by Craig Stellpflug
(NaturalNews) A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that 70 percent of U.S. children have low levels of vitamin D. “We expected the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency would be high, but the magnitude of the problem nationwide was shocking” says Dr. Juhi Kumar of Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center.
In times past it was known that not enough vitamin D caused a bone disease known as rickets, but more recent discoveries count vitamin D deficiency as a major factor in adult heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, at least 17 varieties of cancer and more.
Vitamin D deficiency has been noted in 69 percent of adult patients with inflammatory joint diseases or connective tissue diseases, 77 percent with soft tissue rheumatism, 62 percent with osteoarthritis, 75 percent with back pain, and 71 percent with osteoporosis.
The “sunshine” vitamin
Years ago it was wrongly proposed that the sun was our enemy and that sunshine caused skin cancer. Boy were we wrong! The opposite it true and our abuse of sunblock goops is growing in lock-step with the growing numbers for skin cancer.
The skin makes the best form of vitamin D from sun exposure and produces approximately 10,000 IU of vitamin D with just 20-30 minutes of full-body summer sun exposure. Sunlight exposure is the best way to get Vitamin D, as the body automatically regulates how much Vitamin D it makes from sunlight. The body stores vitamin D for up to six months.
Then there is the added benefit of vitamin D controlling cholesterol levels. Since vitamin D precursors require cholesterol for conversion, without adequate sun exposure, vitamin D precursors can turn into cholesterol instead of the vitamin. Conversely, statin drugs hamper the body’s vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium. A person deficient in vitamin D doesn’t absorb enough calcium, even if the intake of calcium is high. Vitamin D is also an anticancer miracle being part of a metabolic product called calcitriol that influences some 2,000 genes in the body. Vitamin D has also repeatedly shown great promise in fighting off colds and flu, and people who are D-deficient are more likely to get sick.
Read the rest of the article here: Natural News
