Fitnessvolt.com - May 5, 2019 - Matthew Magnante

Vitamin D: Benefits & Facts

Vitamin D is crucial for good health and many important bodily functions…

But in a society where processed foods are the norm and being indoors has hidden us from the sun’s rays; it’s even more important to pay attention.

Vitamin D plays a huge role in bone growth, immune function, cell growth, and many other bodily processes. But, sometimes we experience symptoms that clearly reflect a deficiency and you must be aware of them to prevent long term, serious health issues. (1, 2)

Now, Vitamin D is only available through limited foods like fatty fish (Salmon, sardines, mackerel), cheese, eggs, dark greens (Collard greens, spinach, kale) and beef liver. Sometimes it’s even added in certain foods like orange juice and milk.

But, most of the time getting it through food is not enough and we need supplements, plus sufficient time in the sun to maintain healthy levels. (2, 3)

But, if you’re not sure whether or not you’re getting enough Vitamin D, we’ve listed 7 areas to be aware of when it comes to the potential need to correct a deficiency.

First, though, let’s quickly go over the importance of supplementation and sun rays…

Vitamin D3 Supplementation and Sunshine

To make sure you’re getting sufficient amounts of Vitamin D, follow the recommendation of a minimum 600 International Units (IU) per day if you’re 70 and under, or 800 IU if age 71 and older. (3)

But, this is a conservative number with recent recommendations being even high, at 1,000-2,000 IU per day. But it really depends on your geographic location (Since sunshine varies), current state of health, and current Vitamin D levels. (2)

Now, you can get Vitamin D through multivitamins and/or just Vitamin D supplements.

And/or you can get Vitamin D through plenty of sunshine and Ultraviolet-B rays (UVB). But there’s no one-size-fits-all for the time needed in the sun since it really depends on your skin tone and current Vitamin D levels. However, getting at least 15 minutes of sun rays per day should be appropriate for most people. (4)

But, you don’t want to stay in the sun too long as this can cause skin damage and possibly cancer.

Here are 6 signs of possible Vitamin D deficiency…

Read on at SOURCE (Fitness Volt)