It’s common knowledge that vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin because our body uses the sunshine to make it and low vitamin D levels are linked to depression and bone loss.

(Learn True Health) Most people know that Vitamin D is important for bone health. It is used to prevent osteoporosis and osteopenia, but it also has many other uses.

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that your body makes when you are exposed to the sun. Most people have to supplement with Vitamin D, as sun exposure is not available throughout the year. Vitamin D is made in three places in your body: first you make it in your skin, then it is transformed in the liver, and then it is transformed one more time in the kidneys.

This vitamin is also used to treat psoriasis and has significantly decreased bone pain in cancer patients.

(Natural News) Taking vitamin D while still young may be good for the body in the long run. Results from a study conducted by the University of Zurich have confirmed that sufficient amounts of vitamin D taken consistently are necessary to maintain bone health.
Many people believe that maintaining healthy eating habits is enough, but only few foods naturally contain significant levels of vitamin D.  According to Dr. Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, a faculty of UZH, in order to get adequate levels of vitamin D through diet alone, two servings of fatty fish like salmon or mackerel would have to be consumed every day. It is thus necessary to increase vitamin D levels in the body through sufficient sun exposure and supplementation in order to use the sunshine vitamin’s full potential for maintaining proper body functioning.

This misconception about maintaining D levels through diet does have a degree of ground since vitamin D is not a stand alone vitamin. To perform many functions, vitamin D works in cooperation with other vitamins like magnesium, which can be found in leafy green vegetables such as spinach. This unique characteristic of vitamin D has contributed to the management of many chronic illnesses.

Am I vitamin D deficient?

The best way to discover vitamin D deficiency is to take a blood test that will measure the level of the vitamin in your blood. You can either ask your doctor to administer the test or buy a home test kit do the test yourself. However, you are certainly vitamin D deficient if you have any of the following ailments, and you need to consult with your doctor regarding your preventive, as well as curative, options as soon as possible.

Prevention is proactive

These various health conditions associated with vitamin D deficiency need not be something to fear. A proactive approach to prevention can assist in the avoidance of the many chronic diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency. For one, thousands of dollars can be saved, not to mention the peace of mind, simply at the cost of taking a walk under the sun. Save the umbrellas for the rainy days.