 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Your shopping cart is empty)
|
|
|
|
|
Now that the hours of daylight are waning as we move toward Winter, it is important to know the benefits of Vitamin D, “The Sunshine Vitamin.” Vitamin D is essential for bone health. Without it your body can’t absorb the calcium you eat. It also helps maintain normal blood levels of phosphorus, which is another bone-building mineral. Your body uses the sun’s ultraviolet B energy to create Vitamin D in your cells.
Beyond its value in bone health, from recent research we know that Vitamin D aids in warding off diseases and is active in many tissues and cells controlling many genes, including some associated with cancers, infection and autoimmune disease.
Perfect sun exposure for production of Vitamin D would have you in the sun exposing your arms and legs 10 to 15 minutes a day a few times each week. We know that isn’t always possible given weather conditions, work and family schedules. If we could eat adequate amounts of Vitamin D, we wouldn’t have to find a way to hang out in the sunshine. The truth is there aren’t many foods containing this vitamin. The National Institute of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements names the following foods rich in Vitamin D:
Salmon 3.5 oz provides 360 IU
Mackerel, 3.5 oz provides 345 IU
Tuna, canned, 3.5 oz provides 200 IU
Orange juice, fortified, 8 oz provides 100 IU
Fortified Milk, 8 oz provides 98 IU
Fortified Breakfast Cereals, 1 serving 40-100 IU
Some experts believe you should consume 800 to 1,000 IU (International Units) per day From the foods listed, you can see how challenging it would be to eat your way to the recommended Vitamin D dosage. Experts also agree you shouldn’t exceed 2,000 IU per day from supplemental sources as there are possible adverse reactions.
So get a little sun when you can. Limit your exposure so you don’t get sunburned, The experts disagree on how much and whether sunscreen interferes with Vitamin D production from sun exposure so you have to decide how much or how little sunscreen is right for you until more is known. Ultimately remember to take good care of your skin and it will take care of you.
For more information about “The Sunshine Vitamin,” read the September 2008 “Harvard Women’s Health Watch.” Harvard Health Publications, a division of Harvard Medical School.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
