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Vitamins like C and E continue to be the darlings of many supplement lovers.
But those vitamin superstars are being forced to share their throne with the
long neglected vitamin D, which is finally getting the attention it may have
always deserved.
You are probably familiar with the role of vitamin D in
promoting healthy bones, largely by promoting the absorption of calcium. If you
have a vitamin D deficiency, particularly in your older years, it can lead to
osteoporosis or osteomalacia [bone softening].
There is scientific
evidence that links low levels of vitamin D to an increased risk of: type 1
diabetes, muscle and bone pain, and, perhaps more serious, cancers of the
breast, colon, prostate, ovaries, esophagus, and lymphatic system.
If you
want to lower your blood pressure, vitamin D may be just what the doctor
ordered. If you are trying to reduce your risk of diabetes, or lower your
chances of heart attacks, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis, then
vitamin D should be at the front of the line in your daily multi-vitamin
supplement regimen.
Many vitamin D researchers are convinced the
government's recommendations for adequate vitamin D intake are far below what
your body really needs. Those guidelines call for 200 IU a day up to the age of
50, 400 IU from 51 to 70, and 600 IU over age 70.
Some scientific studies
show that to achieve blood levels of vitamin D that can protect you against
chronic diseases, you need an optimal dose of 1,000 IU of vitamin D a
day.
Vitamin D3 more potent than vitamin D2.
In the
Journal Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism Armas LAG, et al. "Vitamin D2
is much less effective than vitamin D3 in humans." 2004;89:5387-5391.
Twenty
healthy male volunteers were randomly assigned to receive a single 50,000-IU
dose of either vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) or vitamin D3
(cholecalciferol)...They found that the potency of vitamin D2 being only 10.6%
that of vitamin D3.
That means 100 IU of D3 is equivalent to 1000 IU
of D2. Make sure that your multi-vitamin contains D3 not D2
Homefirst Vitamin D3 |
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