Otherwise known as the sunshine vitamin, Vitamin D can be especially hard to come by naturally during the winter. Shorter days, overcast skies and a seemingly endless amount of snow make it that much harder to get the amount of sunlight we need on a daily basis — and with it, an adequate amount of vitamin D, a key ingredient for a healthy immune system.
If you're low on vitamin D this winter due to a lack of sunshine, consider boosting your intake with a D3 vitamin supplement. Never done it before? From the healthy living resource Care2, here are four reasons why you may need to start:
- Anti-cancer properties: It's not any kind of miracle treatment for fighting cancer, but a high vitamin D intake has been shown to to help boost survival rates in people suffering from breast and colorectal cancers.
- Deficiency: About three-quarters of the entire county suffers from a vitamin D deficiency, which not only leaves you feeling sluggish and fatigued in the short term but can raise some serious long-term health risks, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
- Helps newborn babies: Expectant mothers, take note: Studies have shown that pregnant women with adequate levels of vitamin D give birth to babies with a healthy body weight and will grow into toddlers with fewer cavities.
- Protects against the flu: Wary of needles? A daily consumption of 1200 IU of vitamin D can go a long way in helping your body fight off the flu.
Click here for more information on our selection of D3 vitamin supplements.