Everything You Need To Know About Vitamin D

Known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’, vitamin D is made in your skin as a direct result of sunlight shining on it. Vitamin D can also be obtained through some certain food stuffs or supplements. If you want to try these products visit the link where you can purchase a Vitamin D Boost daily oral spray.

Getting enough vitamin D is important given the fact that it has a number of important functions that it plays within your body. The most important of all of these is its ability to fully regulate the rate at which phosphorus and calcium are absorbed into your blood stream. It also helps with keeping your immune system functioning correctly and with the normal development / growth of your teeth and bones.

If you are unable to extract enough vitamin D either from sunlight or from your diet, then you run the risk of developing certain abnormalities in your bones, which can lead to conditions such as osteoporosis and / or osteomalacia. Some of the other benefits that getting vitamin D has on your body include the following:

Increases Weight Loss

For anyone that is trying to lose weight, then taking a vitamin D supplement can help with this. Studies show that individuals taking these (compared with a placebo) lost more total body weight thanks to its appetite suppressing qualities.

Minimizes Depression

Scientists have shown that the level of vitamin D that you get plays a vital role in your body’s ability to regulate mood and thus fight off depression. Simply by taking vitamin D supplements, those individuals who suffer from depression can minimize the effect that it has on them. The same is also true of certain anxiety disorders.

Boosts Fight Against Disease

By consuming the right amount of vitamin D, your chances of developing heart disease, the flu, and multiple sclerosis are all dramatically reduced.

Getting vitamin D from food

There are a number of foods that naturally contain good amounts of vitamin D. Some even come fortified with it also. It is these things that you should try and get in your diet as much as possible. These include the likes of cereal, sardines, salmon, shrimp, egg yolk, orange juice, yogurt, and milk.

If you do not eat some of these foods and live in a climate where you are not exposed to masses of sunlight, then you should seriously consider taking some sort of vitamin D supplement.

How much is enough?

There is still some doubt cast over the exact amount of vitamin D that you need in order to live a healthy life and to reap all of the benefits that it offers. The latest research, however, suggests that you actually need more of the stuff than what was previously believed. The volume of vitamin D required is expressed in international units per day (IUs). The IUs for different age ranges are listed below:

  • Adults > 70 years = 800 IU
  • Adults < 70 years = 600 IU
  • Teens & children = 600 IU
  • Breastfeeding & pregnant women = 600 IU