Strength and Health Through Synergy

There are several causes of Vitamin D deficiency in women over 50 including:

• Age
• Season
• Latitude
• Obesity
• Use of Sunscreen

As we age our skin begins to lose it’s ability to convert sunshine to Vitamin D, and the older we get the greater the loss of receptors to convert sunshine Vitamin D.  This begins our decline of Vitamin D levels and an increase in disease and illnesses.  Until recently the medical community have not been aware of the value of optimum Vitamin D levels on our health or the causes of Vitamin D deficiency.

The medical community has been adamant about using strong sunscreens whenever we are in the sun so we have all but elimated getting the best Vitamin D which comes from sunlight.  We certainly shouldn’t get sunburned, but according to the top  researchers we need 15 to 20 minutes of sun on bare arms and legs several times a week to raise our Vitamin D levels.

Those of us who live in latitudes north of Atlanta will only be able to get enough Vitamin D for about 5 months of the year.  After that the sun isn’t strong enough to produce Vitamin D on our skin.  Women over 50 are really in short supply because our skin has lost some of the receptors to make Vitamin D.

As we age, some of the causes of Vitamin D deficiency are from aging kidneys that have trouble absorbing Vitamin D to useful forms.

Due to bad eating habits and lack of excerise we have become overweight, some to the point of obesity.  Fat and obese people absorb Vitamin D but it gets trapped in fat cells and cannot easily exit.  Researchers have found that overweight people need about twice the Vitamin D as average weight individuals.

There is very little Vitamin D in our food chain.  Oily fish, fish liver oil, beef liver, and egg yolks are the main sources, milk and a few other foods that have Vitamin D which has been added.  We can barely get enough Vitamin D from these sources to keep us from getting rickets ( which is a childrens disease of soft bones) and osteomalacia ( which is the eqivalent of rickets in adults).

To eliminate Vitamin D deficiecy our only sources are sunlight, and a small amount through our food and supplements.  According to new research we need a minimum of 1000 IU per day to keep optimum levels of Vitamin D.  The only way to know if you are Vitamin D deficient is to have your blood tested by your doctor.  Keep in mind when you go for the test that there are TWO Vitamin D tests 1,25(OH)D and 25(OH)D.  The 25(OH)D is the better marker of overall Vitamin D status.  The correct test your doctor needs to order is 25(OH)D, also known as 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

To read more on Vitamin D  click on the articles below:

Vitamin D Recommeded Dosage

Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

What Does Vitamin D Do

To get our expert interview on Vitamin D click here

Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency

Causes of Vitamin D deficiency in men can happen for many different reasons and can affect men of all ages. Vitamin D deficiency is more common than most men realize. Research shows that more than two thirds of the United States populations’ medical problems are related to Vitamin D deficiency and an unbalanced diet. Some leading researchers believe that the combination of vitamin D deficiency and an unbalanced diet are pandemic. Factors that can be tied to causes of vitamin D deficiency in men include obesity, air pollution, lack of sun exposure, darker skin pigmentation, use of sunscreen, tinted windows, geographical location, cloudy days, and the season of the year. Men that are obese, have darker skin tones, and approaching retirement age are at a higher risk of being vitamin D deficient.

Role of Vitamin D

Vitamin D plays many different roles: it keeps your bones strong, helps ward off infection, boosts the immune system, regulates blood pressure, works with the pancreas to regulate blood pressure, stops enlargement of the heart, and may even prevent cancer. Also, vitamin D is required to regulate the minerals calcium and phosphorus that are found in the human body.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Higher Death Rates

Vitamin D deficiency may be joining smoking, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure as a cause of early death, according to a recent Johns Hopkins study. The study shows that a low level of Vitamin D is directly tied to higher death rates. Researchers found that people suffering from deficient levels of Vitamin D had a 26 percent increased risk of death —usually ending in heart attack or heart related diseases. A separate study found that about 41 percent of American men are estimated to be Vitamin D deficient.

“Being Vitamin D deficient increases your risk of death by 26 percent”

In an 8-year study from the University of California at San Diego, people with the lowest levels of D had double the risk of developing colon cancer, compared with those who had enough of the nutrient. “Vitamin D alters the growth of colon cells to help prevent them from becoming malignant,” says Michael Holick, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of medicine at Boston University.

As you become older you are at a higher risk of becoming vitamin D deficient

Contributing factors to becoming Vitamin D deficient:

• Probably do not spend much time in the sun

• Have a lesser amount of vitamin D receptors in your skin that convert sunlight to vitamin D

• Your diet may not contain enough vitamin D fortified foods

• Your body may have trouble absorbing vitamin D even if you do get enough vitamin D in your diet

• May experience more trouble converting dietary vitamin D to a useful form due to aging kidneys.

The risk of vitamin D deficiency in people 65 years and older is very high. Surprisingly, as many as 40% of older people even in sunny climates throughout the Southern United States do not have enough vitamin D in their systems.

How to Boost Your Vitamin D Levels

You can boost your Vitamin D  level naturally by eating a diet rich in fish – including tuna, salmon, sardines, and mackerel – consuming fortified dairy products, taking vitamin supplements, and enjoying brief exposure to the sun. However it’s very difficult to get enough vitamin D from your diet alone, especially if you’re starting at a deficit.

The only way to know for sure if you are vitamin D deficient is to get screened. If your blood work shows below normal levels of vitamin D your physician can prescribe the right dose of vitamin D supplement to get you back in the normal range.

Dr. Michael Holick is a leading researcher at the Boston University Medical Center and is a high-profile member of the vitamin D research community. To get a FREE copy of an EXCLUSIVE interview with Dr. Holick click on the link below.

 Click here for FREE Interview

Recommended reading: Vitamin D supplements

What are the causes of Vitamin D deficiency and how does this relate to heart disease?

There are several  causes of Vitamin D deficiency and each of these puts us at risk of heart disease and other related illnesses. Vitamin D deficiency predisposes the body to heart-related illnesses and health issues that become common through middle-age, retirement and beyond.

People with Vitamin D deficiency have a significantly higher susceptibility to severe heart disease, hardening of the arteries, cancer, diabetes and hyper tension.

Lets look at the major causes of Vitamin D deficiency

External factors such as geographic latitude, altitude, season, and the place of residence (urban or rural) are the major causes of Vitamin D deficiency.

• Latitude. People in higher latitudes (Alaska, Canada and northern Europe) where the sun is too weak to power Vitamin D production.
• Season. Deficiency is higher in winter when people spend less time outside and there are fewer hours of daylight.
• Age. Older people tend to be Vitamin D deficient because they are less efficient at synthesising Vitamin D from sunlight and generally tend to spend less time in the sun. In addition, with age the kidney becomes less efficient at converting Vitamin D into its active hormone form.
• Obesity. Obese people are less efficient at producing Vitamin D in response to sunlight. Vitamin D gets trapped in fat cells and cannot easily exit.  Obese patients need at least twice as much Vitamin D as a person with normal weight to maintain normal Vitamin D levels. Click here for more information on Vitamin D and obesity.

These major causes of Vitamin D deficiency closely follow major factors that influence the rate of death from heart disease. There is strong evidence to suggest that Vitamin D levels are closely associated with heart disease. People with low Vitamin D levels are twice as likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or other heart-related condition than people with higher levels of Vitamin D.

There are many links between Vitamin D deficiency and heart disease.  Vitamin D deficiency:

• increases the risk of heart disease
• predisposes the body to high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and chronic blood vessel inflammation (associated with hardening of the arteries).
• is linked to other major associated heart disease risk factors such as obesity and diabetes.
  • can alter hormone levels and immune function which can increase the risk of diabetes, a major contributor to cardiovascular heart disease.
  • obese people are at greater risk of Vitamin D deficiency, possibly they are less efficient at producing this hormone.
• people with low Vitamin D levels are twice as likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or other heart-related condition that individuals with higher levels of Vitamin D (examples: 1,2).
• influences the production of rennin which is one of the most important hormones regulating blood pressure.

It is of great concern that up to 50% of American adults have Vitamin D deficiency. “Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated” says researcher James H. O’Keefe, MD, director of preventive cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo. “Vitamin D is easy to assess, and supplementation is simple, safe and inexpensive.”

However, if people can attain high Vitamin D levels they will protect their bodies against heart disease. High levels of Vitamin D are important for protection against heart disease. High Vitamin D can decrease the risk of severe heart disease, hardening of the arteries, cancer, diabetes and hyper tension.

The great news is that Vitamin D deficiency can be easily fixed.

How can I increase my Vitamin D levels?

• Take daily Vitamin D supplements (at least 1000IU per day)
• Have 5 to 15 minutes of exposure to the sun (for Caucasian skinned people) at least 2 or 3 times per week in the spring, summer and autumn between the hours of 10am and 3pm. People with darker skins should spend longer outside. Expose your arms and legs, but always put sun cream on your face, neck and upper torso.
• The required daily intake of Vitamin D cannot be acquired through food. Oily fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel provide the best food source of Vitamin D.

The causes of Vitamin D deficiency are closely linked with major patterns of heart disease. Vitamin D deficiency predisposes the body to heart-related illnesses and health issues that are common throughout the second half of most adults lives.

The great news is that Vitamin D deficiency is easily fixed and that by raising your levels of Vitamin D you are also reducing your risk of heart disease.

Make sure you download our free report on how to become fit and healthy and decrease your chances of heart disease

Click here for more information on  Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms and What Does Vitamin D Do?

We recommend that you also read our article on Vitamin D Supplments.

Here’s to your long-term health!

Claire

Now this is the saddest article that I will write. It’s one of those vicious circles, Catch 22 things (famous book about the men in the war and no matter how many times they were promised their freedom and met their quota of downed enemy planes, they were denied leave to go home: they always had to meet new, higher number).

One thing I know: there is something going on, and if you strip it down to essentials—to what you have left when you find out what’s real and what isn’t, it boils down to something personal.

The cause of Vitamin D deficiency in moods is a mind set and a physical cause.

•    The mind set cause: that’s really a good framework gone bad, or not personalized in this case. What suited the masses at one time or another was based on one man’s skewed findings. He meant it for good, but over time the glaring lack showed up under intense scrutiny. Memory, imprints are funny things—they can be changed but are rather protective of themselves, because, well, they were FIRST.

•    The physical cause:  what can I say, but that most animals can make the necessary body synthesis. What the heck happened to us? We covered up for the most part, were born during such a time as amazing demand and scientific supply of comfort, distractions…you name it, it’s an interference between you and your sun.

Take the window, for instance, great invention…really great–and useful with its glass. Did you ever think much about it? That clear stuff actually filters some rays and lets others in…Unfortunately the good rays are kept out and the bad rays are let in. Interesting, at least to me, that glass (including eye glasses) speaks to our vision. Which poetically speaking comes full circle to mindset! We are “seeing” through glass and more glass, and dark glass, too.

Let’s just say they play off each other, these two important points of mind set and physical causes of Vitamin D deficiency. The cause of Vitamin D deficiency put into one word would be: non-compliance.

Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency in Moods come in a variety of ways:

1.    Chem-trails from certain jets block the good of the sun

2.    Pollution is a modern-day challenge that is blocking the sun rays

3.    Sunblock has bad chemicals—melanomas increased with use of these creams

4.    Lifestyle–we are inside and we avoid the sun

5.    Health conditions—poor liver, kidney, or colon function

6.    Certain kinds of medication  (anti-seizure medication, chemo therapy)

7.    Mindset (pharmaceutics, media, misinformed medical industry)

8.    Obese bodies–the Vitamin D gets stuck when there is too much fat

So the causes of Vitamin D deficiency in moods are pervasive in our society and I see many people with bad moods and because they also see so many others like this then it becomes accepted. It’s tragic when people then look at others that are “sunny” and can’t believe that happy people are real.

The cause of non-compliance is a kind of apathy, which is a mood, where we’ve been bombarded with the “sun police” who are ordinary folk. They are in support of their own mindset. So you must be motivated to get it and take it (sun, supplements, food).

What side do you really want to be on? Either we can do something about our moods or not. Personally I’ve seen the causes of Vitamin D deficiency in moods treated with supplements that result in a stellar emotional state!

To hear what world renowned researcher Dr. Michael Holick has to say download his interview here

Cathy Fletcher

What Does Vitamin D Do?

Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms