The Sunshine Vitamin

01/13/10 by Derek | Advice, Blog | No Comments »

Anybody check the weather lately?  Not a whole lotta’ sun ’round these parts this time of year.

Vitamin D deficiencies are very common in northern climates during the darker months.  Low blood levels of vitamin D can lead to:

SAD (seasonal affective disorder and moodiness)
Heaviness in the legs
Chronic musculoskeletal pain
Fatigue
Hypersensitivity of the skin
Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease
Cognitive impairment in older adults
Severe asthma in children
Cancer

The list goes on, just Google it…

So how can you get your dose o’ D?  Well it’s pretty easy in CdA during the summer; our bodies produce the stuff when the sun’s UV rays hit our skin.  Winter is the tough one.

Now before you move to a nudist colony in Florida, here are some other ways:  milk is fortified with it, but only contains 100 I.U. per serving (not to mention it’s a fat soluble vitamin, so whatsup with skim milk?).   Cod liver oil is a good source, serving up 400 I.U. per teaspoon.  I supplement this with my fish oil during the winter months.  New research is showing the upper safety limit for vitamin D is 4000 I.U. per day.  Costco has a good brand packing 2000 I.U. (I take 2 per day) at a reasonable price, be sure to check it out.

Check out vitamin Vitamin D3 World for more info, and as always, ask the trainers!