The Benefits Of Vitamin D

This vitamin is fat soluble and has been the center of focus in recent years. Vitamin D supports bones in absorbing calcium in the small intestines and is indispensable for bone development and maintaining bone density.

Numerous studies have proposed that vitamin D 3 is absorbed better and is more effective in increasing and maintaining the vitamin D level in the blood.

The best way to establish vitamin D deficiency is to measure 25 (OH)-D and not 1, 25 (OH)-D. It has been recommended that improving vitamin D levels in healthy individuals can boost immunity and help to lower the risk of autoimmune diseases, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

The researchers have also suggested that increasing daily dietary vitamin D intake decreases the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Sunscreen might reduce the absorption of UV-B and consequently cause a lower level of 25-OH-D. For instance, sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 8 can decrease vitamin D3 synthetic capacity by 95%, and SPF 15 can drop it by 98%.

There have been puzzling endorsements in past years from different organizations about the amount of vitamin D necessary to prevent deficiency, including the recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force conclusion that the benefits and harms of daily supplementation with larger than 400 IU of vitamin D3 and greater than 1,000 mg of calcium to avert fractures are not clearly understood.

A recent research study has established that the quantity of vitamin D differs from 9% to a 146% of the sum listed on the label. Only one thirds of the tested sample of supplementary pills met the US Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention standards.

According to the US Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention standards, compounded pills of vitamin D supplements should contain 90% to 110% of the active ingredient. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not control the vitamin D supplements. The correct amount of nutrients in these pills is not defined before they hit the market.