What is the ideal dietary
requirement for Vitamin D in healthy adults and kids?
The latest news on Vitamin D-What you need to know and how much daily should you take?
What vital nutrient may
protect against cancer, heart disease,
stroke, bone fractures, and a host of other diseases? Experts on vitamin D are
quick to answer, and, by their reckoning, many Americans are sorely lacking in
the nutrient. Just this week, new data from a government-run health and nutrition
survey found that most kids weren't getting enough vitamin D and that those
with the lowest levels were more likely to have high blood pressure,
high blood sugar, and low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol
Hundreds of studies have
shown that people with high levels of vitamin D in their blood have lower rates
of diseases and a lower death rate. However, that doesn't prove—and there
really aren't any clinical trials showing—that people can lower their risk of
illness by taking a supplement to raise their vitamin D level. It takes more than just a single supplement, enhancing our health by way of exercise and eating right are timeless proven facts, and taking the right kind of Vitamin D supplement is equally important. Whole food based supplements are clinically tested and shown to be an effective dietary supplement to include with a healthy diet.
How much to take. The
vitamin D researchers at this week's meeting countered that these clinical
trials may have used supplements that didn't contain enough of the nutrient for
patients to achieve an optimal blood level of vitamin D. Michael Holick, a
researcher at Boston University, says that most adults probably need to take
about 2,000 IUs a day and that kids probably need about 1,000 IUs.
Although
vitamin D can be toxic at high doses, the latest research suggests that kids
and adults can take 5,000 IUs or more a day in supplement form without any ill
effects. (Our skin can make far more than that when exposed to sunlight, but any
excess we make gets broken down by the body and doesn't cause any harm.)
RELATED RESOURCE SITES
.jpg)
