Vitamin D is known to prevent a range of potential illnesses. When people don't get enough vitamin D, they are more prone to getting the flu and developing heart disease, among other ailments.
Vitamin D, which is produced through the skin, is one of the most important helpers in absorbing phosphorous and calcium and helping immune function.
But one thing it won't do is help alleviate high blood pressure, according to a new study.
Researchers in Scotland looked at data from 46 clinical trials that used the results of 4,500 participants and they looked at other studies as well.
The study results appeared in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Dr. Miles Witham and his team said results of the study had no results on either the upper or lower numbers in a blood pressure readings.
The results of the new study are important so that the public is aware of claims made by supplement manufacturers and others. Americans get increasingly lower amounts of vitamin D for a variety of reasons, with some calling vitamin D deficiency in the U.S. a pandemic.
Lack of vitamin D in children can cause rickets and poor bone development. In adults, vitamin D deficiency causes osteomalacia, as well as other musculoskeletal ailments, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Simply put, vitamin D is made when your body is exposed to sunlight. Not only do Americans not get enough sunlight, but vitamin D is not in that many food items.
Vitamin D plays an important role in preventing and treating osteoporosis, and calcium takes a back seat to vitamin D when it comes to bone health, according to Dr. Mark Hyman, who suggests having your vitamin D level checked.
There are ways to get the proper amounts of vitamin D, which can help prevent problems later on, according to Health.com.
-- Get at least a few minutes of sunlight each day or as often as you can.
-- Eat fatty fish, like salmon, trout or eel.
-- Say what you like about canned tuna fish, but it's a great source of vitamin D
-- Egg yolks are a super source for vitamin D
As vitamin D isn't the easiest vitamin to come by in foods we eat, many people, particularly in northern climates, turn to supplements. WebMD cautions that while vitamin D supplements may prove to be valuable, supplements should not be overused. Too much vitamin D can cause an overabundance of calcium, which leads to kidney diseases, hardening of the arteries and even lymphoma.
