Having been diagnosed with high cholesterol your doctor is probably pushing you for dangerous medications with a list of side effects that extend longer than the listings in a phone book.
Now if he/she is good, you may also have received recommendations of some basic diet and lifestyle changes (oftentimes impossible to follow).
But how about taking one vitamin, available in every health food store… and even better, one you can get for free in most places?
And this vitamin was proven in a new study from Women’s Health Initiative to significantly lower bad cholesterol and raise good.
Vitamin D is well-known for treating weak bones, but now it has been identified that it can help control the level of cholesterol as well.
In the study published in the journal, Menopause, the researchers focused on a group of 576 women, all of whom were postmenopausal. They were divided into two groups: one group was administered a daily dose of 400 units of Vitamin D along with 1000 milligrams of calcium while the other group was given a placebo.
The women were followed-up for a period of three years. The researchers took into account the various habits of the women including initial Vitamin D level in serum, smoking and drinking habits.
At the end of the study period, it was found through blood tests that there was a significant rise in the level of Vitamin D in the serum. This included a corresponding small but significant drop in the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and a rise in the ‘good’ HDL.
It was also discovered that the supplements were especially helpful in raising Vitamin D levels in older women. Also the Vitamin D level rose at a higher level in those women who did not smoke or consume alcohol.
While the researchers emphasize that Vitamin D cannot be directly correlated to cardiovascular health, they recommend that Vitamin D is included as much as possible in the daily diet, because this vitamin plays many regulatory roles in the body and is essential for overall health.
A small amount of Vitamin D is found in fatty fish like mackerel, herring, tuna and sardines. Many dairy products, cereals and juices are fortified with Vitamin D.
However, the best way to get your daily requirement of Vitamin D is to go and get some sunlight! 15-30 minutes of daily sunlight is all you need.
Daily intake should be more clearly established. At the moment it is recommended all the way from 400 I U to 30,000. Advice is to see doctor if you want to go to 40,000/day. I am suggesting 20,000/day
sunlight is not only for the good cholesterol but also good for the diabetes. Why? When out to the sun body excretes enough perspiration and enough to regulate the glucose in the body. However, should drink enough water to avoid dehydration.
Im always ready what you have and I’ve learned what natural vitamis to take for what ever you have with no side affects.thanks for all the good info.
I'm a epeliptic and want to know if vitamin d can also help with seizures? Does anyone know?
Dear Julie, thanks for bringing up this important issue about Vitamin D and seizure connection.
I found some information suggesting that increasing Vitamin D levels reduces seizures by 40 % !!
Apparently, nearly half of people with epilepsy are vitamin D deficient.
The research suggests that the best way to get the vitamin D levels under control is to enjoy the sunshine at least 30 minutes every day.
However, the latest study showed that a one-time 40,000-200,000 IU dose of vitamin D3 was efficient to patients with epilepsy in order to bring their vitamin D levels out of a deficiency state.
Hope it helps 🙂