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You have probably heard a lot about vitamin C, vitamin E, and maybe even vitamin B. But have you heard much about vitamin D and its role in maintaining a healthy, functioning body? Vitamin D is one of the unsung heroes of mineral supplements, and it plays a crucial part in boosting your body’s immune system and strengthening its bones. Many people suffer from vitamin D deficiencies and don’t even know it, but they feel it—achy bones or frequent illnesses and infections. Let’s take a closer look at some of the health benefits of vitamin D so that you can understand its importance and make sure you are getting enough of it.
Vitamin D helps the body absorb nutrients and this in turn strengthens the immune system, circulatory system, and the bones. Thus, your body is better able to synthesize hormones and nutrients more efficiently. Vitamin D helps prevent arthritis, osteomalacia, and other muscular problems and can be used to help regulate the thyroid. Vitamin D reduces stress levels, helps release tension in the body, and contributes to a better sense of mental health.
The health benefits above are just an overview of the many ways that vitamin D supports your bodies various systems. Vitamin D is not only found in supplement form; if you want to infuse your body with more of it you should build your diet around food such as fish, eggs, and fortified milk. However, the body’s main way of synthesizing vitamin D is sun exposure, but since many doctors advise that people stay out of the sun as much as possible due to the harmful and cancer-causing ultraviolet rays, people who need vitamin D can find themselves in a bit of a pickle. This is especially true in Australia where exposure to the sun is more dangerous than in various other parts of the world due the particularly intense depletion of the ozone layer. Luckily, a vitamin D rich diet in addition to mineral supplements and cod liver oil can make up for the fact that you aren’t getting too much sun, whether you are avoiding it because of ozone depletion or living in a locale in which the sun doesn’t shine.
It is important to understand the function of the many vitamins and mineral that your body needs to function at an optimal level. We may not want to admit it, but many of have less than stellar diets and as a result we have all kinds of mineral deficiencies. Many people suffer a whole life time with various ailments that could be fixed by simply boosting their intake of a specific vitamin. If you find that you are prone to illness and infections, or struggle with aches and general malaise, get your vitamin D levels checked and take charge of your health today by increasing your intake of this important nutrient.