Most people know that insufficient calcium and vitamin D can lead to worsening osteoporosis. It seems to be a simple solution, take vitamin D with your calcium and you’ll stave off the worst of osteoporosis.

What scientists and doctors are learning, however, is that getting an adequate dose of vitamin D is not as easy as it might seem. Many dairy products are enriched with vitamin D. Eating salmon provides a natural food source of vitamin D. But in order to get enough vitamin D in the diet, an individual would have to eat two servings of salmon a day in order to get enough.

Exposure to sunlight is certainly one way to naturally increase vitamin D levels, but worries about skin cancer have had people coating themselves with sunscreen, preventing them from getting the vitamin D production benefit that sunshine usually provides.

That leaves supplementation. In order for vitamin D to be adequately absorbed by the body, it needs to be ingested in the presence of either calcium or magnesium. Calcium is found in dairy products. Magnesium is found in leafy green vegetables.

Visiting your trusted chiropractor in Oklahoma City, OK – Family Tree Chiropractic – is the best way to make sure you are being supplemented sufficiently.

And to make matters worse, osteoporosis is not our only concern in matters of inadequate vitamin D. Here are a few other diseases that are worsened by low vitamin D levels:

1. Kidney disease. There is a link between chronic kidney disease and vitamin D deficiency.

2. Diabetes. There is an inadequately understood link between Type I diabetes and vitamin D. A study in Finland gave over 10,000 children 2000 IU of vitamin D3 the first day of their life. The same children were tracked to adulthood and found that their risk of developing Type I diabetes had decreased by 80%.

3. Asthma. Used to reduce the severity of asthma attacks in children, vitamin D comes to the rescue. A Japanese study showed a dose of 1200 IU of vitamin D reduced their chances of a severe attack. There is some promise that vitamin D might be a road to treating chronic asthma sufferers.

4. Heart Disease. It is only recently being understood, but there is a definite link between vitamin D and the prevention of heart disease, specifically congestive heart failure in the elderly. In addition, women with low vitamin D levels had a nearly 70% greater risk of developing high blood pressure.

5. Schizophrenia and Depression. Mothers who take adequate amounts of vitamin D during pregnancy have children with much lower incidence of schizophrenia and depression in later life. It is believed that vitamin D receptors in the brain are critical for brain development and mental function as we age.

What is your vitamin D level? Can you increase your vitamin D levels either with increased sun exposure or by taking supplements? It looks as though many serious illnesses can be improved when you your levels are adequate.

Photo Credit : Vitamin D Deficiency: Are you part of the pandemic? from jacqueline via Flickr