Should I Take Vitamin D?

Do you know why Vitamin D is important?

Do you know what happens when you don't take enough vitamin D?

Do you know the natural sources of vitamin D?

Do you live in a place where it's hard to get sunlight?

Do you put on sunscreen when you go out?

Do you know how much Vitamin D you should take every day?

Vitamin D is important for your body as it helps it to sustain the right levels of calcium and phosphorus. In other words, it helps your body to absorb calcium, that in turn, is essential for maintaining healthy bones. It is also necessary to keep your muscles and immune system healthy.

Lack of vitamin D can lead to problems such as osteoporosis because your body is unable to absorb the right amounts of calcium needed to keep your bones healthy. Also, some studies associate lower levels of vitamin D with problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain, diabetes, blood pressure, and some cancers.

Vitamin D is found naturally only in a handful of foods such as egg yolk, cheese, beef liver, cod liver oil, and more. The best source of vitamin D is probably the sun and experts recommend that you should take in the sunlight at least for a few minutes every day. In particular, you should expose yourself to the morning sun for the best absorption. If none of it is possible, opt for fortified foods such as cereals and milk.

Since sunlight is the best source of vitamin D, you should get at least a few rays of it on your body every day. If you live in the cold northern regions where sunlight may not be available around the year, consider taking vitamin D supplements. But as much as possible, opt for sunlight exposure.

Even if you spend lots of time in the sun, your skin can't absorb the vitamin D if it is covered in sunscreen. Though it is necessary to reduce the possibility of skin cancer, it impedes your body's ability to absorb vitamin D and in such cases, you must take vitamin D supplements.

The Mayo Clinic recommends that adults should get a minimum of 600 IU every day, though 1000 to 2000 is optimal. If you're having problems such as osteoporosis, check with your healthcare professional about possible tests to gauge the vitamin D levels in your body, and based on these tests, your doctor will recommend appropriate doses.

Great, stick to what you've been doing, especially if you're in good health. At the same time, it helps to know that excess vitamin D can lead to a rare condition called hypervitaminosis D. When you get vitamin D through natural sources and sunlight, your body knows to regulate the same without causing a pileup. But if you take supplements, you may want to check the vitamin D levels before deciding on the optimal dosage.