It is inflammation in the arteries, not cholesterol, that causes up to half of all heart problems in this country every year, and many people never even see it coming!
They eat the right foods, exercise and watch their weight. They look and feel great, right up to the minute that their hearts stop beating.
The New England Journal of Medicine reports that hundreds of thousands of people with healthy arteries will become victims of serious heart problems. The likely cause? Inflammation triggered by low vitamin D production.
One piece of critical research that may explain why so many of us suffer from hidden inflammation is that we are significantly deficient in vitamin D. If your body is starving for vitamin D, it can not fortify your bones either, and is the reason for so many hip fractures occurring in this country.
There is Scientific proof: Vitamin D can dampen inflammation!
• Researchers in Belgium have recently shown that critically ill patients are profoundly deficient in vitamin D—and that vitamin D supplements can help lower their blood evidence of inflammation. Even small amounts of vitamin D, about 500 IU, lowered inflammation by more than 25% in that small group of critically ill patients.
• In another study, researchers at the University of London found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased inflammation in otherwise healthy people—and that supplementing with vitamin D dramatically reduces inflammation throughout the body. The authors concluded, “This finding provides a possible mechanism for tissue damage in chronic inflammatory conditions, including heart and blood sugar problems.”
• Earlier this year, researchers once again reaffirmed that patients with serious heart problems have critically low levels of vitamin D. The scientists concluded vitamin D deficiency might contribute to the development of congestive heart failure.
You may think you’re getting enough vitamin D by eating foods “enriched” or “fortified” with vitamin D. Foods like milk, cereals, margarine and even pudding. But what you may not know is you’re not getting the right kind of vitamin D!
These foods generally contain vitamin D2—an inferior, synthetic nutrient that’s created from radiating fungus. In fact, vitamin D2 doesn’t naturally exist in detectable quantities in the human body.
So manufacturers can claim “vitamin D fortified”, but if they’re using vitamin D2, it’s doing nothing for your health.
Worse still, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that vitamin D2 may actually cause unhealthy cholesterol levels and boost inflammation in your joints and arteries.
Researchers, including the U.S. National Institutes of Health, show your body really needs the essential form of vitamin D called calciferol—or vitamin D3. This is the vitamin D your body requires for optimum health and function.
The truth is, it’s not sunlight—it’s sunburn that wrinkles your skin and can cause serious skin problems ¬- sunlight is the best form of vitamin D3 and you can get an abundance of this nutrient just by sitting or working out in the sun in moderation.
Sunshine heals. It strengthens your bones and teeth, and guards your heart and brain health. Without adequate sunlight, you actually increase your risk of developing a host of health problems.
So what should you do? What you shouldn’t do is smother yourself in creams that block any Vit D from the sun. Enjoy the sun in moderation but do not let yourself get burnt.
You can also take a supplement of Vit D3 to boost your levels. You will need between 400 and 1000 IU a day to help prevent cardiovascular problems, promote healthy bones, prevent cancers, and reduce inflammation.
