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Item Description
Vitamin D functions as a hormone that regulates calcium metabolism and supports cardiovascular health, bone, muscles, and immune function. Also, epidemiological studies show higher serum vitamin D levels are associated with a healthier lifespan.
Our body produces Vitamin D when our skin is exposed to the sun. However, many people do not have enough Vitamin D in their bodies. Their are varies factors that can contribute to this including...
-Work and daily activities. Often times, if you work in an office or spend much of your daily activities indoors, you will not be exposed to the sun long enough to produce adequate levels of Vitamin D.
-Where you live. If you live in the northern states (latitudes north of 37°), you are at higher risk for a vitamin D deficiency because your skin may not be able to produce any vitamin D from sun exposure during the winter months.
-Your age. Your skin's ability to produce vitamin D drops with age. If you're over age 65, you generate only one-fourth as much vitamin D as you did in your 20s.
-Your skin color. People with darker skin typically have lower levels of vitamin D than lighter-skinned individuals. African Americans have, on average, about half as much vitamin D in their blood compared with white Americans.
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