The world’s biggest problem might come to an end. It seems that the cancer fighting soon will have a winner. New research shows vitamin D might actually hold the key to fighting cancer. It’s abilities to stave off irregular cell development are just now being fully recognized and further studies are under way as we speak.

The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. By helping calcium absorption, vitamin D helps to form and keep strong bones. In addition, vitamin D works in concert with a number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones to promote bone mineralization. Without vitamin D, bones can become thin, breakable, or misshapen.

Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, two forms of skeletal diseases that weaken bones. New research shows vitamin D could help fight cancer. When researchers took human breast cancer cells and injected them into mice, tumors began to grow. But when the mice were given vitamin D, after several weeks of treatment, the cancer tumors in the mice reduced in size by an average of more than 50 percent.

One tumor reduced by half, and another disappeared entirely. Similar results have been achieved on colon and prostate cancer tumors in mice. Research also suggests that vitamin D may help maintain a healthy immune system and help regulate cell growth and differentiation. But the real examination will be to see if vitamin D will work the same way in people.

The biggest source of vitamin D is sun exposure. Sunlight stimulates skin to make the vitamin. But this has its own set of problems with skin damage and skin cancer. The scientists claim that if we expose ourselves on a normal sun light, than there is no danger to damage our skin. Vitamin D may be just as important to your overall health as a good omega 3 supplement, or getting enough omega 3′s in your daily diet.

How much vitamin D one should take daily to prevent cancer is still unknown. We get a little in our diet, almost all of it from milk or fish, but none of us get enough from our diet. We also get some in multivitamins, but it appears to us that the best thing to do is be conservative and maintain natural vitamin D blood levels year-round by receiving sunlight in the summer and supplementation in the winter.

Even a little sun will make some vitamin D, if it is the right time of day, the right latitude, and the right season of the year. Knowing how many benefits Vitamin D provides, you might ask yourself, are you getting enough of the Vitamin and are you getting enough sunlight. So drink your milk and catch some sun – fighting cancer might be as easy as that.

There is more and more proof through growing bodies of study, that vitamin D is not only highly protective against bone density degeneration and bone diseases such as osteoporosis, but that vitamin D may be key in helping to deflect and protect against all types of different cancers. This seems like a very bold claim, and perhaps it is, but it’s not even quite a conclusive claim, more of a developing hypothesis at this point.

They are finding more and more evidence that vitamin D acts as a very potent cell growth inhibitor, which means it may prevent the unhealthy over growth and rapid replication and division of cells that we call cancer. It has already been linked to the prevention of breast cancer, and many times deficiencies in vitamin D have been linked to other types of cancers like breast cancer. Heck, they even just recently had a study that asthma was linked to low vitamin D levels in children.

Vitamin D may soon turn out to be the next power vitamin of our millenium, when it used to be more like the redheaded stepchild of the world of vitamins and supplements. It even has some capabilities as an antidepressant, and it is linked to seasonal related mood disorders like SAD, since people cannot get as much sunlight in the winter time as they can in the summer.

Vitamin D, as most of you probably already know, is most efficiently created and absorbed through sunlight exposure. We actually make and synthesize vitamin D in our own bodies, through our skin’s absorption of UV rays. We then supposedly process vitamin D into a usable and absorbable vitamin in our liver, where we convert it to something that is utilized.

Vitamin D supplements unfortunately don’t come as close to the real thing – sunlight – to produce this precious vitamin, and there are many out there who get confused by this since we are told to avoid the sunlight like the plague out of fear of skin cancer. The truth is though, that all forms of life require sunlight to live, and we humans are not immune to that. We need some sunlight, you just have to be careful not to get burnt.

Vitamin B12 gets a lot of press because of it’s ability to give people so much extra energy. Some people even think that Vitamin B12 helps them to lose weight, but there is really no connection proven, besides the fact that they may just get up and move around more because they have a lot of energy, but there is absolutely no evidence that B12 in itself helps one to burn excess calories or suppresses the appetite. Some people may think it suppresses appetite simply because it sort of replaces the purpose of food that way, by providing the body with energy.

At any rate, there are a lot of people out there taking Vitamin B12 supplements in hopes of helping them with everything from energy levels to mood, to weight loss and exercise enhancement, but what if you take too much B12? Are there any bad side effects or symptoms if you are simply taking too much of this vitamin, to where your body just can’t get rid of it through urinating fast enough. Yes, there can be potential side effects, however, they usually are not severe and they usually pass within 24 hours.

There are always exceptions for the rule of course, so be sure to monitor yourself if you are taking this vitamin in particular. Taking too much B12 vitamin can actually cause you to flush easily. It can also cause heart palpitations and shortness of breath, which is definitely never a pleasant feeling.

Too much B12 can also cause rashes on the body and hives if too much has been taken. I think I actually experienced this in Las Vegas because I was downing Five Hour Energy like no one’s business to keep my energy up constantly, and Five Hour Energy is chock full of this vitamin, and lo and behold, I actually broke out in a mysterious rash for several days.

Not knowing the likely connectiont to the energy drink with lots of B12, I kept taking it, and so I had the rash for several days in a row. I also have experienced the shortness of breath mentioned as well when taking too much of this vitamin, but I must say that this vitamin is one of the best natural energy boosters I’ve every taken, so it’s key just to make sure that you take it normally and don’t overdo it, and you’ll reap the benefits without the bad side effects.

When we take our vitamins, and minerals, and any other nutritional supplement for that matter, you want to always make sure that what you are taking is high quality, and at it’s strongest potency possible, or else you’re just wasting your time popping these pills.

If you are taking a vitamin that has lost all of it’s nutritional value, for instance, because it has been exposed to high heat and it’s nutrients were compromised, or you have a vitamin that is a few years old or otherwise way past it’s expiration date, then you are taking them in vein.

Expiration dates and heat exposure aren’t all you have to worry about though with your treasured vitamins and various supplements. You also need to add light exposure to your list of what to restrict when storing your vitamins. Many vitamins, it’s true, are stored in light proof containers which are tinted enough to provide UV protection to the vitamins within, but you also have to be vigilant in keeping them out of the light inside as well.

It’s always best to store your vitamins, herbal and mineral supplements, in a cool, dark pantry. That way, you are protecting your vitamins from two of the biggest offenders of robbing their nutritional value – heat and light. It’s no coincidence that you should also store your foods and nutritional goods in these pantries, since these conditions are most conducive to keeping any food or goods fresh and potent.

Some of the vitamins that show they may be destroyed by the light are certain B vitamins, vitamin E, vitamin C to a degree, and vitamin A. I’m sure there are more, but these are noted as especially sensitive to light exposure.

This is why commercialized milk is often sold in light protectant containers. You may have seen one of their commercials where they claim that their yellow tinted milk containers actually protect the integrity of the vitamins and other nutrients, and also protect the flavor from degrading, and that is why this packaging is “superior” for milk.

Taking vitamins, as you probably know already, can make a great addition to your diet, and make up for a lack of what you may naturally not be getting in your diet unknowingly. They can enhance your health, your energy levels, your appearance and your focus and concentration, as long as you are taking them at their full potency and quality, and avoiding putting them in the sunlight or an extremely light environment will help to protect them from that.

After my most recent bout with a pretty severe cold that lasted for DAYS and DAYS after we returned from our Las Vegas vacation, where incidentally my husband and I were married, I decided that I would take some precautionary measures that I didn’t usually take in order to not get sick – at least not that sick, for that period of time – again, this winter at least.

I should probably correct “days” to weeks, because I swear whatever bug it was that I picked up either in Vegas or at the airport, it lasted for at least a week at it’s most severe, and for several weeks after that, as a sort of watered down, less severe, but stil rife with easy exhaustion and a general lacadaisical energy level on my part. It started as a sore throat and general sluggishness, and evolved into a full bloan, coughing your lungs up, head about to explode cold in the next few days.

I decided that I would try Emergen-C over this past week, just to try it out because I had read good things about it and heard good things by word of mouth as well. Some people, who take it religiously every day, swear that they do not get sick, or rarely ever get sick when taking this Vitamin C fizzy drink. It’s also got other vitamins in it, but the highest concentration is vitamin C, which is over a 1,000 per envelope.

Emergen-C also contains electrolytes, which are great for rehydrating the body and helping with headaches associated with dehydration, and alertness, and also to help with alertness and immune function, there is alpha lipoic acid, an antioxidant, and quercetin. There are also a ton of B vitamins in there as well to help with energy levels, and I swear I get a little boost almost immediately after drinking my “shot” of Eemrgen-C.

There’s a modest amount of calcium – about 5% of your daily value, in each envelope, which is good to know, even thought it’s a small amount, because I’ve read that calcium is more easily absorbed when paired with vitamin C, it definitely eases my mind to know I’m getting more calcium as well, as I do feel like my diet might fall short in that area sometimes, and I am a woman, so bone density will become a concern for me as I get older. I use a little Dixie cup and just fill it up – it’s probably only like 2 oz. of water, and down it.

I’ve found this is a great way to get my vitamin C in, especially in the winter when so many germs are floating around to get you sick, as I have always believe, no matter what science says, that vitamin C boosts my immunity and prevents me from getting ill. I really enjoy the pep and energy I get from the Emergen-C, although I will say it is short lived. Most of all, I like that I’m getting vitamins and an energy boost from a little, 25 calorie, good tasting powdered drink. I actually look forward to my Emergen-C every day now. I’ll let you know if I get sick – so far, so good!