USANA Essential Tips

Lack of vitamin D is caused by poor diet, lack of sun exposure, and certain conditions that hinders the uptake of vitamin D in the digestive tract. It causes diseases that gives deformed bones, low calcium content in the bones and brittle bones, like rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults.

Too low intake of vitamin D contributes to circulatory problems like hypertension, narrowing of blood vessels, heart failure and stoke. Persons with diabetes seem to get the most increased risk by lack of vitamin D. It also seems to increase the risk of getting cancer, especially colo-rectal, breast and prostate cancer.

Recommended daily intake of vitamin D is 200-600 IU with the highest doses for older people. This seems to be too little and up to 2000 IU may be good for the health. Obese persons seem to require more vitamin D than normally weighted individuals, a too high daily intake of vitamin D is toxic and a much higher intake that 2000 IU may give risk for poisoning.

Fat fish and fish liver oil are the best natural sources of vitamin D3, another good natural way to get vitamin D3 is by exposing great skin areas for sunlight some time every week. Food products are often fortified in vitamin D, especially milk and juice. Food from plant sources contain little vitamin D, but fatty plant products contain some vitamin D2. Those who do not eat fish often, do not expose their skin to sunlight have a risk of getting too little vitamin D.