HEALTH
BENEFITS
OF
VITAMIN D OR CHOLECALCIFEROL
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Health
Benefits of Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol)
You know, with all the fears that we now have about going out in
sunlight because of it possibly causing cancer, it's nice to find that
a little sunshine in our lives can put...well...a little sunshine in
our lives! That's because a few minutes of sunlight a day can
help provide us with a very important vitamin that is hard to get
elsewhere.
Vitamin D,
or Cholecalciferol, is the only vitamin that the body is capable of
producing on its own.
The only catch is that the body must be exposed to direct sunlight
before it can produce this vitamin. Now, it is not necessary to worship
the sun or tan for an hour a day to reap the vitamin-making benefits.
In fact, an hour a week is generally enough! This is unlike
other vitamins where all of the body's daily requirement must come from
the diet and/or by means of supplementation. For those
unable, or unwilling to spend time in the sun, however, or during times
of the year when sunlight may be minimal, a vitamin D supplement is available
to make up for the lack of sunlight.
My Wife's
Vitamin D Deficiency.Helped by Supplementation
By the way, the benefit of a vitamin D supplement is just the same as
if the compound were produced by the body due to interaction with
sunlight. In fact, my wife was suffering a vitamin D
deficiency and was able to reverse the effects of this by taking
vitamin D supplements.
More on this subject under sources of vitamin D farther down the page.
It Is A Fat
Soluble Vitamin
Vitamin D, or Cholecalciferol, is a very stable fat soluble vitamin.
Like the other fat soluble vitamins, your body is capable of storing
Vitamin D for later use. Because it is so stable, it is not normally
broken down during food preparation or through exposure to heat sources
as other compounds sometimes are.
Health
Benefits of Vitamin D
One important function of Vitamin D is that it helps your body absorb calcium.
This, in turn, helps keep your bones strong and less prone to breaks
and brittleness. Sufficient amounts of Vitamin D, whether from exposure
to sunlight or from a vitamin D supplement, greatly reduce the risks of
developing conditions such as osteoporosis and joint damage. It has
also been shown to slow down the effects of arthritis and keep back
pain under control.
Vitamin D is also required for proper absorption of phosphorus.
Vitamin D is currently being studied as an effective way to protect the
body against colorectal cancer and the development of certain types of
autoimmune diseases. Early results are promising.
Recent research has also shown that this important nutrient in some as
yet unknown way seems to help protect not only against heart disease to
some way. In fact, one study yielded results in which
individuals with a vitamin D deficiency were more likely to die from a
range of illnesses and conditions than those with normal
levels. A vitamin D deficiency can also contribute to a sense
of fatigue. In fact, more and more research has shown that in
addition to osteoporosis, a deficienty in vitamin D can be linked to
depression, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, parathyroid
problems, immune function, and weight loss.
You will notice even more health benefits of vitamin D in the
paragraphs on vitamin D deficiency.
However, a great deal of this research is still in its infancy, but
more and more health care professionals, including my wife's
endocrinologist, are becoming convinced that a lack of this nutritional
element can account for a great many ills suffered by our overweight,
indoor society...or at least for their intensity and increasing
appearance.
As I mentioned earlier, after going to several doctors and having
various blood tests, MRI's, and a thyroid evaluation, all of which came
back normal, my wife's condition (dizziness, mini-blackouts, frequent
infections, depression, and general fatigue) improved when she began
taking a vitamin D supplement.
Let me also point out that my wife has had the Roux-en-Y stomach
bypass, and her doctor also pointed out that her symptoms were common
in women who had undergone bariatric surgery, but often did not show
for years afterwards.
Sources of
Vitamin D
As mentioned earlier, the most common source of this important nutrient
is by contact with direct sunlight on your skin. However, north of about 40 degrees latitude,
and this is the latitude of Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Denver, winter sunlight is too weak
to produce significant amounts of vitamin D with any normal
exposure...even if you wanted to go skinny-dipping in Denver in the
winter!
By the way people who
are obese are less able to make use of vitamin D
effectively, and may actually exhibit symptoms of a vitamin D
deficiency despite a normal intake or sunlight exposure. This
is due to the fact that it is a fat soluble vitamin and may be "locked
up" in the tissues of the body, making it less available.
The average American diet can be lacking in vitamin D, and supplements
are how many people deal with their vitamin D deficiency.
Since it is so closely linked to calcium use by the body, vitamin D
supplements, such as Chewable
Cal Mag Plus from Shaklee combine calcium and
vitamin D to make the most effective use of this nutrient.
However, it is still possible to add this nutrient to your diet in
various ways without taking a vitamin D supplement.
Milk that has been fortified with Vitamin D is one of the most common
sources. It is a good choice also because it has the added
bonus of providing the body with calcium needed for strong bones, and
other benefits.
Foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, mackerel,
tuna and sardines are some other good sources. Vitamin D is also found
in animal fats including organ meats, butter, egg yolks and full-fat
dairy products. Other foods that have been fortified with this vitamin,
such as orange juice and cereals, are other reliable sources.
One other good natural supplement is cod liver oil.
The recommended daily intake for most adults is 200 – 400 IU
(International Units). Individuals aged 50 – 70 should
increase their intake to 400 IU and those older than 70 should get even
more, 600 IU/day. It is also suggested that breastfed babies be given a
Vitamin D supplement. Obviously, if you, and your doctor feel
that you have some special situation, such as my wife, you might, with
their agreement, want to go up to 800 or 1,000 units a day.
Note that some health-related problems can result from
over-supplementation. Excessive amounts of calcium can lead to the
development of kidney stones and over-calcification of teeth and bones.
Calcium deposits in the arteries can cause these arteries to
harden. However, these are most likely to occur only with
mega doses and the numbers above are well within a range where the
health benefits of vitamin D can be experienced without the dangers of
over-supplementation.
Symptoms of
a Vitamin D Deficiency
Not seen for many years, Rickets,
a disease long thought to be under control, is beginning to appear
again, especially in children who do not get sufficient quantities of
vitamin D. The primary symptoms of this disease are soft bones and
bones that develop abnormally. Infants that do not get sufficient
amounts of Vitamin D can develop a condition in which bones do not
harden. This commonly results in bowed legs, stunted growth and a lot
of pain.
In the later stages of life, insufficient levels of Vitamin D can cause
osteoporosis.
This is a condition in which bones become weak and brittle and fracture
easily. Since vitamin D is absorbed in the small intestines, diseases
in the gall bladder, liver, intestines and the pancreas can also impede
absorption and lead to deficiencies as well.
As has been pointed out above, a vitamin D deficiency is believed to
also to be the possible cause of such symptoms as dizziness, fainting,
and fatigue, and may contribute to depression, heart disease, stroke,
cancer, diabetes, parathyroid problems, immune function, and problems
with weight loss.
Calcium
Deficiency
I will discuss this topic in depth elsewhere, just need to finish
researching and writing the article, but you might want to give this a
thought. If one of the health benefits of vitamin D is that
it aids the body in making use of calcium, then a vitamin D deficiency
may contribute to a calcium deficiency as well.
As I said, I am not going to go into this topic in depth here, but here
is a list of symptoms of a calcium deficiency:
- insomnia
- nervousness
- tetany
- premenstrual cramps
- hypertension (high blood pressure)
- heart palpitations
- generalized muscle aching
- coarse hair
- brittle nails
- tooth decay
- back and leg muscle cramps
- dry and scaly skin
- candida infections
- spasm of facial musculature
- neuromuscular irritability
- laryngospasm (condition where you cannot
catch your breath)
- papilledema (swelling of the optic nerve)
- convulsions
- ocular cataracts
- osteoporosis
- lip, tongue, finder and feet paresthesias
- numbness around the mouth
- arms and leg numbness
- unexplained dementia, depression, or
psychosis
I hope this little discussion on the health benefits of vitamin D, or Cholecalciferol, has
been of interest and of value to you.
Buy Vitamin D and Calcium Supplements Online
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