It’s a fact, most of us will not get enough Vitamin D from the foods we eat to support a healthy, active life. Although we need Vitamin D to survive, experts say getting adequate amounts is almost never accomplished through diet alone. The most common source of Vitamin D is in milk but hardly any of us consume enough of it to support our body’s needs. In fact, up to 80% of Americans are deficient.
When we think about a Vitamin D deficiency, most of us automatically think of osteoporosis, but studies indicate that the effects of a vitamin D deficiency include an elevated risk of much more serious conditions and diseases. The include developing (and dying from) cancers of the colon, breast and prostate; high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease; osteoarthritis; and immune-system abnormalities that can result in infections and autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
Take a look a this excerpt from a NYTimes.com article:
Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University, a leading expert on vitamin D and author of “The Vitamin D Solution(Hudson Street Press, 2010), said in an interview, We want everyone to be above 30 nanograms per milliliter, but currently in the United States, Caucasians average 18 to 22 nanograms and African-Americans average 13 to 15 nanograms.African-American women are 10 times as likely to have levels at or below 15 nanograms as white women, the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found.
Such low levels could account for the high incidence of several chronic diseases in this country, Dr. Holick maintains. For example, he said, in the Northeast, where sun exposure is reduced and vitamin D levels consequently are lower, cancer rates are higher than in the South. Likewise, rates of high blood pressure, heart disease, and prostate cancer are higher among dark-skinned Americans than among whites.
Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency
Some symptoms of low vitamin D levels are high blood pressure, depression, fatigue and weakness, rickets, bone pain, muscle cramps, psoriasis, dental disease, depression and others.
Be Proactive, Be Preventative
Taking a vitamin D supplement like Earth D3 5000 from EarthRx is the best way to ensure your body gets the required levels of vitamin D. The recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D depends on your age. Below is a basic guideline:
| Age | Male | Female | Pregnancy | Lactation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0“12 months* | 400 IU (10 mcg) |
400 IU (10 mcg) |
||
| 1“13 years | 600 IU (15 mcg) |
600 IU (15 mcg) |
||
| 14“18 years | 600 IU (15 mcg) |
600 IU (15 mcg) |
600 IU (15 mcg) |
600 IU (15 mcg) |
| 19“50 years | 600 IU (15 mcg) |
600 IU (15 mcg) |
600 IU (15 mcg) |
600 IU (15 mcg) |
| 51“70 years | 600 IU (15 mcg) |
600 IU (15 mcg) |
||
| >70 years | 800 IU (20 mcg) |
800 IU (20 mcg) |
