ou may remember the public health slogan, ‘Vitamin D helps build strong bones”. This message could be seen on colorful school posters and heard on radio and television programs as early as the 1950s. Getting enough Vitamin D was a major health issue, primarily for its role in preventing childhood rickets – “softening of the bones”.

More recently, and quite dramatically, vitamin D has been strongly associated with reduced cancer risks, preventing autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, preventing cardiovascular disease, and even helping to prevent diabetes. Vitamin D seems to be a one-stop shop for helping combat many serious chronic diseases, and yet vitamin D deficiency is common in the United States. Very few foods are natural sources of vitamin D. The primary source of vitamin D for humans is sunlight – sunlight causes cells in the skin to produce vitamin D.

But most of us don’t spend enough time outside to get sufficient sunlight to provide us with our normal daily requirement of vitamin D. Supplementation is needed, in the form of fortified foods such as milk and in vitamin/mineral tablets. Interestingly, meeting our vitamin D and calcium daily requirements is only one step on the road to healthy, strong bones. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium from the intestinal tract. Also, vitamin D helps bone cells utilize calcium to build new bone. But, in adults new bone will only be built if there’s a need for it. Mechanical stress causes the body to produce new bone, ­and the best source for this kind of bone-building mechanical stress is exercise.

Your chiropractor will be able to recommend a program and plan that will be right for you. Ask us about supplementing with premium quality vitamin D to ensure you get the correct type and amount.