The Wonders of Vital-Min D

Vitamin D is vital for humans as it can help boost the immune system, improve your frame of mind, help fight disease, and assist everyday bodily functions. According to the Mayo Clinic, Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that has been proven to help the human body maintain calcium levels and build bone strength. Some researchers feel that this single vitamin, if taken regularly, can help lessen your chance of getting diseases, especially heart-related ones like hypertension, heart failure, and strokes.

Research has shown that Vitamin D can also decrease depressive moods if taken regularly, with a study citd at Health.com finding a significant relationship between depression and Vitamin D deficiency, although they acknowledge that more research is needed.

Vitamin D deficiencies may occur from living in an area with high pollution, using too much sunscreen, spending too much time indoors, or having a fair complexion. Symptoms of a deficiency include extreme fatigue, as well as bone and muscle weakness leading to stress fractures primarily in the legs and hips.

On the flip side, getting enough Vitamin D can be easily achieved. The Mayo Clinic claims that 400 units per day is recommended for children up to 12 months of age, with 600 units per day recommended for ages 1 through 70, and 800 units per day recommended for those over 70 years of age. But you don’t necessarily need to take Vitamin D as a supplement. Instead, you can get Vitamin D can by sitting in front of a window that has the sun beaming through it, or stepping out in the sun, for 20 minutes a day. You can also get Vitamin D by eating fatty fish or fortified yogurts, juices, cereals, and oatmeal products.

If you do decide to take a supplement, it is recommended you take it with your heaviest meal of the day, like dinner, in order to assure maximum absorption. You should also avoid taking massive quantities of Vitamin D. According to the Mayo Clinic, unless otherwise told by your doctor, exceeding 4,000 units a day is considered unsafe.

Dr. John Cannell, author of the book Athletes Edge: Faster, Quicker, Stronger With Vitamin D, claims that “More than three-fourths of all Americans are Vitamin-D deficient.” Cannell founded the Vitamin D Council website which claims that Vitamin D will change the face of medical care.