hypertension, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Because of Vitamin D's ability to help the body regulate absorption of calcium it's also showing it's ability to assist in reducing the severity of fractured bones.

New research is showing Vitamin D's critical role in defending against cancer. More than a dozen different cancers are linked to a deficiency of Vitamin D according to a number of studies. Finally, the newest research is showing that proper levels of Vitamin D can help in the battle with diabetes and help reduce heart disease and occurrence of heart attacks. Many people, however, have difficulty getting enough Vitamin D

What is the proper level of Vitamin D?

According to scientific research the proper level of Vitamin D in the blood stream is 40 to 60 ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter). The only way to determine your Vitamin D level is through a blood test.

The testing can be performed locally through your primary physician, or by the use of labs that can be found by searching the Internet. Prices at the time of this writing were in the $40 USD to $90 USD range. If you use an Internet lab you are sent a kit in the mail along with detailed instructions. In general, you simply prick your finger, apply drops of blood to the test strip, mail back, and wait for the test results.

In early tables, it was recommended that an average adult between the ages of 14-50 intake 200 IU of Vitamin D daily. At that level, a couple of glasses of fortified milk or a serving of tuna fish would supply that need. At age 50, it was suggested this amount be doubled.

New recommendations place these daily levels at 2,000 IU daily for anyone over the age of 14. At this level it becomes difficult to get adequate amounts through diet or sunlight alone. If you live south of a line drawn from Los Angeles to Columbia, South Carolina it's possible to simply get your Vitamin D from the sun. Draw a line from San Francisco to Philadelphia, and anyone north of that line will find it almost impossible to get adequate amounts from the sun for six months out of the year.

Sources of Vitamin D.

If you live south of a line drawn from Los Angeles to Columbia, South Carolina it's possible to simply get your Vitamin D from the sun. If you're fair of skin or your job or lifestyle keeps you out of the sun, diet and supplementation may be in order. Draw a line from San Francisco to Philadelphia, and anyone north of that line will find it almost impossible to get adequate amounts from the sun for six months out of the year.

Good dietary sources of vitamin D are butter, margarine, cheese cream, yogurt, milk eggs and fortified orange juice. The richest sources of vitamin D are fish-liver oils, particularly those of the halibut and the cod. Other fish sources are tuna, salmon, and mackerel. At most however, you generally won't receive more than 200-300 IU from a helping of fish, which has the highest level of Vitamin D. Fortified milk for example only has around 100 IU's per 8 ounce serving.

As you can see, you would have to eat a great deal of food to achieve adequate levels of Vitamin D on a daily basis.

What About Supplementation?

The Linus Pauling Institute suggests that generally healthy adults take 2,000 IU (50 mcg) of supplemental vitamin D daily. Because of variables in diet, geography, skin types, age, among others, supplementation is the only way to insure that you are getting adequate amounts of Vitamin D.

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Tony Logue is an internet marketer who is passionate about health and nutrition. He has discovered over the years that what we put in our body plays a major roll in our overall health and well being. Over the years he has tried countless products and is now a proponent of functional beverages. If you're interested in finding out more about Vitamin D supplementation possibilities visit Tony's Web Site

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