Copyright All rights reserved by Free 2 Be
Somehow the more unusual sounding or expensive a nutritional supplement may be, the more certain people may be intrigued and be willing to pay big bucks for it. The directions on the bottle are then followed almost with a religious zeal. But then there are your everyday supplements such as vitamin D that many may take for granted and not adhere to their regimen.
It’s a relationship that too many people take for granted.
Well, listen up. Vitamin D deserves your respect and it’s time to pay attention to this incredibly valuable nutrient.
Here’s the latest news on the sunshine vitamin:
• A review of five clinical studies, with more than 4,000 subjects which looked at vitamin D status and breast cancer survival, found that those with the highest vitamin D status had about twice the survival rate of those women with the lowest.
• An Australian study of more than 600 elderly subjects, aged 60 to 84, showed that those over 70 years who took 60,000 IU vitamin D per month (the equivalent of 2,000 IU per day) took significantly fewer antibiotics than compared to those that did not take any vitamin D.
• Another review of 17 studies on children and adolescents, which included more than 25,000 subjects, showed that a higher vitamin D status was linked to a better profile of various fats in the blood. For example, there was a link between higher blood levels of vitamin D and the beneficial HDL-cholesterol readings.
Keep in mind that if you do forget to take your vitamin D one day, you can double up the next day.
Do you take vitamin D? Do you remember to take it regularly? Please share in the comment section below.
Enlightened Eater 
Both my rheumatologist and my optometrist told me to take Vit D. Question for you: should it not be taken with a fat source for best absorption?
That’s a great question, Sheryl! While vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it does not to be taken with fat or with meals for absorption. And as I mentioned in my post, you can take it in larger doses and then skip days. Some people may take it once a week. But it’s key to find a regimen that works best for you. I’d also like to point out that, in extremely rare cases, some people have reported a stomach upset with large doses.
Is there any toxicity, taking such large doses?
Vicky, the upper limit (what’s called Tolerable Upper Intake Level -UL) is 4,000 IU for adults and lower for children. You can see the various levels at http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/.