http://labrada.com/blog/latest-supplement-news/the-importance-of-vitamin-d/
There are many essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs to properly function and to keep your entire body healthy. In this blog I am going to touch on some important facts about vitamin D and calcium (as vitamin D & calcium go hand-n-hand).
Spring is here and summer is approaching and we are all happy that the weather will be changing for the better! We will be spending more time outside and soaking up some vitamin D from the sun. Some Regions in the Country, like the Northwest, for most of the year is cloudy and raining. They experience a little less of the natural vitamin D from the lack of sun exposure which had been known to cause seasonal affective disorder (SAD). By keeping your vitamin D levels up during the fall and winter months it has been known to help boost your mood.
Everyone’s body is different and it’s important to learn how your body functions when it comes to being active. When you are active your body may require more vitamins and minerals than the average person. You are putting your body through an activity that uses up required vitamins & minerals that provide the body’s natural energy. It’s important to replenish your body post workout with the essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids to provide the proper recovery. (I will touch on Amino Acids in a later blog)
Just as your parents or grandparents used to say, “Keep your Bones Strong & Healthy, drink milk and take your vitamins”. Well…they are right. Osteoporosis is more common than you may think. Bone mass (bone density) decreases after age 35 years, and decreases more rapidly in women after menopause. By age 65, men catch up to women and lose bone mass at the same rate. By incorporating weight-bearing exercises and taking calcium WITH vitamin D, it will do your body good! Along with taking vitamin D and calcium you can help boost your joints by taking LABRADA ElastiJoint® .
ElastiJoint® is a powerful joint-support supplement designed to help maintain healthy joint function, elasticity, and flexibility. And pain-free joints help you support bigger muscles!
What is vitamin D?
Vitamin D is an essentail vitamin that helps your body absorb the minerals calcium and phosphorus from the food you eat. Vitamin D is available in tablets and capsules. It’s also standard in multivitamins an some natuaral food sources.
Get plenty of vitamin D
Vitamin D increases levels of serotonin in the brain. Researchers, though, are unsure how much vitamin D is ideal. There are individual differences based on where you live, the time of year, your skin type, and your level of sun exposure. Researchers from the University of Toronto noticed that people who were suffering from depression, particularly those with seasonal affective disorder, tended to improve as their levels of vitamin D in the body increased over the normal course of a year. Vitamin D deficiency has now been linked to breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, depression, weight gain, and other maladies. These studies show that people with higher levels of vitamin D have a lower risk of disease, although they do not definitively prove that lack of vitamin D causes disease — or that vitamin D supplements would lower risk.
How much vitamin D do I need?
There are many recommendations on how much vitamin D to take. Some researchers say the current recommendations are not enough.
The recommendation is to try to get about 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day from food if possible. That’s not enough, Boston University vitamin D expert Michael Holick, MD, PhD, tells WebMD. Holick recommends a dose of 1,000 IU a day of vitamin D for both infants and adults — unless they’re getting plenty of safe sun exposure. The Vitamin D Council recommends that healthy adults take 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily — more if they get little or no sun exposure. The Institute of Medicine has set an adequate intake for vitamin D. Getting this amount of vitamin D from diet, with or without supplements, should be enough to keep your bones healthy.
If you find that you are not getting enough natural vitamin D you may want to consider taking a supplement. Consult your doctor on how much vitamin D you should be getting.
Vitamin D and Calcium
The two go hand in hand: if you don’t get enough D, it won’t matter how much calcium you get, because your bones can’t absorb it properly. But if you don’t get enough calcium, there’s nothing for the vitamin D to help your bones absorb.
The most important nutrients for fighting osteoporosis are calcium and vitamin D. Calcium is a key building block for your bones, while vitamin D is the “key” that unlocks the door to your bones and allows them to absorb calcium.
The National Academy of Sciences has developed recommendations for how much calcium and vitamin D you need at every age:
- Teenagers should get 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day.
- Adults up to age 50 should get 1,000 mg per day.
- Those over 50 should get 1,200 mg a day.
Vitamin D Food Sources
The best source of natural vitamin D is sunlight. Just 10 to 15 minutes of safe exposure without sunscreen a couple of times a week usually gives you enough vitamin D. Vitamin D is also naturally found in butter, eggs, and fish liver oils. Vitamin D is often added to fortified foods, too, such as milk and cereal.
You can get additional vitamin D and calcium in your daily diet by adding LABRADA Lean Body® On the Go! Shakes. One serving of Lean Body® On the Go! shake provides 25% of the daily value of calcium and 20% of the daily value of vitamin D. Plus, they taste great!
Vitamin D Warnings
Side effects. At normal doses, vitamin D seems to have few side effects.
Interactions. Vitamin D can interact with many medicines, such as drugs for high blood pressure and heart problems. If you take daily medicine, ask your doctor if it’s safe for you to take vitamin D supplements.
Risks. Signs of a vitamin D overdose include nausea, vomiting, weakness, constipation, and weight loss. High doses of vitamin D can also lead to disorientation and kidney and heart problems.
Vitamin D Resources & References
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind
http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/nutrition-osteoporosis-eat-boost-bone-health
http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/news/20080519/supplement-your-knowledge-of-vitamin-d?page=2
http://www.webmd.com/diet/vitamins-supplements-8/supplement-guide-vitamin-d
http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/diet-recovery
http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/guide/osteoporosis-facts-at-a-glance
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