Vitamin D

Vitamin D is important to our body in more ways than you might think. There are actually two forms of vitamin D; D2 and D3. We get Vitamin D2 naturally from some foods and from fortified foods and our body produces Vitamin D3 when we are exposed to UVB rays from the sun.

Vitamin D plays an important role in bone development at a very early age and is essential in preventing osteoporosis in older adults. A vitamin D deficiency has been linked to many illness such as high blood pressure, type 1 diabetes, seasonal affective disorder, autoimmune disorders, cancer, heart disease, and memory loss. Vitamin D is essential in helping our body absorb calcium, which is why you find it fortified in many products that contain calcium. Vitamin D also plays a key roll in maintaining muscle strength, which makes it even more important to people who are strength training to lose weight or to just stay fit. Actually, that should be important to everyone.

More studies are also pointing to how important vitamin D is to our immune system. This could be why people who are more active outdoors seem to get less colds and flu since they have a regular source of vitamin D from being outdoors so often.

To get enough vitamin D you should get at least 10 minutes of direct sun exposure a day and to include foods in your diet that contain vitamin D. People with dark skin should take a supplement containing vitamin D as the melanin in their skin prevents the vitamin D from forming when exposed to the sun. During the winter months, we should all take a 1000 IU vitamin D supplement because we can not produce enough vitamin D on our own since UVB rays are limited during that time. Smog, cloud cover, and sunscreen use can also inhibit vitamin D as well. A 400 IU supplement is sufficient for other times of the year and for people at low risk for vitamin D deficiency.

Foods containing vitamin D naturally include fatty fish such as catfish, salmon, mackeral and tuna. Other good sources of vitamin D are egg yolks, beef liver and cheese. If you don't eat a lot of processed foods or fortified foods, it's even more important to take a supplement since you may not be getting enough vitamin D on your own. Cod Liver Oil is a great choice to take in a capsule form. But don't rely on supplements and food alone, as it's very important to get vitamin D from the sun as well. It's hard to overdose on vitamin D, so to be safe, make sure your daily multi-vitamin contains vitamin D.

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