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Testing for Vitamin D Levels
Having optimal vitamin D levels is advisable for your health. Why? It protects you from a variety of diseases – diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, rickets, tuberculosis, schizophrenia and many types of cancers.
To find out if you are getting optimal vitamin D levels, have a simple blood test administered by your physician. The test will accurately determine if you are getting enough sunshine. Depending on its results, it will tell you if you have sufficient vitamin d levels; otherwise, it will help you make the necessary actions to supplement your deficiency.
According to the sunlight special report by Mercola.com, there are two vitamin D tests that you can take: 1,25(OH)D; and 25-hydroxyvitamin D, also known as 25(OH)D.
You should ask your doctor to perform the 25(OH)D test because it is the better indicator of your vitamin D status as well as your overall health. He then sends it out to the laboratory for the results.
Once you get the lab results, please bear in mind which values are normal and which ones are optimal. The normal 25(OH)D levels should be between 20 to 56 ng/ml but is far too broad a range to be realistic, according to leading nutrition expert, Dr. Joseph Mercola. Instead, he narrows it down to 32 ng/ml as the normal value and any level that falls below 20 ng/ml as a marker for serious vitamin D deficiency, exposing you to a greater risk of certain cancers and autoimmune disorders.
For the optimal value, Dr. Mercola sets it at a range of 50-55 ng/ml. He says that if you maintain your level within this range, you will be able to enjoy the ultimate benefits of vitamin D.
In March 2007, a study published by the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology supported this optimal range. The researchers discovered that individuals with approximately 52 ng/ml value of 25(OH)D had a 50 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those who have less than 13 ng/ml value of 25(OH)D. Their recommendation is to keep one’s 25-hydroxyvitamin D level at 52 ng/ml by sun tanning for 12 minutes and taking 2,000 per day of vitamin D supplements.
So, isn’t now the best time for you to get a vitamin D test? This way, you will be able to know your health status. Just remember that it is important to maintain your vitamin D at optimal level at all times to boost your overall health. Getting vitamin d from the sun, from a safe tanning bed or from vitamin d supplements will help you achieve this goal.
Interested to know further about vitamin D? Keep checking this site for more related articles.
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