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Consider Taking Vitamin D Supplements

16:16 Mon 07 Dec 2009
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I’m not a doctor, and this isn’t medical advice.

I am, however, currently deficient in Vitamin D, and apparently so might many of you be—particularly those of you living in less-sunny climes.

Deficiency can result in diseases such as rickets and osteoporosis, not to mention that according to Wikipedia it’s also linked to high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cancer, periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, peripheral artery disease, cognitive impairment, and various autoimmune disorders. So I’ll be increasing my intake (I already take 400 IU/day) somewhat.

While it’s quite easy for those of us living a mostly sunless lifestyle (and note that I’m still deficient after a period where I’ve been in the sun quite a bit more that previously) to be deficient in Vitamin D, overdosing on it apparently takes quite a lot of effort. The current US Dietary Reference Intake upper limit is 2000 IU, but quite a bit of evidence seems to support the contention that we can handle a lot more than that safely.

It might be worth considering the possibility that you’re deficient; blood tests can determine this, and correcting it could be as easy as taking Vitamin D supplements daily.

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