1. Description: A fat soluble vitamin that is acquired through sunlight or food. However, smog reduces its absorption properties, and if you have a sunburn or suntan, vitamin D absorption stops through the skin. Vitamin D helps with proper absorption of calcium and phosphorus.
2. Benefits: There are many links to autoimmune disorders and little to no vitamin D in the body; type I diabetes, MS, RA, stroke, heart disease, dementia, Parkinson’s, and many cancers. Vitamin D helps boost your immune system and itt helps prevent seasonal affective disorder, (SAD), by keeping the brain regulated with serotonin. It can help in the treatment of diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Taking vitamin D daily can significantly lower your risk for breast, colon, prostate, and ovarian cancers. When taken with vitamins A and C, it can significantly reduce your chances of getting a cold or the flu. It is also needed for assimilating vitamin A. The body’s ability to absorb Vitamin D declines with age. Alsom if you are a Crohn’s, cystic fibrosis, or celiac patient, you should absolutely be supplementing with vitamin D.
3. Fun Fact: Having trouble with weight loss? Low levels of vitamin D can cause a dip in hormones that regulate appetite, impairing the brain’s signal that lets us know when we are full, leading to unwanted weight gain!