Vitamin D, all around nutrient.

If you have filled out the form to the right to learn about products I take you will have already received an information paper on Vitamin D, which is not only a very remarkable nutrient, but one whose importance is often overlooked.

I found an article on Doctor Mercola's site, about the importance of Vitamin D and among the claims he makes is that Vitamin D can boost your all around health, as it is not just a vitamin, but rather the only known substrate for a potent, pleiotropic (meaning it produces multiple effects), repair and maintenance seco-steroid hormone that serves multiple gene-regulatory functions in your body. There are only 30,000 genes in your body and vitamin D has been shown to influence about 3,000 of them. Receptors that respond to the vitamin have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones. And researchers keep finding health benefits from vitamin D in virtually every area they look.

Can vitamin D fight colds and the flu? Yes! Help prevent obesity? It sure can. Tackle depression, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis? Yes, yes and yes! It is estimated that 25 to 50 percent of any health care budget could be saved with adequate vitamin D serum levels.

How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?

The best way to optimize your vitamin D is through safe sun exposure, or alternatively using a safe tanning bed. It is frequently possible to generate about 20,000 units of vitamin D by exposing your skin to the sun.

However, if you do not have access to regular sun exposure on a large portion of your bare skin, a vitamin D3 supplement may be necessary. Based on the most recent research, the current recommendation for dosage is 35 IU’s of vitamin D per pound of body weight. So for a child weighing 40 pounds, the recommended average dose would be 1,400 IU’s daily, and for a 170-pound adult, the dose would be nearly 6,000 IU’s.

MyAchingKnees.com comment: I am currently taking between 2,800 IU to 4,800 IU daily. And loving it. Pushing 53 years old,...working inside, outside, in all weaher conditions and around various animals, I have not ben sick in over 6 years. Some of that has to be due to the nutrients I ensure my body gets.

However, it’s important to realize that vitamin D requirements are highly individual, as your vitamin D status is dependent on numerous factors, such as the color of your skin, your location, and how much sunshine you’re exposed to on a regular basis. So, although these recommendations may put you closer to the ballpark of what most people likely need, it is simply impossible to make a blanket recommendation that will cover everyone’s needs.

The only way to determine the correct dose is to get your blood tested since there are so many variables that influence your vitamin D status. In fact, your vitamin D level should never be below 32 ng/ml, and any levels below 20 ng/ml are considered serious deficiency states, increasing your risk of as many as 16 different cancers and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, just to name a few.

Be sure to click on the Doctor Mercola link and read the entire article.

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Calcium and Vitamin D taken Early in Life Prevents Osteoporosis

Definitive research showing the necessity of Calcium, Vitamin D (and lets not forget Magnesium) supplementation for girls and young women to prevent Osteoporosis and the bone - joint pain that comes with that.

Clinical study at Australian Catholic University indicates the benefits of USANA Active Calcium chewables on bone development in females ages nine to thirteen years of age (9-13).

SALT LAKE CITY—July 19, 2010—“Eat your veggies,” “Don’t run with scissors” and now “Take your calcium and Vitamin D.” A clinical study conducted at the School of Exercise Science at Australian Catholic University, has shown that taking high quality calcium supplements like USANA’s Active Calcium could help pre-adolescent girls set the stage for a lifetime of strong, mineral-rich bones. Study results indicated that a supplement containing high quality calcium plus Vitamin D significantly improved bone density, mass and strength in girls ages nine to 13, exactly what experts want to achieve in that time of life to prevent future skeletal issues.

This study is unique because it’s the first randomized, controlled trial to assess bone responses to calcium in twins. Using twins factors out genetic complications that have plagued studies; in working with the Australian Twin Registry, 20 pairs of female twins between the ages of nine and 13 were selected to participate. Scientists administered one twin in each pair a placebo and one twin USANA’s Active Calcium.

After six months the study showed significant improvements in bone development in the twin who received the supplement. "Experts regard osteoporosis as a pediatric disease because the best time to prevent is during childhood and early adolescence,” says Dr. Tim Wood, Executive Vice President of Research and Development at USANA Health Sciences, Inc. “Women put on 50% of their adult bone mineral mass during their teenage years. As such, this is the best time to grow strong, mineral rich bones and the most effective way to prevent osteoporosis later in life.” Dr. Wood adds, “We are particularly excited about these findings because they confirm results previously shown in another study conducted in the U.S. at the University of Utah.”

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. While women are four times more likely than men to develop the disease, men also suffer from osteoporosis. It’s important for the body’s bone structure and integrity that bones absorb the right levels of calcium and magnesium, and vitamin D helps this process. USANA’s Active Calcium is a balanced and complete formula of these important ingredients. For a calcium supplement to be effective, it must be absorbent, and USANA’s Active Calcium formula is the outstanding choice among competitors.

Learn more about USANA’s products by visiting this website


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