Vitamin D??

Vitamin D also aids in mental health. Vitamin D has profound effects on the brain and can play a role in depression and deficiency of Vitamin D is at times the cause of some patients depression! Vit. D is often perscribed as a med for depression treatment along with other anti-depressant type meds. But Vit. D therapy really can be used on anyone just to keep your mood up in the darker months. :)

Vitamin D is necessary for calcium to be absorbed in the body, so you'll usually find it in tablet form in conjunction with calcium. 10 minutes outdoors per day is all that's necessary for the body's daily requirement of vitamin D. I wouldn't stress about it. It's mainly a problem for the elderly, immobile or hospitalised people who are unable to get outdoors for even a short period of time.

Vitamin D and Calcium are sooo important to take now and not wait until you are older.  Look for natural forms in foods like milk, yogurt, cheese and take a multi-vitamin.  What you don't do in your 20, 30 and 40's catches up to you big time after 50, mostly after menopause. My mother is 87 and that may sound like a million years from now, but it is horrible to see what she is presently going through. Because she did not take a multi-vitamin nor got sufficient Vit.D and Calcium in her, she now has severe osteoporosis.  Besides having shrunk over 8 inches, she also has extremely brittle bones, keeps getting painful stress fractures in her spine, is hunched over now and has had 6 surgeries in two years, with another one on the way.  She may have to go into a nursing home early because she has to use a walker and is mostly bed-bound. My grandmother was never like this.  Osteoporosis also makes you crunch up your organs permanently and they shut down earlier.  I cannot stress enough that starting at age 35-40 is really too late and that you need to take care of your bones your entire life so when you do hit menopause (when lack of estrogen creates thinning of bones) you will strong, upright and live longer.  And walk, dance, lift light weights. All these prevent back,spine, & bone problems. 

Vitamin D really plays a lot of roles in the body in many different locations (immune system, neuromuscular, bones, etc.).  There is a lot of research being done with it right now, you are right.  A lot of it will turn out to be not nearly as exciting as we had hoped.  You're more likely to be deficient if you live further north or south from the equator (can't remember which parallel but in Nova Scotia you're definitely in the land of not enough UV rays for Vit D production for a significant chunk of the year).  You're also more likely to be deficient if you have darker skin, are older, etc.  It's unlikely you have a true deficiency but lots of people are "insufficient", which means they have sub-optimal levels not to the point of noticing obvious problems caused by low levels.  You can get a blood test to test your levels if you are worried about it.  Vitamin D supplements are cheap and not very toxic--the 400 to 800 IU daily dose that is in most multivitamins is a pretty minor amount.  Most people could take more without significant risk, but if you can check your blood levels then you'll know for sure.  Since it's a fat-soluble vitamin, it is possible to overdose and cause problems/harm because you store it rather than peeing it out if you take too much.  If you're not insufficient, taking extra supplements is not going to do much for you, either.  Fish oil, fatty cold water-dwelling fish, egg yolks, and fortified milk all contain some Vitamin D but not a whole lot.  The best way to get more is through supplements.  D3 (animal form) is more potent than D2 (plant form) so you would want a higher dose of D2 than D3.  Almost all of the supplements are D3 these days though.  Hope this helps.

It's normal to take omega-3 from f.ex fish during the darker months, because we can go through long periods with little exposure to daylight. 

I hadn't been doing so and my endoctrinologist told me I'm deficient and that I should take these pills. They come in oil form. I have CFS which is the cause of most of my problems and getting D2 might only be a slight improvement.

I take 2000 mgs of vit D every day with Calcium 1000 mg -- since I had my back surgery this was recc to me by doctor and so far no more problems with back per se but this combination is highly reccommended for all women (dosage varies with age).

You should definitely get it checked. Most people in non-sunny areas are low in Vitamin D. It doesnt take long to bring it back up to normal in your system, if you have the correct dosage. I had to take 5000IU daily to get it up over 30. (started at 9) 

Yeah, Last month my vitamin d level was at 7% and now I have to take 5000IU everyday for 3 months.. its very important to your body because it aids in immune health also,If its too low it can make you have fertility problems, menstrual problems, hair loss, pale skin, joint pain, patchy skin, pale etc.. so I would suggest you get some blood tests done to see if you should be worried or not. 

Vitamin D regulates blood pressure, reduces stress and tension, relieves body aches and pains by reducing muscle spasms, reduces respiratory infections, helps in differentiation of the cells, aids in insulin secretion, helps fight depression, improves overall skin health by reducing wrinkles, makes skin soft, strong, and smooth, and improves cardiovascular strength by providing a protective lining for the blood vessels.

 

I agree with what others have posted. Vitamin D deficiency is EXTREMELY common, especially in people who do not get a lot of exposure to the sun. Vitamin D is ESSENTIAL to absorbing calcium (and phosphorous). 

I live in sunny Southern California, and even I have to take prescribed Vitamin D every now and then. Vitamin D is fat soluble, which means, if taken in pill form, it must be taken with dietary fat. Non-fat milk is NOT a good source of Vitamin D unless you're having other foods with fat in them at the same time. That's one of the things that contributed to some of my periods of Vitamin D deficiency. I was only drinking non-fat milk. When I found out my vitamin D was low, I was shocked. I thought, since I drank a ton of milk and got exposed to the sun, I would be more than fine. There were other factors that contributed to my deficiency that I don't want to get in to, but the main thing I took away from that is that low-fat milk is the way to go for Vitamin D absorption. 

I would, as others have recommended, get your levels checked. My prolonged Vitamin D deficiency combined with some other things have led me to develop osteoporosis. I'm 22 years old.

Yes, you are right. Vitamin D is very important for our skin and the sun light is very important source of vitamin D.