Vitamin D is beneficial in many ways. It’s a mood enhancer, promotes calcium absorption, decreases inflammation, and many other benefits. However, among all the things we remember about vitamin D there is one VERY important fact that many people don’t know. Vitamin D is the vitamin’s vitamin. Meaning that vitamin D helps all the other vitamins in the body work better!
How Does Vitamin D Help Other Vitamins Do Their Job?
Vitamin D Helps Promote The Parathyroid (PTH)
PTH and vitamin D work as a team to regulate bone health. Vitamin D allows your body to absorb calcium and store excess in the kidneys to be used when the body is running low or needs it later. PTH and vitamin D regulate the amount of calcium and phosphorus in the blood and bone and ensure a proper balance.
Benefits of Vitamin D
- “Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that Vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a low-calorie diet predict weight loss success, suggesting a possible role for vitamin D in weight loss.”
- It has been shown to reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in women.
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- It is crucial for the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous, which have various functions, especially the maintenance of healthy bones.
- It is an immune system regulator.
- It may be an important way to arm the immune system against disorders like the common cold, say scientists from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Children’s Hospital Boston.
- It may reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is much less common the nearer you get to the tropics, where there is much more sunlight, according to Dennis Bourdette, chairman of the Department of Neurology and director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center at Oregon Health and Science University, USA.
- Vitamin D may have a key role in helping the brain to keep working well in later life, according to a study of 3000 European men between the ages of 40 and 79 (Source).
How Much Vitamin D Do You Need (Based on Age)
- Children up to 13 years – 5 mcg (200 IU)
- 14-18 years – 5 mcg (200 IU)
- 19-50 years – 5mcg (200 IU)
- 51-70 years – 10 mcg (400 IU)
- 71+ years – 15 mcg (600 IU)
If you think you’re getting enough vitamin D from the sun, don’t be so sure! Things like smog, cloud cover, living far away from the equator, and sunscreen can actually be robbing you of this precious vitamin.
As you can see, vitamin D plays a huge role in making everything in the human body work properly. If you feel as though you aren’t getting enough then it’s time you focused on putting it back into your system so your body can run efficiently and affectively.
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