As the days get shorter, our chances to soak up some sun before the typical workday or after the final bell are reduced to zero. Most women know that Vitamin D is essential to help with calcium absorption, but "the sunshine vitamin" isn't just for women. Men need this vital vitamin too.
The recommended daily amount of Vitamin D is 600 international units, which many doctors say is too low, according to Men's Journal. If you can get 1,000 to 2,000 IU a day, you may be able to prevent heart attacks and certain cancers. A Copenhagen University Hospital study found that lower Vitamin D levels made study participants 64 percent more likely to have a heart attack and created an 81 percent amplified possibility of dying from heart disease, according to Men's Health. Three major Harvard studies linked a lack of Vitamin D to colorectal and pancreatic cancers, according to Men's Journal. Vitamin D may also help you ward off type 2 diabetes, depression and arthritis.
Feeling tired?
Keeping your body well supplied with D can improve your mental acuity. Researchers tested the blood of 3,000 European men and concluded that those with a higher level of Vitamin D were much sharper and energetic than those with lower levels, according to Men's Health.
Want to keep your job attendance up so you get that big promotion?
Keep illness at bay. Colorado and Massachusetts researchers discovered that those with lower levels of Vitamin D were 30 percent more likely to have had an infection, according to Men's Fitness.
Keep that full head of hair!
Studies have shown that Vitamin D stimulated hair follicles and Men's Health recommends foregoing your nightly brewski for a tall glass of milk. (Besides, alcohol can disrupt sleep patterns and the tryptophan in milk can give you that post-turkey dinner drowsiness).
Bonus:
Vitamin D can help you bust that gut. Some studies have shown that increased Vitamin D can reduce abdominal fat, according to Men's Fitness.
You can get Vitamin D from sunlight, fortified dairy products or orange juice and fatty fish like salmon, but most of those living in the United States are deficient in D, according to the CDC. If you decide to get your Vitamin D from a supplement, D2 is plant-based, but D3 is more potent and the type of D we get from food and the sun, according to Men's Journal.
