Benefits of Vitamin D 5000 IU

Vitamin D is essential for bone health and can help keep you from getting sick or suffering from disease. According to James Dowd and Diane Stafford, authors of "The Vitamin D Cure," you need far more vitamin D than you get from being in the sun for a few minutes a day 1. While sunlight is an important source of vitamin D, you also need to eat foods rich in this important vitamin or you need to take a supplement to increase your intake. The current recommendation is 200 IU per day, but you may benefit from quite a bit more if you are seriously deficient. Ask your doctor if 5000 IU per day is safe for you and whether it can help you replenish your vitamin D levels.

Increases Bone Health

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that helps your bones absorb calcium, say Frank Murray and Ronald L. Hoffman, authors of "Sunshine and Vitamin D: A Comprehensive Guide to the Benefits of the 'Sunshine Vitamin'." Consuming enough vitamin D also aids your body in bone mineralization, so that you do not develop rickets, a serious disorder that results in soft bones 2. Eating vitamin-D-rich foods or taking a supplement to help you reach 5000 IU will result in stronger bones and will help your body hold onto more of the calcium needed to retain your bone strength. You may be a candidate to take such a high dose of vitamin D if you have been tested and have soft bones or significant amounts of bone loss.

Helps Reduce Heart Disease

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According to Dowd and Stafford, a vitamin D deficiency can leech calcium, potassium, magnesium and protein from your bones, which can result in an increase in the inflammation in your body 1. Deficiencies also increase abdominal fat, which raises inflammation rates as well. High inflammation rates have been associated with a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Loss of important nutrients, such as potassium and magnesium can also raise your blood pressure and put unnecessary stress on your heart. Increasing your intake of vitamin D to reach 5000 IU per day is one way that some doctors feel can help decrease inflammation and other health problems and can also help you keep your heart healthy. This may be particularly true if you already experience heart problems or if you have a strong family history of heart disease. However, again, it is important that you consult with your doctor before taking high doses of vitamin D.

Can Increase Metabolism And Promote Weight Loss

Large amounts of vitamin D can help boost your metabolism so you are able to lose weight easier, say Murray and Hoffman. Dowd and Stafford add that sufficient intake of vitamin D can help you exercise more effectively and can help increase the overall strength of your muscles 1. Vitamin D also works to help your body maintain muscle mass, making it easier for you to increase the intensity of your workouts if you want to shed pounds. As you get stronger, your body will be able to retain and use vitamin D more efficiently, which will help improve all aspects of your health, say Dowd and Stafford 1. You may benefit from doses as high as 5000 IU if you are significantly overweight or if other weight loss approaches have not worked for you.