Vitamin D has been hailed as the new miracle vitamin of our lifetime.
By Isa Herrera, MSPT
Unlike other vitamins, Vitamin D has been shown to have a big epigenetic influence on the body, regulating about 2,000 human genes or roughly 10% of our genetic code. This miracle vitamin has been noted in the research to have many positive health benefits. The research shows that Vitamin D helps prevent breast cancer, prostate cancer, autoimmune diseases and the common flu.
Vitamin D also helps to rejuvenate aging eyes, helps prevent type two diabetes and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. For women, Vitamin D helps reduce the risk for a caesarian birth, enhances vulvar/vaginal health and improves fertility. Can you believe all that goodness from a vitamin? So by now you are wondering wow I have to get my hands on some vitamin D right away? Click for a high quality and readily absorbable vitamin D. Our primary goal here is to demystify the Vitamin D puzzle and to put you on the D train to a healthier and more vibrant you.
Of course, the best source of Vitamin D is via safe sun exposure of your skin. So if you live in tropics or live in Hawaii where the sun shines all the time you will probably have optimal levels of Vitamin D. But what can northerners do? How can we get this vitamin when 4 to 6 months out of the year we cannot baste myself in safe sun exposure? It is now recommended by many doctors, caregivers and holistic practitioners that Vitamin D. supplementation during the winter months is not only necessary, but absolutely essential for health vitality. Vitamin D is the new panaxea and regarded as the silver bullet to a healthier and younger you. But what type of Vitamin D and how much Vitamin D? Read more and you will find your answers.
Test Your Vitamin D Levels Before You Supplement
Before supplementing with Vitamin D it’s important to measure your Vitamin D levels. The only way to measure this is to measure your blood serum Vitamin D levels. It is also important to check your Vitamin D levels from time to time to make sure you’re maintaining the optimal therapeutic level year-round. Have your medical doctor perform the test as it usually be covered by your medical insurance.
Don’t Be Fooled — Order the Correct Blood Test
There are two vitamin D tests — 1,25(OH)D and 25(OH)D. The correct test is 25(OH)D, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D. This is the better marker of overall D status, and is most strongly associated with overall health. It is important to note that you do don’t want to have an average level Vitamin D. You want to have Optimal Levels.
How to Interpret Your Vitamin D Results.
Vitamin D Levels: 25 Hydroxy D
| Deficient | Optimal | Treat Cancer and Heart Disease | Excess |
| < 50 ng/ML | 50 – 70 ng/ML | 70 – 100 ng/ML | 100 ng/ML |
How Much Vitamin D Should I Supplement With?
The recommended guidelines for Vitamin D have been in debate for many years. Many holistic practitioners believe that the recommended US dosages for vitamin D are way too low. In a surprising but positive move, the European Food Safety Authority has raised the RDA for vitamin D supplementation to levels far beyond American guidelines. The EU recommendations are now as follows:
• Adults 18 years or older = 4,000 IU/day
• Children 11-17 years of age = 4,000 IU/day
• Children 1-10 years of age = 2,000 IU/day
• Infants less than 1year of age = 1,000 IU/day
What Kind of Vitamin D?
You will only want to use vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) as the source of your vitamin D. We use nutraMetrix Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 because it is highly absorbable. This Vitamin D comes in a powdered form and is mixed with water creating a isotonic solution. This means that the body has less work to do to obtain maximum absorption of the nutrients. The isotonic state of the suspension allows nutrients to pass directly into the small intestine and rapidly absorb into the bloodstream. With Isotonix products, little nutritive value is lost, making the absorption of nutrients highly efficient while delivering maximum results.
Resources
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• Vitamin D Council, April 23, 2012
• Environmental Health Perspectives 1997 March; 105(3): 332–334
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• New York Times September 10, 2012
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• GP Online September 3, 2012
• Epilepsy and Behavior 2012 May;24(1):131-3
• Multiple Sclerosis Trust August 30, 2012
• Vitamin D Supplementation for Prevention of Mortality in Adults, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, July 6, 2011: (7); CD007470, G. Bjelakov
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