VITAMIN D

On a talk show recently, the host and the doctor were discussing the benefits of, among other things, Vitamin D. Our mother's and grandmother's called it the sunshine vitamin. Why? While exposed to sunshine, something magical happens and this important vitamin plays its role on organ maintenance. For those of us raised in the north, many of us were coaxed to taking cod liver oil in the winter months. uck.

Good ol Dr. Lessenden cautioned about too much of it. He stated it was better to get it from foods. For all of you that love salmon, tuna, herring (1383 IU), and catfish, you may never get rickets, osteoporosis, or other bone thinning disorders. Eggs, by the way, have 20 IU. Milk has been fortified for years with Vitamin D, previously many children had rickets. (isn't rickets a terrible word).

Other disorders which may occur due to poor levels of Vitamin D are: Vitamin D malnutrition may also be linked to an increased susceptibility to several chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, MS, chronic pain, depression, MS, TB, artery and immune disorders. Makes it sound like it is the cure all, doesn't it?

What happens if you take too much? For those of us who worship the sun, you can not become toxic from tanning. You might get skin cancer, and you may get a sun burn but after 20 minutes of exposure and body says that is enough.

We get in trouble when we take large doses because it mucks everything else up. Some of the same symptoms and illnesses that we get from too little can be the same as too much, high blood pressure, for example. I am an example of Vitamin D user during menopause: I had no hot flashes and was only ugly a few times. I did 5,000 IU daily.

As for cod liver oil, uck, mother was certain it kept children beautiful. We got out licks every day in the winter. It was served with breakfast. If I would have had a water proof pocket, I would have hidden the liquid. I wished I could have given it to the dog, but Diamond wouldn't touch it.

There have been claimed that sufficient amounts keep our teeth healthy. Now, I know a lot of really nice people with dentures, yet, I wonder, wouldn't they rather have their own teeth stuck in their jaws instead?

How many of us pay the price of indifference when it comes to nutrition?

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