The most important function of the D vitamin is to help control how much calcium is absorbed from food. The majority of the calcium is used to build strong teeth and bones but it is also needed to send messages along the nerves and to help muscles, such as the heart muscles, to contract. It is the D vitamin that ensures that there is always sufficient calcium in the blood to perform these tasks. Other functions that require the D vitamin relate to the immune system and it is believed that it is also a contributing factor in reducing the risk of contracting cancer and, in particular, colon cancer.

The variant of the D vitamin that is formed under the skin is known as vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol. This D vitamin is created when the ultraviolet in the sunlight reacts with a type of cholesterol that is found under the skin naturally. The D3 is converted into a more active form of the d vitamin in the liver and is then diverted to where it is needed the most. Some of the D vitamin remains in the liver and kidneys to help reabsorb the calcium from the blood. The rest of the D vitamin is dispersed to the bones to help them retain their calcium and the intestines to aid absorption of calcium from food.

Even though the majority of the D vitamin is formed through the exposure of the skin to sunlight there are some foods like milk that do contain some of the vitamin naturally. This form of the D vitamin is known as vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol. This is used in the same way as the other D vitamins and is the type used to create the majority of D vitamin supplements.

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Think you are stressed out? Your body would react negatively to the stress and the end result of chronic stress is premature aging. Your DNA is affected over time. The part of the DNA associated with aging, the telomere, protects the DNA from damage. Well your telomeres fray away with aging and with the protection gone, the cell dies. Stressed out individuals display more badly damaged telomeres as compared to their peers who are better able to cope with stress.

If your work is too stressful, maybe a less stressful job might be in order. If you are overwhelmed at home, consider getting help from friends or relatives, or hiring help.

Find ways to cope with stress. Release tension with a run or a swim or go out for a walk to get away from it all, temporarily.

2. Quit smoking

Cigarette smoke ages your body prematurely in too many ways to list in this one article. If you smoke, quit. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. Stay away from smoking areas and keep away from smokers when they puff their cigarettes as second hand smoke is just as damaging.

3. Use Sunscreen at all times

Go for an SPF15 for full protection. The sun’s UV rays damage your skin at cellular level. Though your body rapidly repairs the damage, if the damage is too much, your skin gets red and blisters form as you develop a sunburn. Even a tan is a sign of skin damage as the darkening of the skin wit melanin is a defense mechanism against sun damage. UV rays damage the skin’s collagen

Sunblocks have chemical or physical sunscreens to block off the UV rays. SPF or Sun Protection Factor tells you how much longer you can stay in the sun before you burn. For example, an SPF 4 sunscreen allows you to stay in the sun 4 times longer than if you had gone without any protection.

For optimal protection, go for at least SPF15, and reapply frequently if you sweat a lot or get into the water.

4. Eat your fruit, veggies and nuts.

These are rich in antioxidants. To cut the long story short, we are constantly bombarded by free radicals. These could be the by product of oxidation within the body, through the body’s natural processes, or could be due to environmental factors.

Either way, free radicals wreak havoc on out bodies. Free radicals are unstable and steal electrons from their neighbors, rendering them unstable too, leading to a chain reaction. In this way, cell membranes and even the DNA of cells get damaged which in turn, speeds up the aging process.

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals by donating electrons to them and stabilizing them, even while they stay stable themselves. In this way, antioxidants eliminate the threat.

By eating your fruit and veggies and some nuts, you get the antioxidants your body needs to beat those free radicals.

5. Sleep at least 8 hours every night.

When you sleep, your body repairs itself most effectively, producing new cells to replace the old, worn out cells. By depriving yourself of sufficient sleep, you do not allow your body to regenerate itself properly and end up aging more quickly than you should. No doubt, this regeneration of cells is ongoing even when you are awake, but when you sleep, the natural renewal process is at its peak. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces more stress hormones that interfere with your skin’s collagen production. Collagen is what supports your skin and as collagen levels decrease your skin begins to sag and wrinkles form. Look at yourself after a sleepless night. Lack of sleep gives you puffy eyes and dark rings which makes you look much older.

So grandma was right after all. Eat your veggies, stay out of the sun and sleep early every night to preserve your youth.

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