7 Benefits of Vitamin D You Might Want to Know About

Vitamin D is often called the “sunshine vitamin,” mostly because we can get it naturally when the sun’s UV rays interact with our skin, which triggers the vitamin’s synthesis. The very important vitamin aids our body’s absorption of calcium to keep our bones strong and encourage healthy cells to grow.

Here are a few more health benefits of this versatile vitamin, according to healthline.com:

1. Fights depression
Studies have found that people with depression are often deficient in vitamin D and that depression gets better after taking a vitamin D supplement.

2. Fights disease
Recent studies indicate that vitamin D can reduce the risk of major diseases such as multiple sclerosis, heart disease, influenza, diabetes, and many more.

MORE: What exactly is Alzheimer’s disease? Here’s what you need to know.

3. Helps with weight loss
According to research, vitamin D and calcium supplements can aid in weight loss. Research subjects who took the supplements reported more weight loss than subjects who took placebos.

4. Affects genes
It’s believed that vitamin D affects more than 2,000 genes in the body — some of which could help protect against cancers.

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5. Muscle strength
It is widely accepted that vitamin D helps keep bones and teeth strong, but now we know that muscle strength can also be affected by this nutrient.

6. Healthy pregnancy
Taking a vitamin D supplement while pregnant could help to reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia for the mom, and rickets in the child.

7. Ease Alzheimer’s disease symptoms
Around 80 percent of Alzheimer’s disease patients have a vitamin D deficiency.  Taking a supplement could help with many of the symptoms associated with the disease.

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