We read and hear a lot about vitamin D these days, but what is all the hype about? As supplements go, vitamin D is one of the more common ones, and maybe you've even bought it once or twice because it sounded like a great addition to your diet. But do you really know all the benefits of vitamin D and why you need to add it into your daily supplement regime? Is it really worthy of all the attention it gets? Vitamin D is very important for healthy bones because it promotes the uptake of magnesium and calcium, which strengthen the bones. This is also beneficial for the teeth, which are made up of minerals. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to brittle and weak bones, soft bones in children (rickets), and misshapen bones in adults (osteomalacia). Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, depression, and weight gain. Maintaining optimum levels of vitamin D may help in preventing these problems. There are numerous benefits to taking Vitamin D regularly! It is a pro-hormone, so it helps the body to produce and regulate its own hormones. Because hormones are responsible for everything from your energy level to regulating your sleep cycle, this effect of vitamin D is extremely important. The amount of sleep you get at night pretty much determines how productive you are during the day, so regulating your sleep cycle can greatly improve your quality of life in general. Vitamin D may even be advantageous for diabetics because of its effect on sugar regulation. Another remarkable benefit of vitamin D is that it actually aids in the uptake of oxygen by the body, helping the lungs to breathe with ease. So how can you get enough of this vitamin to improve these many aspects of your life? While it's true that we can absorb a moderate amount of vitamin D from sunshine, it's simply not enough to be theraputically efficacious. Supplementing with 2000-5000 IU of vitamin D daily is a good starting point; however, having your blood levels checked is the only way to know how deficient you are and how much you need to take.  Both NOW Foods and Jarrow make high-quality vitamin D products and are available in our stores. Please feel free to contact us with any questions about vitamin d and anything else health related, or stop by SD Discount Nutrition Superstore in Downtown San Diego.  We're always here and happy to help with your health and nutritional needs.