Much has been said recently about the health importance of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin that the body creates after exposure to ultraviolet rays. As a population, our vitamin D levels are low due to spending less time in the sun and wearing more sunscreen. The impact of being vitamin D-deficient goes beyond softening our bones; it affects the health of your lady business. A new health study found that low levels of vitamin D increase the risk of a woman developing vaginosis, the most common bacterial infection for women of child-bearing age. In the study of 260 pregnant women, about half the participants had low levels of vitamin D. Just over 50 percent of the African American women were diagnosed with vaginosis, which is strikingly high compared with 27 percent of white women. The black women in the study were also close to three times as likely to be vitamin D-deficient, and researchers believe that's because darker skin prevents adequate synthesis of the vitamin.

Vaginosis, aside from creating discomfort, can lead to premature births and is a major cause of infant mortality. The bacterial infection is treatable with antibiotics. Vitamin D can be found in a handful of food sources, such as fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, egg yolks, and foods fortified with the vitamin, like milk. Talk to your doctor if you think you should be taking a supplement.

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