Photo of vitamin D.

One Vitamin Eases Digestion Troubles

In All Health Watch, Diet and Nutrition, Featured Article, General Health

If you’re one of the 45 million Americans who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you know it can make your life miserable.

The stomach pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and loss of appetite can be disabling.[1]

Drugs to treat the problem are not consistently effective. And they can have side effects that make the symptoms even worse.[2]

Now, researchers have found that one natural supplement can safely relieve IBS.

The study was performed by scientists at the University of Sheffield in England. They looked at data on vitamin D.

Their analysis found that:[3]

  • People with IBS are often vitamin D deficient.
  • There is an inverse link between vitamin D levels and the severity of IBS symptoms. In other words, the more vitamin D IBS patients have, the milder their symptoms are.
  • 70% of IBS patients who take a vitamin D supplement get relief.

Dr. Bernard Corfe is the study’s lead author. “It is evident from the findings that all people with IBS should have their vitamin D levels tested. A large majority of them would benefit from supplements,” he said.[4]

He published his study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic

Vitamin D deficiency is widespread. One study found that 42% of Americans don’t have enough of the vital nutrient.

Your body produces vitamin D in response to sunlight. A deficiency is more likely in the winter, when people spend more time indoors.

Aside from its digestive benefits, vitamin D is essential for bone, brain, and immune health.

It also improves heart and vascular function, reducing arterial stiffness and inflammation. Studies link vitamin D deficiency to colon cancer.[5]

If you are suffering from IBS, ask your doctor to check your vitamin D levels. It is a simple blood draw.

Ideal levels are 40-60 ng/mL. If your reading is low, try to get 20 minutes a day of sunlight with your arms and legs exposed.

Eating foods high in vitamin D can also help raise your level. Good sources include pasture-raised eggs and oily fish such as wild-caught salmon, sardines, herring, and mackerel.

A more reliable way to increase vitamin D is with a supplement. We recommend 5,000 IUs daily.

One more thing…

And this is crucial…

If you take a supplement, make sure that you take the vitamin D3 form. It’s far more effective than D2, which is what most supplements are when they are labeled simply “vitamin D” without specifying the form.

One study found that D3 increased blood levels of vitamin D more than twice as much as vitamin D2.

If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, you know how frustrating it can be. Mainstream doctors don’t have good solutions. So you continue to suffer.

Vitamin D is a natural remedy that offers hope for side effect-free relief from chronic stomach issues.

Editor’s Note: Discover other natural, non-drug methods to transform your health. Read our monthly journal, Independent Healing. It’s your best source for unbiased, evidence-based medical information. For more information, click HERE.

 

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References:

[1] http://patients.gi.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/

[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20360064

[3] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5311275/Daily-dose-vitamin-D-eases-agonising-IBS.html

[4] https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uos-vds012318.php

[5] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320741.php