Feb
16
Vitamin D is in the news a lot, and it’s wise at this stage of life to pay attention. Why? Because vitamin D deficiency has been linked to many chronic diseases that tend to emerge later in life – from cancers, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and depression, to fibromyalgia, chronic muscle pain, bone loss, and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. Why is vitamin D implicated in so many diseases? Because of how it controls and regulates gene function. By reducing cancer- promoting cellular growth, it’s a potent cancer inhibitor: vitamin D deficiency is linked to colon, prostate, breast and ovarian cancers. It also acts on receptors that send messages to genes. Optimal levels reduce inflammation to boost your mood, ease muscle aches and pains, and fibromyalgia.
Why Vitamin D is Especially Important for Women at Midlife
But most important for peri- post and menopausal women, vitamin D helps absorb calcium to build bone cells. Besides being critical to preventing and treating osteoporosis, optimal levels of vitamin D reduce inflammation – including reducing the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and visible signs of aging.
Why is more than 50% of the population vitamin D deficient? Three simple reasons.
* Either lack of sunlight, often less than even 30 minutes a day, or the use of sunscreens! While sunscreens protect you against skin cancer, they can also block up to 97% of vitamin D production
* Aging. By the time we reach 70,we product about 25% of vitamin D as we did in our prime.
* Inadequate intake of the few natural dietary sources of vitamin D, i.e. mackerel, herring, sardines, or cod liver oil.
Track and Maintain Your Vitamin D Levels
Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D. suggests these steps to reach maintain optimum vitamin D. Visit his site for a more in-depth discussion.
* Test your vitamin D levels. You can use this easy to use at-home Vitamin D Test Kit.
* Make sure to take biologically active Vitamin D3 (not D2), available in our shop.
* Work with your doctor to restore a serious deficiency.
* For maintenance, supplement with 1000-2000IU a day with vitamin D3
* Eat dietary sources of vitamin D
Here’s some idea of the vitamin D you can get from your foods:
* Fish liver oils (cod liver oil) 1 TBSP (15 ml) = 1360 IU
* Cooked wild salmon. 3.5 oz = 360 IU
* Cooked mackerel. 3.5 oz = 345 IU
* Sardines, canned in oil, drained. 1.75 oz = 250 IU
* One whole egg = 20 IU
We also recommend Dr. Soram Khalsa, M.D.’s book, The Vitamin D Revolution as a reliable source for more information.
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For the latest research on calcium, HRT and building bone health through diet, click here.
To learn more about the health claims and hidden risks of biphosphonates, sign up here for our free special report, The Selling of Osteoporosis.
Here is the latest news on the findings of ‘brittle bones’ and the increased risk of spontaneous femur fractures from use of biphosphonate drugs in some women.
To learn about a drug-free and natural way to prevent – or even reverse – osteoporosis and osteopenia without side effects, master the essentials in our Women Doing It For Ourselves – How to Build Bone Health for Lifelong Vitality, with nutritionist and health educator Dr. Judith Valentine, Ph.D.
To find out about the medical uses of yoga to prevent and reverse osteoporosis, or to participate in a Columbia University study, click here.
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