Written by Chicagohealers.com practitioner Dr Kristina Sargent
We may have a new weapon against heart disease. Is it a miracle supplement? Probably not, however, it certainly can be added to the growing list of lifestyle changes that treat and prevent heart disease. What is it? The sun! Recent research suggests that Vitamin D may lower the risk of heart disease. And the best place to get vitamin D is from the sun!
Warnings against skin cancer also prevail in the media. But, independent research suggests that moderate, unprotected sun exposure is healthy. In fact, the amount of Vitamin D from UVB will protect you from a multitude of chronic diseases including colon, breast, prostate, and ovarian cancer, high blood pressure, Type-I and Type-2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, depression and YES, heart disease.
Recent publications in Circulation and the UK publication, Maturitas, have confirmed that vitamin D reduces heart disease.
Maturitas reports, "High levels of vitamin D among middle-age and elderly populations are associated with a substantial decrease in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome." Circulation concluded that low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased foam cell formation. Foam cells are part of the plaque that forms in arteries, creating disease.
Getting enough vitamin D can be a challenge. Anyone who lives north of New York City (40 degrees latitude) does not get enough sun to produce vitamin D in the winter. So it is imperative to get enough sun during the spring, summer and fall to store in fat tissues through the winter. That being said, testing has revealed very few patients actually get enough sun. We work too much and spend too much time inside. So, supplementation is necessary. Experts recommend 2000IU of Vitamin D3 daily, for adults and 1000IU for children.
Foods are fortified with vitamin D but typically people are eating these foods and still testing very low for vitamin D status. Fish is also high in Vitamin D, but worries about mercury create lower intake of fish. A supplement is still a good idea.
If you are supplementing with Vitamin D3, calcium and magnesium supplementation is necessary. Consult your physician for a blood test of 25-hydroxy Vitamin D to determine your status.
The 2010 estimated cost of cardiovascular disease is $503 billion dollars and the 2006 overall mortality was over 425,000 people, according to the most recent American Heart Association statistical update. Efforts to lower fat intake and overall cholesterol levels have led us into a nation where 60% of Americans are overweight or obese. Those are some pretty grim statistics considering the answer doesn't lie in a new drug but in overall lifestyle changes. According the NHANES studies, the first line of treatment should be diet and exercise. And now we have a new weapon. Vitamin D.
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We may have a new weapon against heart disease. Is it a miracle supplement? Probably not, however, it certainly can be added to the growing list of lifestyle changes that treat and prevent heart disease. What is it? The sun! Recent research suggests that Vitamin D may lower the risk of heart disease. And the best place to get vitamin D is from the sun!
Warnings against skin cancer also prevail in the media. But, independent research suggests that moderate, unprotected sun exposure is healthy. In fact, the amount of Vitamin D from UVB will protect you from a multitude of chronic diseases including colon, breast, prostate, and ovarian cancer, high blood pressure, Type-I and Type-2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, depression and YES, heart disease.
Recent publications in Circulation and the UK publication, Maturitas, have confirmed that vitamin D reduces heart disease.
Maturitas reports, "High levels of vitamin D among middle-age and elderly populations are associated with a substantial decrease in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome." Circulation concluded that low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased foam cell formation. Foam cells are part of the plaque that forms in arteries, creating disease.
Getting enough vitamin D can be a challenge. Anyone who lives north of New York City (40 degrees latitude) does not get enough sun to produce vitamin D in the winter. So it is imperative to get enough sun during the spring, summer and fall to store in fat tissues through the winter. That being said, testing has revealed very few patients actually get enough sun. We work too much and spend too much time inside. So, supplementation is necessary. Experts recommend 2000IU of Vitamin D3 daily, for adults and 1000IU for children.
Foods are fortified with vitamin D but typically people are eating these foods and still testing very low for vitamin D status. Fish is also high in Vitamin D, but worries about mercury create lower intake of fish. A supplement is still a good idea.
If you are supplementing with Vitamin D3, calcium and magnesium supplementation is necessary. Consult your physician for a blood test of 25-hydroxy Vitamin D to determine your status.
The 2010 estimated cost of cardiovascular disease is $503 billion dollars and the 2006 overall mortality was over 425,000 people, according to the most recent American Heart Association statistical update. Efforts to lower fat intake and overall cholesterol levels have led us into a nation where 60% of Americans are overweight or obese. Those are some pretty grim statistics considering the answer doesn't lie in a new drug but in overall lifestyle changes. According the NHANES studies, the first line of treatment should be diet and exercise. And now we have a new weapon. Vitamin D.
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