Vitamin D3 1,000 IU Softgels 250

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Vitamin D is not truly a vitamin for two reasons: In its active form it is considered to be a hormone; and our bodies can make it from sunlight.

Vitamin D is primarily involved in the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus in the body. It increases the absorption of these minerals from the intestine and increases the uptake of minerals by the bones.

In children, rickets is the classic deficiency disease of this vitamin; the symptoms are stunted growth, delayed tooth development, weakness, softened skulls (in infants), and irreversible bone deformities. In adults, women with a history of vitamin D deficiency have difficulty giving birth because of irregularities in the pelvic bones.

In adults, hypocalcemia (low level of calcium in the blood stream), osteomalacia (reduction in the mineral content of the bone), and osteoporosis (reduction in total bone mass) are associated with vitamin D deficiencies. Thinning bones, which fracture more easily, have recently been recognized as a growing problem in menopausal women. (Men can suffer, too, but women are more often affected because of the role that estrogen plays.) Calcium and magnesium, as well as other minerals and vitamins, should be taken along with vitamin D to treat these conditions, as they all work hand in hand in the body to form and maintain bone mass.

Vitamin D is synthesized in the body from sunlight. But, due to the winter season, weather conditions, and sunscreen blockers, the body’s ability to produce optimal vitamin D levels may be inhibited. All of these factors point to the value of taking a daily vitamin D supplement to ensure optimal vitamin D intake.

Vitamin D has long provided significant support for healthy bone density. However, scientists have validated the critical role that vitamin D plays in regulating healthy cell division and differentiation, and has profound effects on human immunity.** These findings link a deficiency of vitamin D to a host of common age-related problems. As a result of this research and startling evidence of a widespread vitamin D deficiency, prominent nutritional scientists are calling on Americans to increase their vitamin D intake to 1000 IU per day and higher. The current RDA is only 400 IU.

Just one capsule a day supplies 1000 IU of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), a form of the vitamin that is identical to that derived from sunlight on the skin.