The data on vitamin D and health just keeps pourin’ in.  Here are some highlights:

• For teens living in the “sunny” south, low vitamin D levels were common, including 56 percent with insufficient levels and 30 percent with full-blown vitamin D deficiency. (Pediatrics, June 2010)

• In a study that followed 531 women over six years, those with low vitamin D levels at the beginning of the study were twice as likely to become depressed (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, May 2010)

• In a study involving 2788 seniors followed for 4 years, those with the highest blood levels of vitamin D had superior physical function (like rising from a chair) and maintained their functionality better than those with the lowest vitamin D levels. (Experimental Biology Meeting, Anaheim, CA, April 2010)

• Comparing a group of healthy control subjects to a matched group of breast cancer patients, women who reported taking a daily supplement of 400 IU’s or more of vitamin D were 24 percent less likely to get breast cancer. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 2010)

• Taking vitamin D supplements with the biggest meal of the day enhances blood levels by an average of 56 percent.  (Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, May 2010)