Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Muscle weakness can be caused by a variety of conditions, including aging, disease, inactivity, repetitive use and intensive exercise. A recent study has now linked blood levels of vitamin D blood to muscle weakness and has found that vitamin D supplementation may increase the recovery rate of muscles after intensive exercise.

Participants in the study included 14 healthy and active adults. Participants were instructed to perform intensive exercise with one leg. The other leg acted as the control. Researchers measured bloods levels of vitamin D in both legs before and after the exercise.

They also found that participants with higher levels of vitamin D had lower levels of muscular weakness, immediately after exercise and for up to three days after.

Researchers from The Orthopedic Specialty Hosptial in Utah, The University of Utah, USANA Health Sciences and the LDS Hospital in Utah conducted the study. It was published on April 17, 2013, in the journal Nutrients.

Previous studies have shown vitamin D to be associated with improved kidney health, reductions in the risk of skin cancer, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, combating diabetes, and improving age related eye degeneration.

Vitamin D can be found in milk, fortified cereals, fish, and eggs. As this study shows, your body also processes vitamin D from the sun but it becomes harder for our bodies to process it as we age. A high quality vitamin D supplement is always a good option if you feel that you’re not getting enough through diet and sun.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Vitamin D is often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin” because our bodies absorb it from the sun. A recent study suggests that the lower amount of sunshine exposure in winter months – and therefore the lower amount of vitamin D absorption – may be correlated with higher incidences of tuberculosis (TB).

Australian researchers examined data from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System from 2011-2012. There were 11,576 active TB notifications during that period. Analysis of those notifications showed that there were 24% more notifications in the winter months than the summer months.

The incidence of tuberculosis peaked between September and December, which are 2-3 months after the winter months that contain the least sunshine. This is also the time of year when the population has the lowest levels of circulating vitamin D. Additionally, while overall notifications were 24% higher, they were actually 34% higher in the Southern states, which receive the least amount of sunshine during the winter.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory and the University of Melbourne in Australia. It was presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for Infectious Disease, which took place from March 20 to March 23, 2013.

Previous studies have shown vitamin D to be associated with improved kidney health, reductions in the risk of skin cancer, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, combating diabetes, and improving age related eye degeneration.

Vitamin D can be found in milk, fortified cereals, fish, and eggs. As this study shows, your body also processes vitamin D from the sun but it becomes harder for our bodies to process it as we age. A high quality vitamin D supplement is always a good option if you feel that you’re not getting enough through diet and sun.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

People with vitamin D deficiencies often experience physical fatigue. A recent study suggests that taking vitamin D supplements may increase the presence of phosphocreatine in people with vitamin D deficiencies, and reduce symptoms of fatigue.

Phosphocreatine is a compound that works in conjunction with adenosine triphosphate to produce muscular energy in the human body.

The study included 12 participants with severe vitamin D deficiencies who took a vitamin D supplement and 15 healthy control subjects.

The researchers took MRI scans of the participants at the beginning of the study after they exercised their calves. They then took MRI scans 10-12 weeks after beginning supplementation of vitamin D. The recovery half time for phosphocreatine was reduced from 34.4 seconds to 27.8 seconds as a result of the vitamin D supplementation.

The researchers stated that this is the first study to find a link between vitamin D levels and muscle aerobic function.

The study was conducted by researchers at Newcastle University in the UK. It was published in the March 2013 issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Previous studies have shown vitamin D to be associated with improved kidney health, reductions in the risk of skin cancer, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, combating diabetes, and improving age related eye degeneration.

Vitamin D can be found in milk, fortified cereals, fish, and eggs. Your body also processes vitamin D from the sun but it becomes harder for our bodies to process it as we age. A high quality vitamin D supplement is always a good option if you feel that you’re not getting enough through diet and sun.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

African-Americans are 40% more likely to have high blood pressure than other ethnic groups, which puts them at higher risk of heart disease, failure, and stroke. They also tend to have lower circulating levels of vitamin D. A recent study suggests that vitamin D supplementation may decrease systolic blood pressure in African-Americans by up to four points.

Systolic blood pressure is the top measurement in a blood pressure reading and indicates the pressure exerted on the heart when it’s beating.

The study included 250 participants. Over the course of three months, they underwent one of four daily interventions:

1. 1,000 IU of vitamin D;

2. 2,000 IU of vitamin D;

3. 4,000 IU of vitamin D;

4. a placebo.

At the conclusion of the study, the researchers noted a drop in systolic blood pressure ranging from one to four points in the supplement groups. The four point drop in blood pressure was correlated with the 4,000 units of vitamin D supplementation. Systolic blood pressure actually rose by 1.7 points in the placebo group.

The study was conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. It was published online ahead of print on March 13, 2013, in Hypertension.

Previous studies have shown vitamin D to be associated with improved kidney health, reductions in the risk of skin cancer, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, combating diabetes, and improving age related eye degeneration.

Vitamin D can be found in milk, fortified cereals, fish, and eggs. Your body also processes vitamin D from the sun but it becomes harder for our bodies to process it as we age. A high quality vitamin D supplement is always a good option if you feel that you’re not getting enough through diet and sun.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

According to recent research, blood levels of vitamin D may actually affect genes that can lead to illness. Specifically, researchers found an association between vitamin D deficiency (defined as less than 37.5 nmol/l) and altered expression of genes related to immunity.

The study included blood samples from 218 Norwegian women. The researchers found that the following two gene pathways related to immunity were more highly expressed in participants who were vitamin D deficient:

1. TLR signaling – a major pathway that governs the inflammatory response to infection

2. IL-1R pathway – increases the migration of leukocytes to sites of infection

Leukocytes are the white blood cells that fight against infectious diseases, but too many can be a sign of disease.

The researchers also found that cytokines and chemokines were also altered based on vitamin D levels. Cykotines are secreted by the cells of the immune system and carry signals between cells. Chemokines are a protein that is pro-inflammatory and recruits cells of the immune system to the site of an infection. Inappropriate utilization of cykotines and chemokines can contribute to or cause many inflammatory diseases and cancer.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Tromso in Norway. It was published online ahead of print on March 6, 2013, in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Previous studies have shown vitamin D to be associated with improved kidney health, reductions in the risk of skin cancer, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, combating diabetes, and improving age related eye degeneration.

Vitamin D can be found in milk, fortified cereals, fish, and eggs. Your body also processes vitamin D from the sun but it becomes harder for our bodies to process it as we age. A high quality vitamin D supplement is always a good option if you feel that you’re not getting enough through diet and sun.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular complications. Diabetics also tend to have low levels of vitamin D. Recent research suggests that high doses of vitamin D may improve heart health in diabetics by decreasing the central aortic augmentation index.

The central aortic augmentation index measures central aortic blood pressure (blood pressure at the root of the aorta). It has been shown to be a predictor of adverse cardiovascular events, and the higher the index, the higher the risk.

The study included 47 participants with type-2 diabetes who took either 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily or a placebo for one year. At the conclusion of the study, participants who took the vitamin D had a 7 unit decrease in the central aortic augmentation index, dropping from 32.9 to 25.9. In comparision, the placebo group saw an increase of .40 units, from 26.8 to 27.2.

The researchers also found an increase in adiponectin in the supplement group, while no change was observed in the placebo group. Adiponectin is a hormone that keeps the body’s metabolic processes, including glucose, functioning properly.

This study was conducted by researchers at the Wolfson Medical Center and Tel Aviv University in Israel. It was published online ahead of print on March 1, 2013, in Clinical Nutrition.

Previous studies have shown vitamin D to be associated with improved kidney health, reductions in the risk of skin cancer, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, combating diabetes, and improving age related eye degeneration.

Vitamin D can be found in milk, fortified cereals, fish, and eggs. Your body also processes vitamin D from the sun but it becomes harder for our bodies to process it as we age. A high quality vitamin D supplement is always a good option if you feel that you’re not getting enough through diet and sun.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Hip fractures are a common injury in mature adults and can lead to long periods of bed rest and sometimes even death. A recent, large-scale study suggests that taking supplements of vitamin D3 and calcium may reduce the risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women by 38%.

The study used data collected from the Women’s Health Initiative, which included 36,282 postmenopausal women. For an average of seven years, half of the group took 1,000 mg of elemental calcium carbonate plus 400 IU of vitamin D3 a day, while the other half took a placebo.

Only 59% of the participants adhered to the supplementation program. For those women, the risk of hip fracture was 29% lower.

Further analysis has found that the risk of hip fracture was 38% lower among women not taking supplements at the start of the study, compared to the placebo group.

The study was published in the February 13, 2013, issue of Osteoporosis.

Calcium is a mineral that is essential for bone strength. A lack of calcium can lead to osteoporosis, a serious health issue characterized by low bone mass which leads to an increased risk of fractures. Vitamin D3 aids in calcium break down and absorption. Several studies have also suggested that calcium and vitamin D may play a role in the regulation of abdominal fat mass.

Consumption of vitamin D3 has been linked to reducing the risk of osteoporosis and high blood pressure in mature adults, improving kidney health, reducing the risk of skin cancer, improving cardiovascular health, combating diabetes, and improving age related eye degeneration.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

A recent study from Harvard researchers suggests that increasing vitamin D intake during adolescence and young adulthood could reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes by 44%.

The researchers analyzed blood samples of young adults that came from the Department of Defense Serum Repository. They identified 310 people who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes between 1997 and 2009. They analyzed blood samples taken from them prior to onset of the disease and compared them to blood samples taken from 613 individuals who did not develop type 1 diabetes.

They found that white, non-Hispanic individuals with vitamin D levels higher than 100 nmol/L were 44% less likely to develop type 1 diabetes compared to those with levels less than 75 nmol/L. Type 1 diabetes risk was highest among those whose vitamin D levels were in the lowest 20%.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. It was published online ahead of print in the American Journal of Epidemiology on February 3, 2013.

Previous studies have shown vitamin D to be associated with improved kidney health, reductions in skin cancer, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, improved cardiovascular health, combating diabetes, and improving age related eye degeneration.

Vitamin D can be found in milk, fortified cereals, fish, and eggs. Your body also processes vitamin D from the sun but it becomes harder for our bodies to process it as we age. A high quality vitamin D supplement is always a good option if you feel that you’re not getting enough through diet and sun.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

A recent study has found that low levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased risk of depression.

Participants in the study with vitamin D levels of at least 75 nmol/l had a 43% lower risk of depression when compared with those who had less than 25 nmol/l. Higher levels of vitamin D were also associated with a 67% lower risk of panic attacks.

The study included 7,401 participants who were born in Britain in the year 1958. When they reached the age of 45, the researchers administered questionnaires that assessed depression, anxiety, panic, and phobia.

At age 45, higher levels of vitamin D were associated with lower risk of depression and panic attacks. However, at age 50, lower risk was seen in participants with vitamin D levels between 50 and 80nmol/l, compared to participants with lower or higher levels.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University College London. It was published online ahead of print on January 23, 2013, in the journal Clinical Nutrition.

Previous studies have shown vitamin D to be associated with improved kidney health, reductions in skin cancer, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, improved cardiovascular health, combating diabetes, and improving age related eye degeneration.

Vitamin D can be found in milk, fortified cereals, fish, and eggs. Your body also processes vitamin D from the sun but it becomes harder for our bodies to process it as we age. A high quality vitamin D supplement is always a good option if you feel that you’re not getting enough through diet and sun.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

If you are looking to lose body fat, you may want to consider taking calcium and vitamin D3 supplements. A recent study found that people on a diet who took both supplements lost up to 55.6% more body fat mass than those on a diet who did not take the supplements.

Participants in the study included 53 overweight and obese adults, all of whom had reported low calcium consumption. Over the course of 12 weeks, half of the group took 600 mg of elemental calcium and 125 IU of vitamin D3. All of the participants consumed a calorie-restricted diet for the duration of the study.

At the conclusion of the study, both groups had lost the same amount of overall body weight. However, the participants in the supplement group had lost 6.1 pounds of body fat, while those in the diet only group lost 3.9 pounds of body fat. The supplement group also lost a greater amount of visceral fat, the unhealthy fat that surrounds our internal organs.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Health Sciences in China. It was published in the Nutrition Journal on January 8, 2013.

Calcium is a mineral that is essential for bone strength. A lack of calcium can lead to osteoporosis, a serious health issue characterized by low bone mass which leads to an increased risk of fractures. Vitamin D3 aids in calcium break down and absorption. Several studies have also suggested that calcium and vitamin D may play a role in the regulation of abdominal fat mass.

Consumption of vitamin D3 has been linked to reducing the risk of osteoporosis and high blood pressure in mature adults, improving kidney health, reducing the risk of skin cancer, improving cardiovascular health, combating diabetes, and improving age related eye degeneration.