Vitamin D is good for just about everything that ails you!
Hi! Dr. Jim here, talking with you today about all important vitamin D. Some would say that vitamin D is good for just about everything that ails you and indeed, they may be right. It’s important for maintenance and development of bone, it’s important for a high-performing immune system, it’s critical for intellectual function and the prevention of inflammatory disorders of the skin and the intestines.
Persons with vitamin D deficiency may have brittle bones and what’s called fragility fractures, which are related to that condition called osteoporosis. They are more susceptible to infections. They are more likely to develop breast and colon cancer and develop autoimmune disorders like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. Persons with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to have eczema and more likely to develop inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn’s disease.
Sunlight is the only natural source for vitamin D – well not altogether, salmon and mackerel have a decent amount of vitamin D – but that’s the reason so many foods are fortified with vitamin D.
It’s nearly impossible for most individuals to get sufficient amounts of vitamin D from sunlight and the few sources providing it naturally. So foods like milk, cereals and orange juice are fortified with vitamin D to ensure that we get sufficient quantities to prevent deficiency.
Multivitamins are a great way to get vitamin D. They generally contain 400 to 1,000 international units. It’s also important to know that vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, so there is a tolerable upper limit which is 4000 international units, which should not be exceeded daily.
It is estimated that more than 1 billion people – that’s right, 1 billion people are vitamin D insufficient or deficient worldwide. Don’t you be one of them!
This is Dr. Jim for Be Healthy! Be Happy! Power your path to happiness! Subscribe to Be Healthy! Be Happy with Dr. Jim on YouTube and stay tuned for my next segment when I discuss vitamin E.
Reference: Linus Pauling Micronutrient Institute, Oregon State University. Available at: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-D