Dr. Stengler: Hi, I'm Dr. Mark Stengler. Today I want to comment on a recent study on vitamin D. In this study, they found that people with low levels of vitamin D had a significantly higher risk of dying from many different kinds of diseases. There are many reasons for this. Vitamin D helps support a healthy immune system, it helps control inflammation in the body and most chronic diseases, if not all of them, are related to chronic inflammation. Vitamin D also helps the body utilize nutrients like calcium more effectively, and it acts as a hormone in the body, so it's involved in hormone balance.So I recommend, as I do with my patients, that you get your blood vitamin D levels checked. You want a level of 50 units or higher on a blood test. Most patients I see need at least 2,000 units of vitamin D a day, but most actually need 5,000. And remember recent studies show that at least half of the population, and up to 75 percent of people, either have low levels of vitamin D or are actually deficient in it. So get your vitamin D levels checked, supplement if you need extra amounts, and I think this will be very helpful for your health.For more information on natural health, see our website at markstengler.com.
