After a long, cold winter, and one with way too many clouds, you probably haven’t spent much time in the sun soaking rays. As a result, your Vitamin D level may be low. Two out of three people today — that's over 200 million Americans — don't get enough Vitamin D and even doctors are concerned:
"I have never seen any medical diagnosis as widespread and so profoundly affecting peoples' health and well-being as the current epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency."
— Dr. Soram Khalsa, M.D. (in his book 'The Vitamin D Revolution')
Vitamin D deficiency can cause:
- Low resistance to colds and flu
- Chronic fatigue
- Memory loss or dementia
- Joint, muscle, and back pain
- Bone fracture and increased risk of falling
- Increased risk of diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and osteoporosis.
Vitamin D is a steroid vitamin, one of a group of fat-soluble pro-hormones, that encourages the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous. Five forms of vitamin D have been discovered, vitamin D1, D2, D3, D4, D5. The two forms that seem to matter to humans the most are vitamins D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol).
The National Institutes of Health note how the body converts vitamin D into a storage form, known as 25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol or calcidiol. When required, this converts into 1,25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol or calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D throughout the body. This form increases insulin sensitivity, boosts the function of the immune system and regulates cell proliferation.
The only natural source of vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, comes from certain mushrooms exposed to sunlight during their growth. However, almost all of the vitamin D2 available results from manufacturers forming the compound using ultraviolet irradiation of ergosterol compounds found in yeast. Although vitamin D2 traditionally has been used to fortify milk products as a preventive step against rickets, the National Institutes of Health points out that this form does not convert into calcidiol and calcitriol at the same rate as vitamin D3. Consequently most supplement manufacturers no longer use D2 in their products for this reason.
Dr. Andrew Weil considers vitamin D3 a superior form. The compound, also known as cholecalciferol, exists naturally in fish oils and offal, and also represents the form manufactured in the skin after sunlight exposure. D3 boosts circulating levels of calcidiol several times more effectively than its D2 counterpart, and the elevations are sustained for a longer period. I take a D vitamin every day . . . and it is always a D3.
Your body needs enough Vitamin D to maintain even the most basic level of well-being; it's vital for good cardiovascular health, proper neurological functioning, immune health, strong bones and flexible joints, and more. But if even one of the risk factors below applies to you, chances are you are not getting the Vitamin D you need each and every day:
The National Institutes of Health note how the body converts vitamin D into a storage form, known as 25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol or calcidiol. When required, this converts into 1,25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol or calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D throughout the body. This form increases insulin sensitivity, boosts the function of the immune system and regulates cell proliferation.
The only natural source of vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, comes from certain mushrooms exposed to sunlight during their growth. However, almost all of the vitamin D2 available results from manufacturers forming the compound using ultraviolet irradiation of ergosterol compounds found in yeast. Although vitamin D2 traditionally has been used to fortify milk products as a preventive step against rickets, the National Institutes of Health points out that this form does not convert into calcidiol and calcitriol at the same rate as vitamin D3. Consequently most supplement manufacturers no longer use D2 in their products for this reason.
Dr. Andrew Weil considers vitamin D3 a superior form. The compound, also known as cholecalciferol, exists naturally in fish oils and offal, and also represents the form manufactured in the skin after sunlight exposure. D3 boosts circulating levels of calcidiol several times more effectively than its D2 counterpart, and the elevations are sustained for a longer period. I take a D vitamin every day . . . and it is always a D3.
Your body needs enough Vitamin D to maintain even the most basic level of well-being; it's vital for good cardiovascular health, proper neurological functioning, immune health, strong bones and flexible joints, and more. But if even one of the risk factors below applies to you, chances are you are not getting the Vitamin D you need each and every day:
- You rarely go out in the sun
- You wear sunscreen during outdoor activities
- Your clothing often covers most of your skin
- You are overweight
- You live north of Atlanta and Los Angeles
- You drink fewer than 10 glasses of D-fortified milk or orange juice daily
- You don't eat wild oil fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines) at least 2-3 times per week
- You take cholesterol-blocking drugs or glucocorticoids like prednisone
- You don't take a Vitamin D supplement daily
Experts now say that maintaining optimal D levels could be the most important step you take to improve your health, protect yourself from chronic disease and live a longer and healthier life. Major studies agree, showing that Vitamin D can protect against heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and more. In addition, researchers at the University of Minnesota found that Vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a low-calorie diet predict weight loss success, suggesting a possible role for vitamin D in weight loss (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/153669.php).
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