(NaturalNews) Numerous studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to practically every known malady in the world today -- heart disease, chronic inflammation, arthritis, psoriasis, depression, influenza, asthma, allergies, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, autism, and even cancer. And even though many doctors still do not test vitamin D levels or prescribe vitamin D supplements to their patients, sales of the vitamin continue to skyrocket.
According to data published in the Nutrition Business Journal, overall sales of vitamin D in 2009 totaled roughly $425 million, which is ten times the amount spent on it in 2001. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D has not been revised to reflect the plethora of new research on vitamin D, but that has not stopped millions of informed individuals from taking daily dosages far higher than these levels right now -- and improving their health in the process.
According to reports, around 90 percent of Americans are vitamin D-deficient. The vitamin, which is actually a hormone, is produced in the skin naturally when it is exposed to natural sunlight. But many Americans hardly get any natural sunlight exposure, and when they do, they typically lather up in sunscreens that block the ultraviolet (UV) rays responsible for vitamin D production.
"We have this vast experiment going on," explained Carol L. Wagner, a neonatologist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, in reference to widespread vitamin D deficiency. "We are looking at the rampant vitamin D deficiency throughout the country."
Wagner disagrees with the false notion propagated by some scientists who insist that people avoid supplementing with vitamin D until a supposed safe dosage amount is determined. In reality, vitamin D is extremely difficult to "overdose" on, and the damage caused by not supplementing with it is far worse than any supposed damage from taking too much.