We humans need vitamin D. Vitamin D3 to be precise.
Known as the sunshine vitamin, and it is well established that having a lack of vitamin D can lead to rickets. But did you know it has many other benefits too including vitamin D for weight loss.
I live in the UK and along with 80% of us at this latitude in the world I am at risk of vitamin D deficiency.
The darker your complexion the more vitamin D you need, and if you are overweight or have excess body fat, being a fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin D gets drawn away from where you need it and locked in adipose tissue.
The result – you need to consume more of it through food, sunlight or supplements for it to be effective.
It is suggested that just a few minutes daily is enough to elevate your vitamin D levels, however many of us wear protective sunscreen, cover up when outside or don’t even venture into the sun at all.
For this reason many of us are prescribed vitamin D supplements. It has been recommended that an intermittent mega-dose is more useful than a daily smaller dose for vitamin D deficient populations but please ask you doctor to firstly assess your need for supplementation, and monitor the effect that any supplementation may be having. After all, if you’re not assessing, you’re guessing.
So why do I worry about lacking vitamin D? And why should you? Read on…
22 Reasons Vitamin D Is Essential For Health
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- Aids calcium metabolism
- Aids phosphorus metabolism
- Prevent type II diabetes
- Prevent insulin resistance
- Prevent high blood pressure
- Prevent heart attack
- Prevent congestive heart failure,
- Prevent stroke
- Help prevent falls and balance issues – elderly
- Prevents muscle weakness
- Prevent osteoporosis – maintains bone health
- Help regulate insulin activity and blood sugar balance
- Regulates immune system
- Regulates muscle composition
- Regulates muscle function
- Helps maintain blood pressure
- Lowers inflammation
- Prevents some bacterial infections
- Support cognition – aging population
- Supports mood stability, especially in elderly
- Prevent chronic fatigue and SAD
- Help prevent many types of cancer: bladder, breast, colon, ovarian, prostate and rectal
12 Vitamin D Deficiency Risk Factors and Symptoms
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- Muscle aches
- Muscle weakness
- Frequent falls, particularly among older persons
- Bone pain, frequent bone fractures, or soft bones
- Stunted growth in children
- Asthma in children (especially severe asthma)
- Impaired cognitive function, especially among older persons
- Lowered immunity
- Chronic low energy and fatigue
- Depression, particularly among older persons
- Presence of any autoimmune disorder
- Lack of exposure to sunlight for any reason, including geography, use of sunscreen, or wearing of protective clothing
34 Vitamin D Deficiency Health Conditions
What health conditions require special emphasis on vitamin D? Vitamin D may play a role in the prevention and/or treatment of the following health conditions:
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- Asthma (severe childhood)
- Atherosclerosis
- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Colon cancer
- Congestive heart failure
- Crohn’s disease
- Ovarian cancer
- Depression
- Epilepsy
- Fibromyalgia
- Heart attack
- Hypertension
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Insulin resistance
- Kidney disease
- Leprosy
- Liver disease
- Metabolic syndrome
- Multiple sclerosis
- Myofascial pain syndrome
- Osteoporosis
- Periodontal disease
- Preeclampsia
- Psoriasis
- Rectal cancer
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Senile dementia
- Stroke
- Tinnitus
- Tuberculosis
- Type 2 diabetes
- Ulcerative colitis
Wow! It appears that vitamin D is a wonder vitamin. This list is not exhaustive by any means – just look on google scholar to see thousands of vitamin D studies!