Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D a nutrient present in a few foods, a hormone that our bodies produce has been long known to impact bone growth, bone healing, and boost immune system function. Hence I am taking extra D3 during this pandemic! The sun alone may not be able to meet our needs and actually, you need time to allow the ‘D’ from the rays to be absorbed into your body. So after sunning, no shower for at least 2  hours! Also, your skin color, time of year, and where you live are critical factors. Check how much you are getting daily and remember always better to get it from foods than supplements. Please if you are under 70 be sure you are getting 600 IU (15mcg)/day. Over 70 increase to 800IU(20mcg)/day. More than 4000IU/day is dangerous. The University of Florida provides examples of foods that contain vitamin D:

3 ounces (oz) of cooked sockeye salmon: 570 IU or 14 mcg.
3 oz of drained canned tuna: 240 IU or 6 mcg.
3 oz of drained canned sardines: 165 IU or 4 mcg.
1 cup of 1% fortified milk: 120 IU or 3 mcg.
6 oz of low-fat vanilla yogurt: 80 IU or 2 mcg.
three-quarters of a cup of fortified orange juice: 75 IU or 2 mcg.
1 serving of fortified breakfast cereal: At least 40 IU or 1 mcg.
1 large hard-boiled egg: 45 IU or 1 mcg.

But I digress, this blog is to share new info regarding Vitamin D’s influence in fighting Diabetes, Hypertension, and Dementia.

Dementia

Long-term studies one over 6 years resulted in mounting evidence supporting the supposition that vitamin D gives our brains a boost. Prevention is the cornerstone of any disease, especially dementia. Those with deficiencies had the highest risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Diabetes

A  study, derived from the Nurses’ Health Study, found that daily supplementation of calcium and vitamin D was associated with a 33% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. That’s a big number!

Hypertension/Heart Disease

A study, published in Circulation, followed more than 1,700 individuals (more than 5 years), without any cardiovascular disease to find a significant association in time between vitamin D deficiency and their development of cardiovascular disease.

Various other studies have also come to the conclusion that low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of coronary artery or heart diseases.