D-ficient: The Truth About Vitamin D

by Abby Christopher

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Generations of Norwegian grannies were right after all: Take your cod liver oil. High in vitamins A and D, the stuff (available in liquid or, less disgustingly, capsule form) is good for treating depression, increasing energy, and lowering blood pressure. Vitamin D also aids in calcium absorption -- essential to bone growth and health for kids and adults alike. But most of us don't get enough vitamin D, since it's available only in foods like eggs, oysters, dairy products, and fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines. (Even dairy products can fall short; see sidebar.) Exposure to summer sun helps us make it, as well, but fear of cancer has driven people inside and under cover. As a result, reports a recent study by Harvard Medical School, most adults simply don't get enough. So slap on the SPF 25 and take yer fish oil.

This article was also published in the February 2005 issue of Edutopia magazine.

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