Vitamin D is an essential thing we need to maintain overall body good health. It’s crucial for many things including strong bones, brain health and strengthening your immune system.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “the recommended daily amount of vitamin D is 400 international units (IU) for children up to age 12 months, 600 IU for people ages 1 to 70 years, and 800 IU for people over 70 years.” If you can’t get a few minutes of sun everyday, which is a good source of vitamin D, there’s plenty of other ways. Dr. Naheed A. Ali, MD, PhD with USA RX tells us, “The good news is that vitamin D is available in a number of forms — both supplements and fortified foods.” He adds, “Everyone needs vitamin D to stay healthy…It helps your body absorb calcium and phosphate, two minerals that are important for healthy bones and teeth. It also helps your body absorb some vitamin K, a crucial vitamin for blood clotting.” Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with experts who explain everything to know about vitamin D and why it’s something everyone needs. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
Dr. Jacob Hascalovici, the Chief Medical Officer with Clearing, a telehealth platform for chronic pain patients states, “Vitamin D matters because it assists with calcium and phosphorus intake and retention, which is important for healthy bones. We are still learning other ways vitamin D helps, though initial studies indicate that it could be involved with managing inflammation and restricting cancer cell growth.”
Dr. Suzanna Wong. a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic and health expert with Twin Waves Wellness says, “Vitamin D works like a hormone – it has receptors in every cell in the body – which makes it one of the most important vitamins you can take. It helps with the following: forming strong bones, muscle strength, immune function, brain health (anxiety and depression especially), some cancers, diabetes, and weight loss and preventing osteomalacia.”
Gita Castallian, MPH Public Health Analyst at The California Center for Functional Medicine explains, “Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps us to absorb calcium and promote bone growth. Vitamin D additionally regulates many cellular functions of the body. It is an anti-inflammatory antioxidant with neuroprotective properties that support muscle function, brain cell function and immune health. As we saw during the COVID pandemic, an individual’s Vitamin D level was very important for determining whether they might be more susceptible and more likely to experience serious symptoms with COVID-19.”
Dr. Ali says, “Vitamin D is a natural steroid hormone produced by the body. It plays a number of important roles in the body, including regulating glucose and fat metabolism. Adequate levels of vitamin D are necessary for maintaining good health. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and phosphate from the intestines and bones, helps your body produce endocannabinoid (a regulating substance) which interferes with the endocannabinoid system (Native American specific), and helps your body absorb other vitamins and minerals.”
Dr. Hascalovici says, “Many of us can get vitamin D through (limited) exposure to sunlight. Though using sunscreen is important and is normally recommended, many of us can get enough vitamin D by spending 15 to 30 minutes in sunlight, often around midday. The amount of sunlight you need will depend on factors such as your skin pigmentation, where you live, and whether you are predisposed to skin cancer. Food is another source of vitamin D, including tuna, egg yolks, yogurt, dairy milk, fortified cereals, raw mushrooms, or orange juice. A supplement can also help, though it may not be the only answer.”
Castallian and Megan Anderson, APN Nurse Practitioner at The California Center for Functional Medicine add, “You can get Vitamin D in many ways, including the foods you eat, nutritional supplements, and sun exposure. While there is no uniform consensus of how much vitamin D people require, at the California Center for Functional Medicine, “we recommend that our patients have their Vitamin D levels checked at least twice per year, and we consider an optimal range to be between 40-70 for immune system health and cancer prevention. We find that it is very challenging to maintain adequate Vitamin D levels without regular sun exposure and also combined with adequate supplementation. To be honest, many people live far enough from the equator that supplementation is necessary for most people. This is based on our own assessment of our patients’ Vitamin D levels when they are not supplementing
Source: This news is originally published by eatthis