Home
Latest Savers
ENERGY save fuel
driving habits
lower car load
green cars
home energy
home insulation
 yard insulation
CFLs
HEALTH lose weight
3 step evaluation
plan your diet
calorie chart
choose exercises
stretching
posture
chair exercises
knee exercises
brain exercises
BE GREEN going green
green cleaning
green ideas
green technology
reduce & recycle
green investing
save water
safe repellents
AGING age with grace
aging products
skin care
supplements
dhea hormone
resveratrol
communicating
nursing care
assisted living
alzheimer care
finances
care insurance
social security
elder care
GARDENING easy gardening
garden planning
garden plan form
garden design
your soil
mulch
composting
garden pests
CONTACT US
ABOUT US

[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines


Vitamin D Supplements:
When You Need Them & Why


Did you know that your skin can produce more vitamin D from 10-15 minutes of direct sunshine than you can ingest by drinking 50 glasses of milk?

Our bodies cannot manufacture it without sun exposure.

But what if you spend little time outdoors, use sunscreen or are older, when our skin becomes less able to manufacture this critical vitamin?

In regions north of 40 degrees latitude (New York City to northern California), the sun is strong enough to trigger D production only from May-September, and sunscreen inhibits much of this beneficial effect.

Why It's Important

This vitamin is important to bone and muscle health, immunity, diabetes and cancer prevention. According to Eric Matteson, M.D. at the Mayo Clinic, vitamin D deficiency is linked to increased chances of developing rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders

According to a recent study of 1,881 women over age 20 published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, low blood concentrations contribute to urinary incontinence in women.

What You Can Do

Get A Little Sun
Since our bodies will store this essential vitamin for later use, it makes sense to "make hay while the sun shines," as the old saying goes. Try exposing different body parts, and never those parts you are concerned will look wrinkled later. Or apply a lesser SPF sunscreen to certain areas occasionally.

Fortify Your Diet
Fortified cereals, milk and other off-the-shelf fortified foods are available but are in lower concentrations than you need. Read the nutritional facts label to check how much each food offers.


vitamin D

Consider a Supplement
Organic varieties are available. If you sun yourself periodically, you should be able to limit supplement use to certain months of the year. Ask your health care provider how to test your levels, once in the winter and then again in summer.

According to the Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine at the National Academies (U.S.), the following are recommended International Units (IU) daily intake for healthy people.

AgeChildrenMenWomenPregnancyLactating
Birth to 13 years200 IU
14-18 years200 IU200 IU200 IU200 IU
19-50 years200 IU200 IU200 IU200 IU
51-70 years400 IU400 IU
71+ years600 IU600 IU




Follow ElderCareKeith on Twitter



Return From Vitamin D to Anti-aging Supplements









Useful Products & Resources


Products
aging products















Vitamin D (bone,muscle,immunity)

Fish Oil/Omega-3 (heart health)

Glucosamine (joint health)

Chondroitin (joint health)

Knee Health

Resveratrol (heart health)

Vitamins A,C,E (hearing health)

Folate, Zinc (hearing health)

Stretching Exercises Gear

Natural Skin Treatments


Resources
aging information















Body Building with Nutrition

Low Impact Knee Exercises

Low Impact Chair Exercises

Illustrated Stretching Exercises

Elder-Adult Child Communication

Dementia Education

Nursing Care Plans

Assisted Living vs. Nursing Homes

Early Alzheimer's Test

Medications that Mimic Dementia

Financial Planning

Maximizing Social Security Benefits

Avoiding Estate Taxes

Elder Care Planning & Management



Who's Behind this Site?

An idealist entrepreneur with a thirst for knowledge, insatiable curiosity and a diverse background, to say the least. Once back from Costa Rica...




site build it

Learn how I am able to work from home in a business that's low cost and high satisfaction.