Get Rid of Your Winter Blues with Vitamin D!
Vitamin D’s Main Role
Vitamin D is often neglected when talking about nutritional deficiencies, so it’s necessary to discuss its function in maintaining your health. Vitamin D’s main role in your body is its ability to regulate the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Your kidneys convert Vitamin D into calcitriol which is a hormone that your body uses to facilitate calcium and phosphorus absorption. Calcium is important for growth and development of healthy bones and teeth. In addition to this key role, Vitamin D is well known for many other benefits for your body.
Other Benefits of Vitamin D
- Fights depression
- Helps maintain body weight
- Improves mental acuity
- Builds up your immune system
- Regulates blood pressure
- Reduces stress and tension
- Helps prevent cancer
- Stimulates collagen production
- Treats acne
- Treats eczema
- Treats rosacea
- Treats psoriasis (topical application)
- Treats burn injuries (Vitamin D3 is a strong anti-inflammatory)
- Stimulates hair growth
Get Your Daily Recommend Intake of Vitamin D
It’s no wonder Vitamin D is labeled the “sunshine” vitamin! Vitamin D is produced by your body in response to your exposure to sunlight. Normally, our body is able to synthesize adequate levels of Vitamin D through just 10 minutes a day of sun exposure. However, as we age, this ability to do so decreases (up to 75% from age 20-70). This is why supplementing your diet through food and supplements can be necessary as we grow older. Foods that contain Vitamin D are: salmon, sardines, tuna, egg yolks, shrimp, milk, cereal, yogurt, orange juice, soy milk, & Swiss cheese. Recommended Daily Intake of Vitamin D Through Supplements: Children, teens, adults up to age 70: 600 IU Pregnant or breastfeeding women: 600 IU Adults over age 70: 800 IU Alright, enough preaching already! Just get outside and enjoy the benefits of SUNSHINE (in moderation of course)!