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How Vitamin D Protects Your Heart

Posted By Dr. Mercola | December 13 2005 | 16,527 views

A new study has linked a lack of sunshine, the body's most natural source of vitamin D, to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease.

Factors that affect sunlight, and therefore vitamin D production, are tied to a patient's cardiovascular risks. In other words, the more sunlight you get, the better your cardiovascular health will be. These factors can include time of year, altitude, and geographical location.

There are a number of physiological mechanisms triggered by vitamin D production through sunlight exposure that act to fight heart disease, according to the study:

  • An increase in the body's natural anti-inflammatory cytokines.
  • The suppression of vascular calcification.
  • The inhibition of vascular smooth muscle growth.

 

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

As you know, getting the right amount of vitamin D treats and prevents a variety of ailments and diseases, including:

  • Protection against multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Prevention of diabetes
  • Signals colon, breast and prostate cells to stop growing and eventually succumb to programmed cell death

Sunshine is your best source of Vitamin D. Unfortunately, most of you simply don't receive the daily amounts of vitamin D you need to stay healthy. Hopefully as a reader of this site it is not due to ignorance and you still don't believe the broken rhetoric that so-called experts continue to burn into their brains: avoid all sun exposure.

Fortunately we are in the midst of a radical revision of vitamin D understanding. The leading vitamin D scientists in the world have changed their position within the last few years and have started the warning sirens that most of traditional medicine was dead wrong when it comes to sun avoidance.

If you want to learn more about the healthy, healing benefits of the sun throughout history and what it can do for you today, consider Dr. Richard Hobday's book, The Healing Sun. Hobday's book is an important tool that will help you bring the benefits of sunlight into your lives safely.

As a matter of fact, statistics show that avoiding the sun has likely caused an extra 50,000 cancers per year, and that is just cancer deaths. It does not include heart disease or autoimmune diseases like MS or rheumatoid arthritis.

At this time of the year the primary reason for most readers of this newsletter is related to the fact that they don't have adequate sun exposure. As I write this in Chicago it is sunny but five degrees below zero (Farenheit).  Very difficult to go outside and get sun exposure on your bare skin as it would quickly be frost bitten.

However even if it were a balmy 50 degrees there still would not be enough photons this time of year to generate significant vitamin D production in your skin. Just not enough sunlight penetrates the atmosphere in the northern US this time of year.

That's why I recommend maintaining your optimal vitamin D levels by taking a high quality cod liver oil regularly from now until early spring.


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* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

© Copyright 1997-2012 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.

 

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