21 Sep Sick again? But it is spring!

Posted at 12:01h in Child Health, Children, Men's Health, Students, Well Being, Women's Health by natmed19

Sick Again? But it’s Spring!

Eloise Charleson
We all feel the gladdening in our hearts when the sunshine starts to warm up, the birds start to sing and the urge to get out and garden starts up. So when we or our children come down with yet another cold or gastro we ask ourselves, what’s wrong? When will this stop?
It could be as simple as supplementing with some vitamin D! Studies show that Australians are deficient in vitamin D. At the end of winter our bodies are further depleted and this makes us vulnerable to the germs that are also enjoying the warmer weather.
Inadequate vitamin D levels effect an estimated 1 billion people in the world. When applied correctly – sunscreen reduces our ability to absorb vitamin D by more than 90 percent. While sun safety is important we may need to start offsetting the side-effects with vitamin D supplementation.
How much vitamin D do I need?
How much vitamin D people need each day is under current scientific debate. The Institute of Medicine, in the USA, recommends tripling the daily vitamin D intake for children and adults to 600 IU per day. Many argue that this is a very conservative recommendation and supplementation of up to 4000 IU per day has been shown to have no adverse side effects.
Can we find it in our diet?
Few foods are naturally high in vitamin D. The biggest dietary source is fortified foods. Other good sources are dairy products and fatty fish. Our bodies manufacture vitamin D from cholesterol. This action is triggered by sunlight on the skin.
Why is Vitamin D important?
A wealth of studies is showing that Vitamin D is not only supportive of immune function. Research is going on into the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and cardiovascular disease, bone health, depression, inflammatory bowel disease and development of allergies.
Vitamin D plays an important role in the absorption and retention of calcium and phosphorus which are essential for building and maintaining bone. Good vitamin D levels are important in infancy, pregnancy and old age.