More Exciting Information and Why you should Take Vitamin D!
I have written many times in the past about the need for vitamin D supplementation. My interest in this vitamin started years ago before you heard much about it, and it has only continued to become a more interesting topic as time and research continues. It bears repeating that vitamin D is called the “sunshine vitamin” because our major source comes from unadulterated sun exposure. There is very little in the way of food sources for vitamin D, other than sun-cured mushrooms such as Shiitakes, and some fish. The paltry amount of D2 added to milk does nothing to boost our levels of the vitamin, and dairy comes with its own set of problems for many folks.
Long ago when our food animals were raised outdoors and on grasses,animal products contained wonderful fatty acids and some vitamin D. Egg yolks used to be a good source of vitamin D, but not when your chickens never see the light of day! So our society has evolved to be very D-ficient!
We know that vitamin D is essential for bone health, helping to escort calcium into the bones to keep them strong. We also now know that there are vitamin D receptors on all our cells and that this “hormone” actually plays a vital role in many things such as immune function, neurological function, mood, cognition, preventing heart disease and cancer. The newest reports that I read just this evening from the Vitamin D Council speak of studies that show how vitamin D slows the aging of our cells– and us!—by keeping our telomeres long and healthy. Telemeres—go back to your science classes!—are the ends of the spindles that protect the chromosomes and genes. Think of them as protective caps. When they are thick they protect the genes but when they are thin they do not. Many studies have shown a direct link between the length of our telomeres and how fast we age. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to age any faster than I have to!
The bottom line is this: get your vitamin D level checked at your doctors’ office first. Your level should be at least in the 40s-50s. Many doctors think that that number should be even higher if you have cancer or autoimmune disease. Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD, a very prominent neurosurgeon, recommends levels in the 80s-90s. It is safe to supplement with 3000IU to 5000 IU daily if you are low, and then it is very important to recheck your levels in 3 months to see where you are at. Hopefully you can then find a maintenance dose that will keep your numbers in a healthy, protective range throughout the year. For more info, check out www.vitamindcouncil.org for some great stuff!
Be well,
Diane
