7 Reasons Why You NEED More Vitamin D
I just got back from a vacation in Mexico and I feel GREAT.
Not only did I get to relax with my wife Rhina… but I also fueled up with vitamin D.
You see, Mexico is one of the best places in the world to get plenty of vitamin D in the winter because it’s just north of the equator.
And the closer you are to the equator, the more vitamin D your skin makes from the sun.
On the flip side, the farther away you get from the equator, the less vitamin D you get in the winter.
In fact, if you’re one of the millions of Americans who live north of the 37thparallel (that’s a little more than the upper half of the US), your skin hardly makes any vitamin D from the sun in the winter.
And that’s can spell disaster for your health.
Keep reading to find out the top 7 reasons why you want to get plenty of vitamin D… as well as the best way to do that during the long winter months.
Unless you get your blood levels checked (which I highly recommend you do), it can be difficult to know whether or not you’re deficient in D – but it’s absolutely essentially for your health.
Here are 7 serious ways vitamin D deficiency impacts your health:
- Your Bones
People with less vitamin D are much more likely to develop osteoporosis, which increases your risk of fractures. That’s because vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, which is the foundation of strong bones.
- Your Immune System
People with low levels of vitamin D are much more likely to get sick because vitamin D is essential for a healthy immune system. One study even showed that those who are deficient are 2.5 times more likely to get pneumonia than people with high levels.
- Your Heart
Low levels of vitamin D can have a negative impact on your heart. Research has shown that a deficiency is linked to higher blood pressure. One study even found that it can increase your risk of developing coronary artery disease.
- Your Brain
People deficient in D are more likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
- Multiple Sclerosis
The sunlight/multiple sclerosis connectionis gaining more and more acceptance – and vitamin D has a lot to do with that connection. Studies show that vitamin D lowers the risk of developing MS. And in people who already have the disease, vitamin D reduces its severity.
- Cancer
Vitamin could even help you beat cancer. One study found that cancer patients who have higher vitamin D levels are more likely to survive the disease.
- Death
And the biggest whammy of them all… people with lower levels of vitamin D are more likely to die earlier than people with higher levels.
If you live north of the equator, you’ll need to get most of your vitamin D during the winter from foods like salmon, sardines, beef liver, oysters, and eggs.
And if you can’t obtain enough vitamin D through your food, consider supplementation.
To a brighter day,
Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D.
