Vitamin D: The Coming Nutritional Superstar
With all the talk about health fads like pomegranate juice and the açai berry, vitamin D often gets pushed aside as one of the neglected nutrients. But, vitamin D – the fat-soluble vitamin primarily obtained through sun exposure – is starting to get a lot more attention.
In recent years, research studies have started to test the benefits of vitamin D. And the results are astounding. While in the past, nutritionists only prescribed vitamin D to maintain bone health, researchers are increasingly suggesting that vitamin D can decrease the risk of common killers, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and pneumonia. In fact, one Finnish study that followed 12,00 children for 30 years found that the children who took a 2000 IU vitamin D every day had an 80 percent reduced risk of developing Type I diabetes.
Despite the many benefits of vitamin D, most people are not getting enough. An estimated 75% of Americans are vitamin D deficient, and the deficiency appears to worsen the further away a person lives from the Equator. People with darker skin often need even more sun exposure to synthesize vitamin D.
Prolonged vitamin D deficiency can have serious consequences. A report from Canada investigated the economic cost and human mortality rate caused by vitamin D deficiency. The researchers concluded that the country’s death rate could fall by 37,000 deaths each year if Canadians increased their vitamin D levels.
So how much vitamin D does the average person need?
Scientists still can’t agree on an optimum vitamin D dose. The Federal Drug Administration has for years recommended that people take 200 International Units (IU) of vitamin D a day from infancy to age 50, but most researchers agree this number is outdated. Today, scientists speculate that between 1,000 to 2,000 IUs per day would be beneficial.
For more detailed information about vitamin D research and links to vitamin D-related articles, visit https://omegacookie.com/omega-cookie-vitamind.php.
Sources:
Brody, Jane E. “What Do You Lack? Probably Vitamin D.” The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 26 July 2010. Web. 28 July 2010.
Elina, Hypponen. “Intake of Vitamin D and Risk of Type I Diabetes: A Birth-Cohort Study.” Search Journal. The Lancet, 3 Nov. 2001. Web. 28 July 2010.
Grant, W. B. “An Estimate of the Economic Burden and Premature Deaths Due to Vitamin D Deficiency in Canada.” PubMed.com. U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 28 July 2010.
“Vitamin D ‘reduces Risk of Diabetes’” BBC News – Home. 2 Nov. 2001. Web. 28 July 2010.