photo credit: GKS
We are now on the third vitamin listed on the label of the multivitamin that I take. It’s called Just Once, Women’s Multivitamin by Rainbow Light. There are tons of vitamins and other supplements to choose from at iherb.com which is where I get most of the supplements we take. If you order from iherb, put in this coupon code to get $5 off your first order: TOL704
Check out the previous post on vitamin C.
Vitamin D is a pretty amazing vitamin! It is thought that getting enough vitamin D can help to fight against almost every disease that you can think of. It is a huge component to a healthy immune system. Not only does it boost your immune system, it helps regulate it making sure that it doesn’t overreact, which can be dangerous.
There is so much to be said about vitamin D, and I’m not going to say it all here. This will just be an overview of things that stick out to me. You can google the “health benefits of vitamin D” or read this great article from Dr. Ben Kim.
Vitamin D comes in a few different forms: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol).
- D2 is synthesized from plants
- D3 is synthesized by humans in our skin when exposed to ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays from the sun (the very best way to get vitamin D!). It is thought that it takes as little as 10 minutes per day in the sun to get enough vitamin D to not be deficient. Here is an interesting fact that I just read from Dr. Ben Kim: If you live above 35 degrees latitude north or below 35 degrees latitude south of the equator, the sun’s UVB rays can’t reach you during the winter months because of the angle of the sun’s rays. Also, you can’t get the vitamin D you need through glass or with sunscreen on, so go outside into the fresh air and soak up some sun!
For the sake of simplicity, suffice it to say that vitamin D3 (as opposed to D2) is what should be taken when buying supplements. Vitamin D3 is the more natural form because it is closest to the vitamin D that the sun provides. Vitamin D2 is not as easily absorbed by the body, but vitamin D3 is. In the case that you go to buy vitamin D supplements, if it is not specified “D2″ or “D3″, look on the label and you should find either of these two words to indicate which is which.
- vitamin D2 = ergocalciferol
- vitamin D3 = cholecalciferol
Top food sources of Vitamin D3 include:
- oily fish such as wild salmon
- cod liver oil (I take gel tablets)
- mackerel
- canned tuna
- egg yolks
- fortified milk
Vitamin D…
- helps to prevent inflammation in the body including autoimmune diseases such as lupus, multiple schlerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
- regulates blood pressure
- is needed to better absorb calcium in the gut
- regulates calcium and phosphate levels
- helps to maintain strong bones and teeth
- helps to protect against all types of cancer
- is so good for the immune system!
- helps to prevent against diabetes type I and II
- fights colds, flues, tuberculosis
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis in adults and rickets in children.
Too much vitamin D can lead to too much calcium absorption which can then be deposited into soft tissues and organs reducing their ability to function.
My multivitamin contains 800 IU. There are a lot of different medical opinions out there about how much vitamin D to take, so ask your doctor. I take my multivitamin, plus another 1000 IU a few times a week based on recommendations that I’ve read by real doctors that I respect.
Next up is vitamin E!
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