Why Vitamin D is Good and How to Get it

The news is simple and good: Vitamin D is thought to protect you from cancer, possibly with tremendous efficacy, cutting cancer risk in some groups by as much as 60 percent.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, improving calcium and vitamin D nutritional status substantially reduces all-cancer risk in postmenopausal women.

The research team for this study gave 1,000 daily international units (IUs) of Vitamin D to subjects (more than current guidelines of 200 to 600 units depending on a person's age). Of the women in the study, some took calcium only, others took a combination of calcium and Vitamin D, and others took a placebo pill. Risk of all types of cancer dropped by 60 percent for those taking the combo of calcium and Vitamin D, but the experts reviewing the study believe the primary protective action against cancer came from the Vitamin D.

Based on this study and other research, some doctors now recommend a daily Vitamin D dose of 1000 IUs for adults of all ages.

TIPS:

- The good news about Vitamin D isn't just for women. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk for cancer, particularly gastrointestinal tract cancers, according to the results of a prospective cohort study of men reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

- Natural sources of Vitamin D are few: egg yolks, beef liver, fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, and sardines), and sunshine (our bodies react with sunlight to produce Vitamin D). It's also included in fortified milk and some other fortified food products such as dry cereal and margarine. Fish oil supplements (cod liver) contain Vitamin D, too. And it's available in supplements alone and in combination with other vitamins and minerals.

This post was inspired by Planet Green's Emeril Green.