Vitamin D 3 - Cholecalciferol
Vitamin D 3 is synthesized by the body if enough intense sunshine hits the skin directly (about 15 min per day). This means that during the dark winter season there is a lack of it. Although Vitamin D is also available in food (mainly oily fish), this is not sufficient. Also, older bodies do not synthesize the vitamin well.
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) in the EU at present is 800 IU (20 micrograms) per day. More than half of the western populations show very low blood levels and are urged to supplement. Since vitamin D is fat soluble it should be taken with a little fat or oil.
It was found out that the substance actually is a hormone: it is produced by the body at one place and then sent to many other places to regulate biochemical processes. As a hormone, vitamin D is involved in almost all bodily functions and serves to protect against many diseases:
- Osteoporosis
- Crohn's disease
- muscle weakness (Myasthenia)
- cardiovascular diseases
- type-I Diabetes
- high blood pressure
- many kinds of cancer
- multiple sclerosis (MS)
- depressions
- arthritis
Please read this important note on health subjects.