I first became interested in this when I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism in 2008. There nestled among all the other blood test results that were taken, was a note "CHRONIC VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY".
So I did a little research .. not much, because I wasn't as obsessed about health and nutrition back then .. and discovered that the common denominator in people with serious diseases and illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid conditions, depression, stroke, osteoporoses, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, gout, arthritis, psoriasis etc, was a vitamin D deficiency!
If you think you may have a Vitamin D deficiency, ask your doctor for a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D test.
Vitamin D activates the innate immune system, enabling the body to produce several proteins such as defensin and cathelicidin which trigger cell activity and disable viruses. (Vit D for the flu)
Healthy vitamin D levels will also help your body fight seasonal infections, including meningitis, septicaemia, and pneumonia, in both children and adults. The length and severity of seasonal allergies like asthma and hay fever will also be reduced.
How much vitamin D you need varies with age, body weight, percent of body fat, latitude, skin coloration, season of the year, use of sun block, individual variation in sun exposure, and – probably – how ill you are.
As a general rule, old people need more than young people, big people need more that little people, in Australia - southern people need more than northern people, dark-skinned people need more than fair skinned people, winter people need more than summer people, sun block lovers need more than sun block haters, sun-phobes need more than sun worshipers, and ill people may need more than well people.
If you're really keen to know everything about Vitamin D here is a very interesting read from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .. be warned, it is long and detailed!
How do I get it and how much do I need?
It's important that you get your Vitamin D from the sun .. not just from supplements .. we should get 90% of our Vitamin D from casual daily sun exposure. Between five and 30 minutes of sun exposure to your unprotected face, arms, legs or back between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. two to three times every week is enough for your body to produce all the D3 it needs [source: National Institutes of Health - Office of Dietary Supplements].
The vitamin D3 that is formed on the surface of your skin doesn't immediately penetrate into your bloodstream. It needs to be absorbed from the surface of your skin into your bloodstream.
It's interesting to note that it takes up to 48 hours before you absorb the majority of the vitamin D that your body has generated in the sunshine.
If you shower with soap, you will wash away most of it, and decrease the benefits of your sun exposure. So to optimise your vitamin D level, you need to delay washing your body with soap for about two full days after sun exposure.
Are you frowning???? You really only need to use soap underneath your arms and your groin area, so it's not a major hygiene issue. Just avoid soaping up the larger areas of your body that were exposed to the sun.
Seriously, if that's the reason you want to avoid getting your daily dose of Vit D and put yourself at serious risk of all of those diseases, then I've probably wasted a whole post on this issue!!
If there is one thing that I seriously believe and would like for others to strongly consider ..
"IT'S IMPORTANT TO EDUCATE YOURSELF, BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH AND BE YOUR OWN HEALTH CARE ADVOCATE."
That is all.
This is what my lovely lagoon across the road had to offer this morning ..
What a great way to start the day!
Nite all.
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