A warning to women: you may not be getting enough vitamin D! It seems impossible, since this particular nutrient can be made relatively easily by the body, but women as a whole are usually deficient. It is a recurring problem and continues to plague women of every age group. You see this more in the aging woman, but it’s becoming a serious issue for even the youngest woman.
The good news is that the body can regenerate this nutrient simply by getting some sunlight. Spending just a few moments in direct sunlight can help you to get your daily dose of vitamin D. The problem is that in colder temperatures and on dreary grey days that may not always be so easy.
Women should have their vitamin D levels tested every year. It can also be of great help to take a vitamin D supplement and know that it can work well with calcium in the process. As women there are many health issues that can come about if we are deficient in this nutrient, so it’s important to know how it can help us on a daily basis.
Vitamin D Can Help with Mood Swings and Depression
More and more women are depressed. This may come about due to postpartum depression after the birth of a child or it may be a constant problem. Many women find that they suffer from extreme mood swings as part of their monthly cycle and simply can’t control these. Whatever the circumstance, an increasing number of women are suffering from extreme mood swings and depression.
While many of these women will turn to an antidepressant it may be as simple as taking a daily dose of vitamin D. This can help the body to recover faster from PMS symptoms and make the mood swings far more bearable. For the woman who does not suffer from depression as a constant condition, vitamin D may be the biggest help out there.
It Can Help with Bone Strength
What many women don’t realize is that bone strength is an issue that they should be focused on their entire life. Unfortunately many women don’t think about this until later in life and then it’s too late. You should be thinking about bone strength early on and throughout your life and that’s where vitamin D can come in.
Though calcium gets a major focus it is vitamin D that can contribute to better bone strength. Taking a sufficient amount of it each day will ensure that the bones stay strong and that they rebuild as necessary. Without proper levels of vitamin D the bones can become brittle over time and this is when a condition such as osteoporosis becomes a real problem.
Vitamin D Can Help with Immune System, Energy, and Prevention
If you are concerned with your short term and long term health then vitamin D is a great nutrient to include in your daily regimen. While many turn to vitamin C to help naturally boost their immune system, it is vitamin D that can help to keep you from getting sick. Not only can vitamin D help to naturally boost the immune system, but it can also help to provide you with a great source of energy.
In looking at long term health Vitamin D can help in working towards the prevention of certain health conditions too. Taking proper amounts of vitamin D each day can help in the prevention of certain types of cancer, multiple sclerosis, and contribute to heart health. There are so many wonderful attributes of vitamin D and it’s time that women realized them and got their proper dose each day!
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Hey Jennifer…..good for you, God takes care of those who take care of themselves. I think you are smart. Those statin drugs cause more problems than they fix and people are led to believe they can still eat the same and the drug will fix the problem. As for the Prilosec, that is another nasty one. As you can tell, I am not a fan of the drug solutions. Why don’t you check with a good holistic doctor or a nutritionist and see what they suggest. I sleep with the head of my bed elevated a couple of inches and I eat papaya & Greek yogurt and that seems to have taken care of my need for Prilosec….they could also tell you about the connection between low D and either too much or too little calcium??? I cannot tell you the details, but I do know that an imbalance of our endocrine system can cause such a wide range of health problems that it’s amazing. One of those problems is often with digestion. My doctor told me just a couple of days ago, that even though I live in sunny Calif. that adults often lose the ability to convert the sun into vitamin D and that I should supplement.
The United States Dietary Reference Intake (like the RDA) for children and adults <70 years of age is 600 IU, and for adults >70 years 800 IU. However, as Antianewstart pointed out, requirements for individuals can be higher (in some disorders they may be lower, but that is beyond the scope of this article).
For those of you wondering how much Vitamin D you should take, please consult your doctor. I was suffering from what I thought was premature menopause. I am 46 years old. Blood test revealed that I had a slight thyroid problem and that I was Vitamin D deficient. The doctor told me to take 1000 IU a day, but your doctor may recommend more or less depending on what your blood test reveal. My feeling is that as we age, we need higher dosages.
I have been taking the vitamin D-3 for about 2 years I take 5000 units per day 67 years old feel great,make sure you take a good name brand like nature Valley
I am a 65 year old woman, overweight, who is active but just recently started a real exercise program. I also have osteoporosis in my hip so the lack of D is real for me. Thanks for this informational piece.
my doctor recommends 4,000 to 6,000 IU of Vitamin D3. He says there is a difference in D3 and D2 (or plain D). The body absorbs the D3 better. Also, he recommends 600 to 800 mg of Calcium. If severely deficient in D3, then recommends more. Also, recommends a good multi-vitamin and co-Q-10
As women start reaching their mid 40’s their bones become more brittle, if we take calcium and vitamin D this will strengthen our bones to prevent us from breaking our bones easily. I was walking through a rocky pasture and stepped on a rock and the next thing I knew I was on the ground and both ankles were broken! I suspect if I would have been taking my calcium and Vitamin D as prescribed by my physician this wouldn’t have happened.
How much Vit D per day is the proper dose?
I have tried taking Vitamin D and it did not agree with me. It may be the dosage was too high. Should I try to take a smaller dose as I take a Multi-vitamin (Centrum 50+) everyday. A blood test was taken and it was determined I was low on vitamin D. I told my Doctor and he really did not make a suggestion.
You don’t mention how much to take
I have enough vitamin d
I have been taking 50,000 twice a week and still my vit. D is less than 8 (normal being 30-50). My doctor went even as far as accusing me of not taking it and lying about it??? What can be causing my body to not retain the vit D??
Can we take too much vitamin D or does our body eliminate the excess?
Hi everyone,
I just want to share my experience in regards to a low level of vitamin D. My husbands endocrinologist had his checked and it was consistently low despite taking 50,000 units once a week for 12 weeks. I started to wonder why and could mine be low as well. You see we live in Florida so sunlight is not an issue. We are both on statins and prilosec. So I had my level checked and couldn’t believe it! My level was less than 22. The normal at our lab says 30-50. So I started asking around and have found that statins are known to lower our levels of vitamin D. I recently switched my Zocor to 2400 mg of red yeast rice. I will let you know what happens at my next blood test. By the way my cholesterol was 182 , hdl was 60 and triglycerides were 146. So we will see if it changes anything. Wish me luck. My doctor may not be happy.
Jennifer
Recomended dosage,please ?