7 Reasons Why Vitamin D Is Essential to Your Body
by Keith Woolley

This article brings to the reader some of the key benefits regarding Vitamin D. A careful read of this data could make a big massive difference in how you regard the exciting research that is currently being published about Vitamin D.

Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you’re fully informed about Vitamin D, keep reading.

Vitamin D is a major player in ensuring the body’s health. It is a member of the fat-soluble group of vitamins which means that it can be dissolved and stored by our body’s fat deposits. Is the only vitamin that the body can produce with adequate exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D may also be obtained from food. The form of this vitamin that comes from plants is called ergocalciferol (also referred to as Vitamin D2). From animals, it is called cholecalciferol or Vitamin D3. Vitamin D has key benefits to the body. They include:

Calcium absorption – Vitamin D is a very important element for building strong, healthy bones. In the intestine, Vitamin D helps the body absorb dietary calcium, the ingredient that promotes that hardness of our bones. With Vitamin D, whatever calcium we take into our body is utilized properly. Vitamin D also benefits the teeth and gums.

Disease prevention – Since we saw that Vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium necessary to proper bone growth, it is also important to note that it helps prevent the bone-deficiency disease called rickets in children. Vitamin D also helps prevent osteoporosis, a debilitating bone disease.

According to research, Vitamin D has also shown to be very beneficial to the health of the muscles. In a 2003 study, reviewed in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, many patients who suffered from chronic musculoskeletal pain also had a Vitamin D deficiency.

There is also some potential showing Vitamin D’s capability to help prevent diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and Type 1 diabetes. The results in studies published in 2004 are suggestive at best, but researchers believe it might hold some promise. Vitamin D helps boost the immune system and may help prevent inflammation, which probably explains its role against arthritis.

Vitamin D’s benefits against cancer – The latest research promises that Vitamin D may be beneficial against certain cancers, such as prostate, colon and breast cancer. Tests conducted by researchers on the subject over a long period of time showed that the lower the Vitamin D levels are, the more probable the risk of cancer.

The vitamin’s active form is capable of initiating important responses in the body. One of these is the regulation of how cells grow and proliferate. When uncontrolled, both these processes result in cancer. Again, the evidence is still suggestive and more studies have to be conducted.

If you want to supplement more, you will find extra Vitamin D in foods like salmon, sardines and mackerel. It’s also found in cod liver oil and fortified foods like milk and cereals.

Soon you will come to realise that something you have read here will have a beneficial impact on your health. Then you’ll be glad you took the time to learn more about Vitamin D. Hopefully you will get enough Vitamin D through your diet, but I consider it so important in my own diet, that I supplement more with Solgar Vitamin D. Solgar is the brand I take personally.

Keith Woolley is Research Director of Boots Herbal Stores. As THE leading vitamin companies, Solgar Vitamin D is an important product when deciding how to supplement more Vitamin D. Available here Get your own completely unique content version of this article.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Stress
by Patsy Hamilton

Because a link has been established between irritable bowel syndrome and stress, treating the stress may relieve the symptoms of IBS. Stress management, behavioral therapy and even hypnosis have proven to be effective in irritable bowel syndrome treatment plans.

A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing focused on treating irritable bowel syndrome and stress with hypnotic therapy. 75 patients participated in numerous hypnosis sessions over a three month period and the results showed that hypnosis therapy could be an effective irritable bowel syndrome treatment. Patients in the study reported a reduction in abdominal pain and bloating, an increase in energy and sense of well being and a reduction in anxiety and stress.

If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome and stress may be a factor, hypnosis may not be necessary. Numerous books have been written about stress management. Most irritable bowel syndrome treatment plans include efforts to reduce stress, particularly while eating. Deep breathing exercises and muscle relaxation techniques may help reduce your symptoms. It is important to eat slowly and in a relaxed environment, not at your desk or in front of the computer or TV. The national desire for multi-tasking has caused many people to eat, while they are doing something else. This may lead to an increase in symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and stress.

If you can reduce your workload or at least take multiple breaks during the day, you are less likely to be stressed at mealtime. Exercise is also an effective stress reducer. Walking as much as you can (whenever you can) will increase the endorphins in your bloodstream and relax your body. A regular exercise program is often part of a complete irritable bowel syndrome treatment plan. Exercise can reduce episodes of irritable bowel syndrome and stress.

Another suggestion for those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome and stress is to eat smaller meals, more frequently. Eating large meals puts additional stress on the body and can increase symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and stress. Eating several small meals per day seems to be a healthier way to eat than most people are accustomed to. This style of eating is recommended for people, who need to lose weight, want to increase metabolism, decrease heartburn and for those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome and stress or anxiety. Changing how you eat as well as what you eat can be an effective part of a complete irritable bowel syndrome treatment plan.

For more information about irritable bowel syndrome, visit http://www.digestive-disorders-guide.com.

About the Author
Patsy Hamilton has more than twenty years as a healthcare professional and currently writes informational articles for the Digestive Disorders Guide. Read more at http://www.digestive-disorders-guide.com.

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