Vitamin D 3: Dynamo Defender of Disease

Vitamin D is a very complex substance. For more than half a century vitamin D was thought only to mineralize bones. But recent studies indicate that it does much more:

•Regulates calcium in all cells (especially brain cells)
•Protects the immune system
•Regulates cell growth and cell death
•Provides antioxidant and antiviral benefits
Since foods contain very little vitamin D, the body’s major source is from that manufactured in the deeper layers of the skin. Food, even fortified milk, is a poor source of vitamin D-3. This leaves sun exposure and vitamin D-3 supplements as the two most important sources. Many forms of commercial vitamin D supplements are not the active form.

When you buy vitamin D supplements, make sure they are vitamin D-3!

Vitamin D-3 and Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is another neurodegenerative disease of aging that is strongly related to chronic brain inflammation, but different parts of the brain are involved than in Alzheimer’s disease.

This means that your best protection against developing neurodegenerative diseases is to take vitamin D-3 in higher doses than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) every day to attain maximum protection.

What Are Recommended Doses?

Recommended levels of supplemental vitamin D have recently been shown to be far too low at 200 to 400 IU a day. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that safety concerns with vitamin D toxicity are grossly exaggerated and that the daily dose should be 2,000 IU a day.

Recent reviews by health “experts” have revised the recommended doses for vitamin D from 400 IU to 2,000 IU a day, a dramatic five-fold increase. Daily doses of 10,000 IU or less have been shown to produce no complications. For daily maintenance in otherwise healthy people, 2,000 IU a day appears to be adequate. For those with autoimmune diseases, cancer or viral illnesses, higher doses may be needed — doses as high as 5,000 IU a day.

For more information go to www.parkinsonresearchfoundation.org