1) 30 minutes of sunshine is all it takes for the body to manufacture Vitamin D for light skinned people.
2) Darker skinned people need up to 3 hours of sunlight to achieve the same level of vitamin D production (due to the difference in skin pigmentation).
3) Vitamin D is necessary for strong teeth and bones.
4) Calcium cannot be effectively absorbed by the body without sufficient vitamin D.
5) Vitamin D helps to promote a healthy heart and nervous system.
6) Rickets, which result in bent legs, can occur in children whose bones are too soft from a lack of vitamin D.
7) In adults a deficiency of vitamin D causes a loss of minerals in the bones and contributes to osteoporosis.
8) A lack of vitamin D is also linked to the development of hearing problems.
9) Sunscreen with a high SPF factor can interfere with the body’s manufacture of vitamin D.
10) Vitamin D has shown promise in the treatment of psoriasis.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance of vitamin D is 400 iu for males and females alike. Very high levels of vitamin D can be toxic but there is no consistent agreement on when this level is reached. Some guidelines warn that 5,000 iu of vitamin D is too much on a daily basis, others say 10,000 is of vitamin D is where the trouble begins, while still others claim the toxic level of vitamin D is even higher. The good news is that although vitamin D is plentiful given the right combination of sunshine and food, getting too much of it is difficult. For example, a Vitamin D overdose will not result from being in the sun a lot. Usually any danger from too much vitamin D is presented by taking too large a dose of supplements.
An excess of vitamin D in your body can cause drowsiness, nausea, increased thirst, a decreased appetite, and abdominal pain. A long-term affect of too much vitamin D is calcium deposits in the blood vessel walls and kidneys, which can cause serious damage.
Along with being added to milk, vitamin D is in liver, egg yolk, fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel, butter, and dark leafy vegetables (though smaller amounts of vitamin D are found here).
Strict vegans must be careful to get enough vitamin D. A lack of vitamin D may also be experienced by people with kidney and liver ailments, as these organs are needed to activate vitamin D in the body.
Copyright © Dennis Becker, 2004.
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