Why your needs vitamin D for strong bones and healthy joints

If you want strong healthy bones and good joints, then vitamin D is just what you need.

This hardy nutrient is fat-soluble, meaning it's stored in your fatty tissues and liver. Unlike water-soluble vitamins B and C, where the excess is excreted in urine, any extra vitamin D is stored in your body waiting to be used.

This important nutrient controls how your body metabolizes calcium and phosphorus. These 2 elements help your body create strong healthy bone cells.

A deficiency can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. A symptom of these diseases is soft bones, making you prone to fractures.

Read this latest report on how you can boost your immune system and protect yourself from getting multiple sclerosis, diabetes and even cancer.

How much do you need per day?

Health authorities have determined minimum amounts for optimal health. The dosage is listed as international units (IU).

Here's a chart from the National Institute of Health showing recommended intakes:

As you can see, the older you get, the more vitamin D you need for optimal health and strong bones.

Sources for this bone-building nutrient

One of the best natural sources is the sun!

Your body produces this vitamin when your skin's exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Now we all know that too much sun isn't good for us, such as the dangers of skin cancer. But you do need sunshine for your body to manufacture this important vitamin.

According to latest research, your body can make up to 12,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D from just 30 minutes of exposure to the summer sun. I can almost feel those summer rays getting my skin all warm and toasty.

One of the most common sources is from fortified foods. After a rickets epidemic in the U.S during the 1930's, health authorities began fortifying milk with this important vitamin.

One quart of milk has about 200 iu. Drinking a cup of milk will give you about 100 iu or half the daily recommended allowance (RDA). Although milk is fortified with this healthy vitamin, dairy products (cheese and ice cream) don't contain much.

Other food sources include whole eggs (20 iu), salmon (3.5 ounces cooked has 360 iu), and liver (3.5 ounces cooked contains 15 iu). Eating a can of sardines will give you about 250 iu, meeting your daily recommended intake.

Taking cod liver oil is a great way to get extra vitamin D in your diet. In fact, cod liver oil contains the highest amount of vitamin D per weight than any other food on the planet.

1 tablespoon can give you over 1300 iu. That's a lot of bone-building power in one tiny teaspoon of fish oil. Now you can see why Grandma used to prescribe this healthy oil as a natural home remedy.

Can you get too much of this vitamin?

It's possible to get too much. Symptoms of vitamin D toxicity include nausea, vomitting, constipation, weakness and weight loss. It's unlikely you'll get too much from food or sunlight alone. The most likely source is over-supplementation.

Important Note:

Be careful not to get too much vitamin D! If you're taking it in supplement-form (including cod liver oil) and are exposed to lots of sunshine, you may be exposing your body to too much vitamin D.

Experts believe your body can produce 12,000 iu of vitamin D from soaking up just 30 minutes of summer sun - if you're wearing a t-shirt and shorts. It doesn't take that much sun to benefit from it.

The best time to take cod liver oil or supplements is if you live in a northern climate and aren't exposed to lots of sunlight (like our cold Canadians winters).

You can always get your vitamin blood levels checked by your doctor to ensure you're not getting too much.

What are safe levels of this nutrient?

Here's a chart I got from the National Institute of Health showing tolerable levels:

I stumbled across this article from ScienceDaily.com that says children may need even higher amounts of vitamin D than traditionally prescribed. It's an interesting read...check it out if you want to learn more.

Comments:

Following a healthy balanced diet, along with moderate amounts of sunshine, will go a long way to providing you with adequate levels of this vitamin.

Taking cod liver oil is a great way to get potent amounts of this bone-building vitamin. Make sure to get your blood levels checked if you're taking it in supplement-form (including cod liver oil). This will ensure you stay within the recommended daily allowances.

Research References: