Vitamin D - The Hottest Nutrient under
the Sun
By Garden of Life Health Writers
 Vitamin D may be the most clinically studied nutrient
of the last decade. If you search it on the web, you’ll find an
avalanche of recently published studies either confirming its benefits
or revealing new ones. It supports breast health, colon health and
prostate health. It supports the immune system. It helps build healthy
bones and teeth. It supports memory and concentration. The impressive
list goes on and on -- it may just be the most important vitamin for
human health.
Vitamin D Deficiency
According to a March 2009 report in Archives of
Internal Medicine, 75 percent of U.S. teens and adults are deficient
in vitamin D. That number is astonishing for more than one reason.
Consider that you receive vitamin D every time you step outside into the
sunshine since your body has the ability to take sunlight and convert it
into vitamin D. You can receive vitamin D from the foods you eat and the
dairy products you consume. Fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and
fatty tuna are superior sources of vitamin D, as well as milk and yogurt
fortified with vitamin D. In fact, almost all milk sold for human
consumption in the U.S. is required to be fortified with vitamin D.
This all adds up to a perplexing reality. If you can
get vitamin D simply by sitting in the sun, and if it’s readily
available in many of the foods recommended as part of a healthy diet,
how did we get to become a nation of vitamin D deficiency?
In an ironic twist, much of the current vitamin D
deficiency can be laid at the feet of skin cancer. To protect ourselves
from the ravages of this disease, we’re told to slather sunscreen on our
faces and wear long-sleeve shirts, yet the act of using sunscreen with
an 8 SPF or greater reduces our ability to convert the sun’s ultraviolet
rays into vitamin D production.
Add to that the fact that if you live in northern
climates, it’s almost impossible to get adequate sunlight during the
colder months, and that popular voices in the media tell us to avoid the
foods highest in vitamin D because of their high fat content, and you
begin to see where our national vitamin D deficiency comes from.
As for vitamin D from food, there are a few theories
as to why we’re still deficient despite a fairly ready supply of foods
rich in vitamin D. Many Americans don’t eat much fish, which is probably
the best dietary source of vitamin D, because of several factors: price,
taste, availability and safety.
And what about the vitamin D-fortified beverages? It’s
no secret that milk consumption has fallen over the last decade, again
for a variety of reasons. The anti-fat crusade put a damper on milk
sales, and soft drinks—a cheaper source of calories—have ridden a wave
of popularity in the last 30 years, cutting into the consumption of
healthier beverages that have been fortified with vitamin D. The net
effect is the current state of vitamin D deficiency in the U.S.
How Do We Get Enough Vitamin D?
 Introducing
VITAMIN CODE RAW D3
Vitamin Code RAW D3 is different from any other vitamin D
nutritional supplement available today. In following with the
Vitamin Code philosophy, RAW D3 is a whole food vitamin D
complex that is gluten and dairy-free with no soy allergens, binders or
fillers, and contains live probiotics and enzymes. More importantly,
Vitamin Code RAW D3 is provided in a RAW form.
Typically, vitamin D for supplementation comes in two
forms, vitamin D2 or D3 .Vitamin D2 must be transformed into one of two
active forms via the liver or kidneys, while vitamin D3 is what your
body creates when exposed to sunlight. While both have been shown in
clinical studies to be effective at raising vitamin D levels in the
blood, vitamin D3 is preferred since it’s metabolized much better in the
body and is in the form of vitamin D that comes from the most natural
sources possible—the sun and our food.
The vitamin D3 used in
Vitamin Code RAW D3 by Garden of Life is grown in probiotic
mediums. In this RAW food-created process, inorganic D3 is added to a
mixture of either yeast (a single-celled plant) or a probiotic
(Lactobacillus bulgaricus). Each mixture also contains a peptide (a
grouping of amino acids) that allows the D3 to pass through the cell
wall of the yeast or probiotic and then attach itself to the cell.
The growing process is allowed to continue until the
yeast or probiotic has grown into maturity and other enzymes and
probiotics are created. Once the single-celled organisms have matured,
additional enzymes are added to break down the cell walls, freeing the
food-created vitamin D3 for consumption.
The result is a
RAW vitamin D3, a true breakthrough in vitamin technology.
And the Recommendation Is . . .
As vitamin D deficiency has become more prevalent, the
attention and focus paid to vitamin D have increased, and for good
reason. Most people familiar with vitamin D understand that this
nutrient is essential to skeletal system health. Along with calcium,
vitamin D is considered vital for maintaining healthy bones. Vitamin D
actually regulates the use of calcium in the body by dramatically
increasing its absorption and utilization. But strong, healthy bones are
only the starting point. Much of the interest in vitamin D stems from
the fact that it’s found throughout the body in over 600 receptor sites.
Interestingly, vitamin D isn’t a vitamin in the
classic sense; it is a pro-hormone that is eventually converted to
an active hormone. As such, it has receptor sites in just about every
major organ in the body, including the brain and the heart. Due to the
fact that vitamin D receptors are so prevalent in the body, research has
increased on vitamin D, and seemingly every day new studies tout the
health benefits of vitamin D consumption.
Recent studies have also shown that vitamin D
supports immune health by helping to regulate the immune system. The
brain is home to dozens of vitamin D receptor sites, and vitamin D
has been shown to enhance memory and concentration. Vitamin D
supports healthy digestion, again since receptor sites are found
from the mouth all the way through the intestines. Healthy vitamin D
levels support two increasing areas of concern—breast health for women
and prostate health for men. Rest assured, as new studies are
completed, additional benefits from vitamin D will emerge.
So how much vitamin D should you take?
Current recommendations set the bar at 400-600IUs
daily. Consider, though, that the daily vitamin D recommendation was
recently increased and many researchers, scientists and physicians are
pushing for even higher recommended daily amounts (up to 2,000 IU’s per
day).
Vitamin Code RAW D3 contains 2,000IU of vitamin D3 plus trace
amounts of vitamin D2. This amount, five times the current daily
recommendation, is based on the overwhelming evidence supporting the
positive health benefits of vitamin D.
In the end, the decision shouldn’t be whether or not
to supplement with vitamin D, the decision should be with which vitamin
D to supplement. That choice has become much easier with the
introduction of
Vitamin Code RAW D3, the RAW, whole food version of the hottest
nutrient under the sun.
For more product information on the Vitamin Code Raw D3, click here.
Additional Reading:
You don’t want to be “D-Ficient” with Vitamin D
The statements contained in this article have not been
evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information contained
here is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Suggestions and ideas presented in this article are for information only
and should not be interpreted as medical advice, meant for diagnosing
illness, or for prescriptive purposes. Readers are encouraged to consult
their health care provider before beginning any cleanse, diet,
detoxification program, or any supplement regimen. The information in
this document is not to be used to replace the services or instructions
of a physician or qualified health care practitioner. |
