If you live in Washington State, or anywhere north of San Francisco/Athens/Beijing, you may not get enough vitamin D. The reason for this is that vitamin D can come from the sun!!
If you live in the north, it is hard to get enough sun to have enough vitamin D. I encourage you to get a test. There are risks associated with not getting enough vitamin D.
In this blog post you will learn other sources of vitamin D so you can stay health. You will understand the risks in not getting enough or getting too much vitamin D.
What Does Vitamin D Do?
Vitamin D is important for all of us. It helps us maintain calcium (for good bones and teeth). It helps cells differentiate. Vitamin D improves the function of your immune system (great for the current pandemic). This vitamin can regulate your tolerance to glucose (sugars in fruit and table sugar).
As you can see vitamin D does a lot for our health.
Where Can I Get Vitamin D?
As mentioned in the introduction, you can get plenty of vitamin D from the sun. But, if you live north of San Francisco, you may need to get it through food or supplement. Foods that have a good amount of vitamin D are:
Fish
Egg Yolk
Mushrooms
Shrimp
Beef Liver
Fortified Dairy
If you have trouble eating enough of these foods, then it may be time to consider a supplement.
We recommend before supplementation you speak with your medical provider as too much vitamin D can have some effects.
What Happens If I Don't Get Enough Vitamin D?
Not getting enough vitamin D can result in low bone density (osteoporosis or osteopenia) and tooth decay in adults.
In children this can present as Rickets, deformed bones, stunted growth, and/or soft teeth.
Recent research as shown an increased risk for Multiple Sclerosis with decreased levels of Vitamin D!
What Happens If I Get Too Much Vitamin D?
Elevated Blood Calcium
Nausea
Fluid Imbalnce
Muscle Weakness
Joint Pain
Itching
Loss of Appetite
Calcification of Soft Tissues
So there is concern with having too much. A simple blood test can help you know if you need to have a supplement or not!
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