This protects against our top 2 killers

When someone asks me what the most important nutrients are that they should be getting, my response is:  All of them.

Fact is, your body must have a wide variety of nutrients to function the way it’s supposed to—there’s no getting around it.

Now, while all of the 2,000 or so vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients are impressive in their own way, once in a while one rises up as a Superstar and deserves special recognition.

And the Superstar nutrient worthy of a hefty pat on the back today is vitamin D.

Not only does it help your body in many significant ways, but being low in it can have devastating consequences!

Let’s take a closer look at all this humble little nutrient does for you, why deficiency is so common (especially in certain areas of the world) and why you don’t want to be without it.

Vitamin D—bones are just the beginning!
When most people think of vitamin D they think “strong bones” but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Yes, it’s true that vitamin D works with parathyroid hormone (PTH) to regulate the level of calcium in your blood and therefore encourages healthy bones (and osteoporosis prevention too!).

But it’s also important for the health of the “bones” that you flash each time you smile—your TEETH!

Studies have shown that in men and women over 50 years of age, a lack of vitamin D is associated with increased risk of periodontal (gum) disease.

An immune boost
Vitamin D also helps regulate your immune system activity by helping to prevent excessive, inflammatory immune responses (such as those seen in autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s, colitis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, Type 1 diabetes and Graves’ disease).

You see, your immune system’s “T-cells” are some of the culprits behind your immune system going haywire and attacking your healthy tissues.

But your T-cells also have receptors for vitamin D on them.  So when vitamin D can step in and “calm down” your T-cells, that can help discourage their harmful inflammatory actions.

Now we’ll start with the biggies—our # 2 killer--Cancer
Researchers have been intrigued for a long time about vitamin D’s role in preventing cancer, since studies have shown that people who live in southern latitudes (where they get more sun exposure and hence their bodies can make vitamin D) have lower levels of certain cancers.

Turns out they were on to something.

You see, vitamin D plays an important role in your cell activity—in other words, helping to regulate cell multiplication and cell death.

Now, by definition cancer is out-of-control, excessive cell multiplication, along with a concurrent slowing down in cell death.  That’s what allows tumors to form and take over surrounding tissues—they multiply like rabbits and don’t die off. 

But vitamin D’s action to encourage proper cell activity shines through here--scientific studies have found that vitamin D acts to decrease the growth of cancer cells and to stimulate the death of those deadly cells!

Next up—Type 2 diabetes
The role of vitamin D in regulating calcium goes beyond your bones and teeth.

Because calcium plays a major role in your body’s ability to regulate glucose and insulin levels, having adequate blood calcium (which in turn depends on having healthy levels of vitamin D) is important to prevent Type 2 diabetes.

In addition, vitamin D also supports proper pancreatic function to help control glucose in the bloodstream (since your pancreas produces insulin).

Last but not least—it also fights our #1 killer—HEART DISEASE
Several studies have been conducted linking low levels of vitamin D to an increased risk of heart disease including heart attack, peripheral artery disease, congestive heart failure and atherosclerosis.

For example, a study conducted by researchers at Harvard University found that people who had low levels of vitamin D were twice as likely to have a heart attack as those who had adequate D levels.

In another study done in the state of Utah, researchers examined vitamin D levels and heart disease in nearly 30,000 men and women and found that those with lower levels of vitamin D were more likely to have cardiovascular disease.

This is merely another example of vitamin D’s anti-inflammatory efforts in action.

You see, inflammation in your arteries is a leading contributing factor to high blood pressure, arterial damage, atherosclerosis and ultimately heart disease.

So many researchers contend (and I agree) that vitamin D’s anti-inflammatory properties most certainly can help protect against heart disease.

So, why do so many have too little?
Unfortunately, vitamin D deficiency happens to be extremely common, especially in the northern hemisphere where we have less exposure to sunlight and therefore our bodies can’t always make enough vitamin D.

Additionally, the common mistaken belief that cholesterol is always bad has contributed our vitamin D deficiencies too.

You see, your body needs cholesterol to manufacture vitamin D.  So if you take statins (which suppress your liver’s ability to produce cholesterol like it was designed to), that most assuredly can have an effect on your vitamin D level.

Moreover, as we get older, our skin doesn’t make as much vitamin D in response to sun exposure. At the same time, our kidneys become less efficient at converting vitamin D into the form used by the body as we age.

So now what?
Hopefully by now you’ve gotten the idea that vitamin D is not something you want to be low in. 

It’s important to know where you stand, and a good place to start is to ask your doctor to do a test to see if you are lacking in vitamin D. 

If you are lacking, then you’ll need to consider increasing your dietary intake of vitamin D as well as supplementation.  Natural food sources of vitamin D include: shrimp, milk, cod and eggs.

And if it’s a vitamin D supplement you need, look no farther than Dr. Salerno’s Vitamin D-K Factor!

In addition to getting an impressive 5,000 IUs of vitamin D (in the highly recommended form of D3) in each capsule, you’ll also get the added benefit of 45 mcg of vitamin K (in the form of K2).

Although best known for the role it plays in blood clotting, vitamin K’s health benefits go way beyond that.

Just like vitamin D, vitamin K also provides bone support. Studies have shown that vitamin K supplementation was associated with reduced risk for vertebral fractures, hip fractures and non-vertebral fractures.

In addition, vitamin K (specifically in the form of K2) may also help to prevent atherosclerosis, thereby decreasing your risk of heart disease.  Research suggests vitamin K2 may help to keep calcium out of your artery linings and other body tissues, where it can cause damage.

Get that D and use it!
Now, getting sources of the vitamin D you need is only half the puzzle.

The other half is actually absorbing it!

And that, my friend, depends on how efficient your digestion is and whether you have a healthy, slightly alkaline pH.

You can achieve both of these important goals by following the Great Taste No Pain health system.

The Great Taste No Pain instructions show you the importance of a proper acid/alkaline balance and a healthy pH, which will help maximize your body’s ability to use nutrients.

Great Taste No Pain will also teach you how to pair foods and structure meals that are delicious, nutritious and are much easier for your system to break down, thereby helping to minimize acid waste formation and encourage better, more regular bowel movements.

And for you cooks out there, the recipe section is loaded with scrumptious real food creations that will make your body say thank you and your taste buds dance.  There is not one recipe in the book that is just "average."  All of them are truly delicious.

Now if you’ve got gluten issues, I haven’t left you out.  Great Taste No Gluten is for you instead.

Probiotics can help the cause too
If you've had a poor diet for decades or even days, chances are excellent that you've got some imbalanced intestinal flora in your gut—in other words, your innards are an environment that favors harmful—not helpful—bacteria. 

This is also especially true of anyone who has taken antibiotics or acid reducing medications.
Your friendly flora serves several important functions--assisting in the digestion of your foods, helping to keep your immune system strong, encouraging regular bowel movements and...
Enhancing nutrient absorption!

So to help make sure you're not only taking in essential nutrients (both in their natural form and in supplements if needed) but are absorbing all you can, it's wise to supplement with a high-quality, multi-strain probiotic formula like Super Shield.

All of the 2,000 nutrients are extremely important, but vitamin D really packs a punch in terms of health benefits and protecting you against our top two killers.

So it’s crucial to do what you need to do to make sure you have enough of this potential life saver!  Your body will most assuredly say thank you in many positive ways.

To your health,

Sherry Brescia

PS: Always be sure to let your doctor or healthcare provider know what supplements you are taking.