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Vitamin D
Vitamin D is one of the many nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy. Among the vitamin's main functions, it helps the body:
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Absorb calcium. Vitamin D, along with calcium, helps build bones and keep bones strong and healthy.
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Block the release of parathyroid hormone. This hormone reabsorbs bone tissue, which makes bones thin and brittle.
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Play a role in muscle function and the immune system. The immune system is your body's defense system. It helps protect it against infections and other illnesses. Taking vitamin D every day has been shown to reduce the risk of falling in older individuals.
Other ways vitamin D is thought to help us, and how much we would need to take, is an area of active research (and controversy). There have been studies to suggest that it might help prevent colon, prostate, and breast cancers. There is also some research that it might help prevent and treat diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and multiple sclerosis. However, the results of many of these studies are either preliminary or under debate. Without other long-term research, even many of the researchers who conducted these initial studies are cautious about recommending vitamin D for the prevention of these diseases.
Recommended Daily Dose
I recommend using vitamins D3 with K2, a nutrient blend with a powerful synergistic effect on bone health, cardiovascular health and the metabolism of calcium within the body. Vitamin D3 increases the absorption of calcium, K2 helps to direct the body on where to deposit the calcium, ensuring that it makes its way to the bones rather than building up in the organs, tissues or coronary arteries where it can lead to calcium deposits and the buildup of plaque.K2 also helps to activate osteocalcin, the protein hormone necessary in helping to bind calcium to the bone. The winter months in Canada are dark and we need about 2,000 I/U a day.
Sources:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15050-vitamin-d--vitamin-d-deficiency
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