The Importance of Vitamin D

I don’t know about you, but during the winter I miss the long, sunny days; and it seems that in the past year we’ve seen more rainy days than normal around Knoxville. With the lack of sun, taking a vitamin D supplement is more important to us than ever.We acquire vitamin D natural from the sun and from food such broccoli and kale and from certain types of fish including salmon and rainbow trout. During the winter months, most of us are probably deficient in this very important mineral. That is why it is important to make sure you are taking a vitamin D supplement.Vitamin D deficiencies can cause bone loss, osteoporosis, depression, fatigue, muscle weakness and a suppressed immune system. Without the vitamin, our bodies also will not absorb calcium, thus the bone loss. It is vital to make sure children and older adults are not vitamin D deficient, but it’s also important to the rest of us to make sure we are getting enough of the vitamin.The National Institute of Health recommends 600 international units (IU) of vitamin day for adults ages 19-70, and more for children and older people. However, it is my belief that the government data on vitamin D is woefully behind the times. More recent studies have proven the importance of the vitamin in keeping us healthy, and recommend 8,000 IU daily for the 19-70 age range.If you are curious as to your body’s levels of vitamin D, ask for a blood test to measure them. I venture to guess that many people will find they are deficient in the vitamin.