Vitamin D Supplements

About Vitamin D Supplements

Vitamin D is an incredibly important nutrient for the human body, offering a wide range of benefits. Fortunately, the human body can synthesise Vitamin D in the skin as long as we get adequate sunlight exposure. Thia vitamin is actually produced from cholesterol, though this process does also rely upon other nutrients. Even on the sunny Gold Coast of Australia, Vitamin D deficiencies and insufficiencies are relatively common. This is likely due to people staying indoors for longer periods of time and the avoidance of sunlight due to skin cancer concerns. 

A leading international Vitamin D researcher, Dr Michael F. Holick, in a paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2004  emphasised the importance of this nutrient for the health of the immine system and bones, and for the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Dr Holick recommends careful exposure to sunlight to ensure that daily Vitamin D requirements are met, whilst minimising the risk of sunburn.

It has also been suggested that Vitamin D may be helpful for conditions such as muscle weakness, fibromyalgia and even chronic fatigue syndrome. This crucial vitamin, that actually functions more like a hormone, may also be helpful in the management of seasonal affective disorder, depression and a healthy immune response.

Vitamin D assists in the generation of natural anti-microbial proteins called cathelicidins. These proteins are produced by macrophages in responses to infections, whether they are of viral, bacterial, protozoal or fungal by nature. Daily Vitamin D supplementation has been associated with protection against respiratory tract infections, as reported by the British Medical Journal. 

Vitamin D is found in relatively low amounts in food. One of the most common food-sourced supplements used over the past century has been cod liver oil. This oil is prepared from the liver of the cod fish, which also supplies contains abundant Vitamin A, as retinol, and the Omega 3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA. Other food sources are fatty fish, such as salmon and mackeral, milk and eggs. Vitamin D Supplements really are an effective way to ensure your vitamin D requirements are being met, with Herbs of Gold now offering a vegan friendly product. A daily 3,000 IU dosage believed to be ideal when dietary intake and sunlight exposure are minimal.