Most of us know that vitamin D is produced when sunlight hits our skin.  However, many of us don’t know just how important vitamin D is to our health.  Here are some interesting facts:

• Flu season happens during the months when sunlight exposure is minimal and vitamin D levels are low.  Given vitamin D’s immune modulating effects, it’s hard to imagine this is just coincidence!
• Maintaining adequate vitamin D levels protects against lymphoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, and – surprisingly – skin cancer. 
  Chronic pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia and arthritis have been linked to low vitamin D levels.
• Without sufficient vitamin D, your body cannot absorb calcium through your intestines.  This is why so many calcium supplements also contain vitamin D.
• Sunscreen (even weak sunscreens) impair the skin’s ability to synthesize vitamin D, which is why it is recommended to spend at least a few minutes each day in the sun without sunscreen.
• Chronic low vitamin D levels may cause an imbalance of melatonin in the body, leading to sleep disturbance.
• It is estimated that 40% of the US population is vitamin D deficient.
• Your levels of vitamin D can be checked with a simple blood test ordered by your family doctor (be sure to ask for “serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level” which checks the level of activated vitamin D in your body).

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the importance of vitamin D.  For more information on the subject as well as links to research studies, please visit the Vitamin D Council’s website.

This month we are running a special on Vitamin D in the form of Arctic-D Cod Liver oil or Essential D3.  Vitamin D is now commonly recognized to be vital to healthy mood and proper formation of bone tissue, but there is so much more to this amazing vitamin!  Below is a link to an excellent article on the subject, complete with a list of food sources of vitamin D.  Enjoy!

http://www.westonaprice.org/The-Miracle-of-Vitamin-D.html

Yesterday during our second spring snowstorm, I started thinking about how depressing it is to have TWO spring snowstorms in a row, and then started to think about how many people have told me that lately they just feel a little depressed.  I know there are many factors involved with depression, but living in Iowa where the winter lasts half the year I have found that obtaining adequate intake of Vitamin D helps many people to feel happier.  Vitamin D can be obtained from sunlight (which we don’t get much of in the winter here), from food, and from supplements.  If you’re going to take a supplement, look for D3 (the usable form) instead of D2 (the synthetic form). 

Here is a link to an article with more info on Vitamin D and depression by one of my favorite Vitamin D researchers, Dr. John Cannell, MD:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/depression.shtml

You can feel Fall coming just around the corner here in Iowa.  It’s warmer today but there’s something in the air that makes me want to stay inside and cook beef stew and apple pie.  In fact, I made a gluten free apple pie last night (Why gluten free?  Because I was out of regular flour and wanted to bake a pie!), but that recipe will have to come in a later blog.

The purpose of this blog is to point you toward two articles I found about cod liver oil and its benefits.  I think cod liver oil should be a staple during the cooler months, especially for those people who are prone to seasonal affective disorder.  Both of these articles do a great job of outlining the importance of cod liver oil, and also the benefits of larger amounts of Vitamin D, such as are found in the Arctic D cod liver oil that Marilyn Farms offers.  I promise the taste isn’t bad either!  If you really can’t stand even the slightest hint of fish flavor then try finding an encapsulated cod liver oil supplement, and take it with or before meals instead of on an empty stomach to prevent any fishy aftertaste.

http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/cod-liver-oil-menu.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/codliveroil.html