09/11/2007 - Vitamin D may help slow down the ageing process, scientists have found, adding further weight to the importance of adequate intake of the vitamin.
Researchers from King's College, London, measured telomeres - part of a chromosome which shortens with age - in more than 2,000 women and found those who had higher levels of the vitamin in their body had longer telomeres.
The daily recommended level of D3 is 400 I.U.
That is much too low, especially in winter. I would up that amount to 2000 I.U. per day.
(there is no worry to overdose on D3, you could take 10 times that amount)
When my daughter was very ill and close to having pneumonia I gave her 5,000 IU before half carrying her to the car to bring her home. Her fever broke during the hour long drive and she was able to walk by herself when we got home. She took the same dosage every waking hour for 2 days and was well enough to go back to work on the third day.
This is a 19yo who lives next to a beach and walks and swims every day in the sun, as well as eating vitamin D rich foods. She obviously hadn't been getting enough to stop her from being so ill, so she takes 2,000 IU daily now in addition to all the sun and will double the dosage next winter.
The daily recommended level of D3 is 400 I.U.
That is much too low, especially in winter. I would up that amount to 2000 I.U. per day.
(there is no worry to overdose on D3, you could take 10 times that amount)
I get quite a bit of sun. I take 400 iu/day. If I feel an infection coming on, I take 200,000 iu. So far, it's worked.
Research reports keep rolling in on the importance of vitamin D in our diet-beyond its familiar role in helping us to build strong bones. Here are some of the findings:
Periodontal disease, in a dental study of 6,700 people from 13 to 90, the gums of patients with higher blood levels of vitamin D were 20 percent less likely to bleed. "The evidence on gingivitis and tooth loss suggests that vitamin D influences oral health by decreasing inflammation," said Bess Dawson-Hughes, director of the Bone Metabolism Lab at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
Cancer. Studies by Reinhold Vieth at the University of Toronto have reported a substantial reduction in the rates of colon cancer as blood levels of vitamin D went up. Dr. Vieth suggests that vitamin D inhibits a mechanism by which cancer cells spread or it may boost the function of blood vessels or the immune system.
Diabetes. A number of studies have found that people with higher blood levels of vitamin D had a lower risk of diabetes than people with lower levels. Researchers have suggested that vitamin D seems to influence responsiveness to insulin.
Fitness. A study at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that people with low blood levels of vitamin D scored from 5 to 10 percent lower on tests measuring grip strength, balance and walking speed than those who had higher levels. Apparently vitamin D helps build and repair muscles as well as bones.
Longevity. People who take vitamin D supplements may also live longer, according to Sara Gandini, Ph.D., of the European Institute of Oncology in Italy, and Philippe Autier, M.D., of the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France. "The intake of ordinary doses of vitamin D supplements seems to be associated with decreases in total mortality rates," they reported.
"The results are remarkable," according to Edward Giovannucci, M.D., ScD., of the Harvard School of Public Health, in an editorial on vitamin D research in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Live longer with vitamin D, study says
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