The Newest Super Nutrient: Vitamin D

I hadn’t heard all the buzz about Vitamin D and its superpowers, until an annual physical (for which I was 3 years overdue…oops) today where the nurse informed me that included in my blood workup, would be a test for Vitamin D deficiencies. After talking to my doctor and then researching Vitamin D online, I learned that the primary nutrient is linked to bone health, weight loss and most recently, it was found to possibly kill breast cancer cells.

JoEllen Welsh, a researcher with the State University of New York at Albany, has been studying Vitamin D for over two decades and found that treating breast cancer cells with the vitamin has the same effect as breast cancer drugs: it kills up to half of the cancer cells.

“What happens is that vitamin D enters the cells and triggers the cell death process,” she told Good Morning America. “It’s similar to what we see when we treat cells with [breast cancer drug] Tamoxifen.”

And, Vitamin D also aids in weight loss. Another group of researchers recently  measured blood levels of vitamin D in38 obese patients prior to and following an 11-week diet that contained about 750 less calories per day than the participants needed to maintain their weight. They found is that those with higher levels of Vitamin D in their blood lost more weight.

So how can you take advantage of this apparent super nutrient? First, have your doctor check for a deficiency. If you aren’t making enough Vitamin D, spend a little more time in the sun (as in 15 – 20 minutes a day) or take a 2,000 IU supplement. Always check with a doctor first, of course.