Vitamin D exists in several forms, each with a different level of activity. Calciferol is the most active form of vitamin D. Other forms are relatively inactive in the body. The liver and kidney help convert vitamin D to its active hormone form. Once vitamin D is produced in the skin or consumed in food, it requires chemical conversion in the liver and kidney to form physiologically active form of vitamin D. Active vitamin D functions as a hormone because it sends a message to the intestines to increase the absorption of calcium and phosphorus.

The major function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. By promoting calcium absorption, vitamin D helps to form and maintain strong bones. Vitamin D also works in concert with a number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones to promote bone mineralization. Without vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Adequate amounts of Vitamin D prevents rickets in children and weak bones in adults. And it does so much more…

“The findings…are a breakthrough of great medical and public health importance,” declared Cedric Garland, a prominent vitamin D researcher at the University of California—San Diego. “No other method to prevent cancer has been identified that has such a powerful impact.”

Research also suggests that vitamin D may help maintain a healthy immune system and help regulate cell growth and differentiation. Vit D deficiency plays a role in:

• causing seventeen varieties of cancer
• heart disease, stroke, hypertension,
• autoimmune diseases,
• diabetes,
• depression,
• chronic pain,
• osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness,
• muscle wasting, birth defects, and periodontal disease
• and more…
  

This does not mean that vitamin D deficiency is the only cause of these diseases, or that you will not get them if you take vitamin D. What it does mean is that vitamin D is more important than once thought and needs to be added to a daily regimen, especilly if you do not go into the sun.

Eating fortified foods is not really an adequate way to build up Vitamin D. One cup of vitamin D fortified milk supplies one-half of the recommended daily intake for adults between the ages of 19 and 50, one-fourth of the recommended daily intake for adults between the ages of 51 and 70, and approximately 15% of the recommended daily intake for adults age 71 and over. However the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is way too low and milk is not a good food anyway, in spite of what we are told. Another article on milk… Milk Lowers Vitamin D!

Recent research shows that the average person needs around 4000 is per day. This may also be too low. Taking the active form of Vitamin D in the form of D3 is preferred.

• Eat a diet rich in whole foods and complex carbohydrates. Nutrient-dense, fatty fish like mackerel and sardines are good sources of vitamin D. Eggs and some organ meats (like liver) are also good natural sources of D.
• Take a quality multivitamin every day to fill in any nutritional gaps.
• Allow yourself limited, unprotected sun exposure in the early morning and late afternoon.
• Check with your healthcare professional about vitamin D testing. If you think you may be suffering from vitamin D deficiency, get a blood test and ask for the results. An optimal value is 50–100 ng/mL.

A daily vitamin D3 intake of 1,000 to 2,000 units, an amount shown to be safe and effective by clinical studies, is now advised by many experts.

We offer the active form, naturally occuring Vit D3 in dosages of 1000 and 5000.