Importance of Vitamin D

    Vitamin D is a well known vitamin to us all, but so many of us are still not getting adequate amounts necessary to keep our bodies healthy. A few reasons to ensure you're obtaining this essential vitamin include:

-vitamin D is essential for the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorus (healthy bone development)
-vitamin D has a role in immune system regulation
-vitamin D has been used in demonstrating its essentiality in maintaining cognitive function (brain function) later in life
-vitamin D plays a role in maintaining proper body weight, according to Medical College of Georgia, USA
-vitamin D can reduce the severity and frequency of asthma symptoms
-vitamin D has been shown to reduce the risk of developing RA (rheumatoid arthritis) in women
-vitamin D is thought to protect against low level radiation damage
-vitamin D has demonstrated through multiple studies that individuals with sufficient levels are at a significantly lower risk of developing cancer when compared to those with low levels of vitamin D
-vitamin D insufficiency may increase the risk of heart attack and early death, according to a study from 2012

    Do you know your current vitamin D status? Have you and your doctor discussed supplementation if you are part of the population not getting adequate sunlight or eating foods rich in vitamin D? Not everyone will need to begin a regimen of supplementation, but for those of us who are fighting to maintain health, this is an important vitamin to be mindful of.

    A point of personal interest regarding vitamin D was the correlation between low maternal levels of the vitamin and adverse health affects on mothers and newborns. An article recently published by the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences linked severe preeclampsia to low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy. The study indicated that deficiency in vitamin D during the first 26 weeks of pregnancy may be at greater risk of developing severe preeclampsia (note the difference here in severe preeclampsia vs mild preeclampsia- they appear to have different root causes). For any woman trying to conceive or any woman already expecting, particularly those in the first half of pregnancy, I urge you to talk to your doctor about your levels of vitamin D.



Resources and Further Readings:


What is vitamin D? What are the benefits of vitamin D?

PubMed: Adherence to vitamin D recommendations among US infants.

Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Vitamin D? What Are the Benefits of Vitamin D?"Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 05 Feb. 2014.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161618.php

University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences. "Low vitamin D levels during pregnancy may increase risk of severe preeclampsia." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 January 2014. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140127141900.htm