Decades of intensive farming have depleted the soil. As a result, crops lack up to 40% of their essential nutrients, according to a previously published study from University of Texas and a more recent one from Switzerland. Even if you stick to the official dietary guidelines, you may have difficulty with getting enough calcium, selenium, zinc, iron, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and other essential micronutrients that are required for good health.
- and throughout life
Vitamin D is important for a strong immune defense, healthy bones and cardiovascular system, cancer prevention, and for the support of many other essential body functions. However, it is not enough to follow the official guidelines for intake levels or to rely on blood tests. According to Carsten Carlberg, a professor at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF), the explanation lies in the fact that we humans respond widely different to vitamin D, so the optimal vitamin D dose varies from one individual to another. Based on years of research, Carsten Carlberg therefore advises all adults living at northern latitudes to take 100 micrograms of vitamin D daily throughout the winter period, just to be safe. Earlier studies indicate that the official recommendations for vitamin D are based on a miscalculation that has had fatal consequences for public health.
Zinc is of vital importance to the immune defense, our mental balance, fertility, skin, hair, sense of taste, and numerous other functions. According to a new study that is published in Current Research in Physiology, zinc interacts closely with vitamin D and is important for our cells’ ability to absorb vitamin D. Conversely, vitamin D supports the uptake of zinc in the intestines and supports various zinc-dependent cell functions. According to the new study, lack of one or both nutrients can result in a host of different problems such as infections, poor wound healing, muscle diseases, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, osteoporosis, cancer, and many other diseases. This is a problem because zinc and vitamin D deficiencies are rather common – mainly because of unhealthy eating habits, lack of sunlight, ageing, overweight, and the use of certain types of medicine.