More, and more research is showing that lack of vitamin D is detrimental to your health. 70% of people reading this articles are vitamin D deficient; and they probably do not even realize it. Are you one of them?
Recent documented discoveries have shown multiple health benefits of Vitamin D. As a matter of fact, 30 scientists have agreed that the US RDA needs to be increased from 60 I.U.’s to 2000 I’U’s every day.
The bottom line is you don’t want to have a lack of vitamin D in your blood stream. So why is 70% of the U.S. population, and over 1 billion people worldwide deficient? Simple! They don’t get enough of the vitamin in the foods they eat, and their sun exposure isn’t sufficient enough especially in the colder climates of the world.
Vitamin D deficiency all starts with people being ultra careful not to stay in the sun too long for fear of skin cancer. We are all taught to soak ourselves with sunscreen in order to protect our skin from cancer. Yes, it is important to not stay in the sun too long. However, are we exposing ourselves to UV rays long enough to stimulate sufficient vitamin D production . Not apparently so, especially in colder climates. I believe there needs to be a happy medium between getting sufficient UV rays to help create the optimal level of vitamin D, and preventing skin cancer.
By the way, people with lack of vitamin D don’t have to sun bath for hours. Just 10 minutes a day in the sun, without sunscreen, will help. If that is not possible, you can look into foods fortified with Vitamin D, or supplementation. Please be aware that it is difficult to get up to 2000 I.U.’s from our food alone. However, it is possible to help your cause by keeping an eye on the vitamin D levels in the foods you eat. If you are not close to 2000 I.U’s, then supplement your diet, and subject yourself to a very small amount of sunshine.
If you are a light skinned person in a sunny, warm climate year round, you are at less of a risk of being vitamin D deficient. Individuals who have darker skin, and are not exposed to daily sunlight, have a greater chance of showing a lack of vitamin D.
So what happens if you don’t get enough Vitamin D in your diet?
You are more susceptible to 24 cancers, diabetes, M.S., heart disease, falls, fractures, psoriasis, and many more health complications.
This is not me just talking, but studies to back it. Therefore, take this information very seriously!
A recent study looked at 28,000 people over 50 years of age for 1 year long. The individuals with very low levels of Vitamin D compared to normal blood levels of D showed a 77% increase in risk of death, a 45% great chance of developing coronary artery disease, and a 78% greater likelihood of a stroke.
Being vitamin D deficient is not good, and hopefully, I have given you enough reason to keep an eye on the amount you are getting. Strive to get around 2000 I.U’s each day.
Ladies, please note that raising vitamin D levels to 200 nMol/L will decrease breast cancer by 77%, according to studies. Ask your doctor to do a blood test to check your vitamin D level.
Optimal levels of “D” have also shown to have a contribution in reducing inflammation, blood pressure, and help protect against heart disease.
For those interested in your blood lab results, Vitamin D3 blood levels should be 100-150 nmol/L (40-60 ng/ml); the existing recommendation is 30-50 nmol/L.
As you know, health and fitness go hand in hand. Therefore, to increase performance, and aid in exercise recovery, make sure you are getting up to 2000 I.U’s of “D” each day. Trust me, their is overwhelming evidence to support the fact that lack of vitamin D is detrimental to your health.