How to Get Sufficient Vitamin D with Less Sun
Equatorial living here in the Americas means you must be in Central America, and while countries there are all quite scenic and beautiful there’s plenty that keeps people from moving there. Some people might be fortunate to live there for a portion of the year, but for the rest of us we’re far north of the equator and that means for more than half of the year we don’t get much in the way of natural sunlight. Sunlight exposure is the best and most natural way to absorb vitamin D, and if you’re not getting enough of it you do need a Vitamin D supplement. But what does Vitamin D do for your body?
Well, for starters the fact that you’re able to stand upright easily and you can jump up and down without something snapping has a lot to do with the way you got enough Vitamin D growing up. When we ask what Vitamin D does for your body is for starters strong and healthy bones. People usually associate bone health with calcium, but calcium and Vitamin D are equally as important. Fortunately for those of us who are hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the equator, it’s quite easy to get the Vitamin D we need when we are eating right.
We’ll get into dietary interests later as well if you are still looking for more of an answer for what does Vitamin D for your body. All the different vitamins have their own importance, but most of them are not ones where we’re at a disadvantage because we live far into the Northern hemisphere. So, if you’re on your way to Ecuador you won’t need to concern yourself about natural Vitamin D. If not, read on here about Vitamin D and why it’s even more of a need now that we’re in the fall season.
Big Time Booster
Vitamin D is kind of like the ultimate teammate if you think of bodily function as a team. It makes others better and more capable of doing what they do to promote the team’s success. We talked about Vitamin D and calcium earlier and those two alone are quite a team themselves, when it comes to making sure you grow properly with strong bones and then defend against rickets, osteomalacia and osteoporosis all through life. Vitamin D boosts the production of calcium, and it also boosts absorption of magnesium and phosphorous – two minerals that have many different health benefits.
So, if it’s a question of what does Vitamin D do for your body then you can look it has having many positive health implications and boosting the results you get from other vitamins and minerals. It also boosts muscle health and function, something that is equally important for people’s mobility as they age. It’s good to be aware that one of the Vitamin D deficiency symptoms is dizziness.
Effective Inhibitor
Another aspect of how Vitamin D works in the body is that it knows when to give, and when to take away. While it boosts calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous it also provides some real inhibitory value too. First and foremost, in this regard is the way Vitamin D can protect against cancer, and this applies to some cancers more than others. Proper vitamin D levels are a natural defense against breast cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer. Pairing it with Rx meds that prevent the growth of cancer cells can be a good combination.
Vitamin D is also a factor in a healthy immune system, and it’s a great inhibitor here too as it works to counter the development of inflammatory diseases or slow the progress of them. A good example is IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), Vitamin D inhibits the production of inflammatory cytokines that are at the root of this disease and many other ones caused by runaway inflation. It’s estimated that 30 to 40 percent of people with IBD developed it in part because of a Vitamin D deficiency.
Are you still wondering what does Vitamin D for your body? Well it helps with healthy pregnancies for women, which leads to better childbirths and overall, more healthy children. That really may be the biggest plus of all when it comes to Vitamin D.
Eat for It
A Vitamin D2 supplement is always a good choice, but it’s best to address Vitamin deficiencies with diet. Foods that are ideal sources of Vitamin D are eggs, milk, certain types of mushrooms, and oily fish like salmon, herring, mackerel, and sardines. Try to get more of these into your diet, and then try to get as much natural sunlight exposure during the summer months.
What does vitamin D do for your body? Turns out a whole lot!
IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.
