Vitamin D in the news...

Lately Vitamin D has been in the news because of many studies extolling its virtues in helping prevent cancers and other health problems.

I therefore thought that it would be appropriate to remind you that to receive the benefits of Vitamin D it is not simply a matter of heading down to your local health food store and buying a bottle of Vitamin D tablets/capsules! Nor, should you sit back and think “I am OK because I drink milk which has been fortified with Vitamin D” because you won't be!

Why?

Firstly, let’s consider the Vitamin D in milk (not that you should be drinking milk). Milk is fortified with a synthetic Vitamin D2 known as ‘ergocalciferol’. There is no evidence to support the benefits of this form of Vitamin D. Most if not all fortified foods use this form of synthetic D2.

If you are ingesting Vitamin D it should only be in the form of ‘D3’ which is natural and is called ‘cholecalciferol’. It is found in eggs, some meats and some fish and is the only form that we use in Xtend-Life products including Total Balance.

BUT…you still have to be careful. Remember, more is not always better and this very much applies to Vitamin D in any form. Your body cannot use the directly ingested Vitamin D. It has to convert it to a bio-active form and high levels of ingested Vitamin D can be problematic particularly when taken in isolation.

On the other hand your body is fully equipped to manufacturer large quantities of Vitamin D from the sun…safely. It will store what it does not need and release the bio-active form as and when your body needs it.

So, if you live somewhere that have low levels of sunshine during the winter that is OK, PROVIDED that you get as much sun as possible in the summer time (without burning). When Vitamin D is produced from sunshine your body has the ability to hold excess in reserve to get you through the winter.

Ladies…remember that Vitamin D from sunshine is a major protector against breast cancer.

I personally suspect that a major factor in the rise of breast cancer in recent years is due to the general paranoia about sunshine and the scare tactics employed by both authorities and sunscreen manufacturers. Please don’t be taken in by this. Many authorities now have a vested interest in promoting fear of the sun and many are reluctant to back down from their stance against sunshine as it means admitting they were wrong.