The Sunshine Vitamin: Vitamin D

The sunshine vitamin has been in the spotlight lately since many new studies have emerged highlighting its many benefits in chronic disease prevention, depression, hormone levels and weight loss. It is estimated that up to 70 percent of Americans are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D is actually a hormone naturally produced by specialized structures located in human skin from cholesterol and sunlight, with other components. It is also found in some animal products in the form of D3 (cholecalciferol) such as cod liver oil and fortified milk. Plants contain small amounts of the vitamin in a different form D2 (ergocalciferol), which in some studies have been shown to be less readily absorbed. The most recent research has far reaching implications for fitness with a study linking testosterone level to serum vitamin D levels and another linking weight loss with serum vitamin D levels. The first study found significant associations of serum levels of vitamin D with testosterone, FAI, and SHBG levels showing an increase in testosterone coninciding with the increase in serum vitamin D. The second study found that the women in the group with the highest serum vitamin D levels lost more weight overall than the other groups. These are very important studies that show the importance of getting enough vitamin D. For those who get little sun exposure it is important to take between 1000-2000 IU of D3 daily in addition to a multivitamin. This will ensure adequate serum vitamin D levels in the body