Vitamin D – The Sunshine Vitamin
 

According to research by Weston Price in the 1930's, primitive peoples who were in excellent health and free of today's degenerative diseases like cancer, heart disease, arthritis and more, consumed around 10 times the amount of fat soluble vitamins than Westernized peoples did back then.  For vitamin D this would mean around 4,000 IUs, instead of the 200-400 which is our current RDA. 

Canadian researcher Dr. Reinhold Vieth also recommends 4000 IUs from all sources (that would include the D your body makes from the sun).  However, there have been reports of toxicity of D, and you do want to make sure that you don't take too much if you decide to supplement.  Further, some research has shown that even vitamin D that your body manufactures during and after exposure to the sun can be detrimental to your body if you are not getting enough calcium.  Vitamin D can also increase the uptake of heavy metals like cadmium, aluminum and lead if you do not have enough calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, so it is very important that you are getting enough minerals in your diet along with the vitamin D.

In spite of reports of the dangers of too much vitamin D, in certain older age groups, the strongest indication of health and longevity was having high levels of vitamin D in the blood, along with normal thyroid function.  It certainly appears that at any age, vitamin D is a very important nutrient associated with high levels of health and vitality and a long life!
 

Vitamin D and the Heart
 

German scientists found in comparing patients with chronic heart failure to healthy patients that one factor in heart failure is having low levels of vitamin D in the blood.  Other research with animals also indicates that vitamin D seems to act as a protective factor for the heart.  Low levels of D are associated with "syndrome X" or the group of symptoms & diseases that seem to run together with heart disease:  obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.  Researchers have long noted that more heart disease occurs in winter months and in northern countries where people get less vitamin D from the sun.  Also, studies have shown that increased D levels can restore insulin sensitivity, lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Benefits of D
Getting D From The Sun
Getting Vitamin D From Your Diet
Deficiency
Vitamin D Supplementation
D Toxicity

 REFERENCES:

• Moon J., The role of Vitamin D in Toxic Metal Absorption:  A Review.  J. Am. Coll. Nutr., 1994:  13: 559-64.
• Mariani E, Ravaglia G, Forti P et al., Vitamin D, Thyroid Hormones and Muscle Mass Influence Natural Killer (NK) Innate Immunity in Healthy Nonagenarians and Centenarians, Clin Exp Emmunol, 1999, Jul:  117(1): 206. Boucher
• BJ, Inadequate Vitamin D Status:  Does it Contribute to the Disorders Comprising Syndrome 'X'?, Br. J. Nutr., 1998:  79: 315-27.