Vitamin D

(Cholecalciferol)

Vitamin D is responsible for getting calcium and phosphorus to the areas of the body where they can help bones grow in children and remineralize in adults. Ten minutes of summer sun can provide the required amount of this vitamin. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine states that up to 37.5 percent of American adults are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency can be common for those who live in geographical areas that have little to no sunlight or for those who do not spend anytime outdoors. Another study published in Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention found that in 5,000 women, those that had high sunlight exposure and at least 200 IU of vitamin D had a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Women that lived in the regions of the U.S. that receive more intense sunlight had the greatest risk reductions.