Dr. Michele Kettles, medical director and vice president of Cooper Clinic in Dallas, discusses the latest scientific data on vitamin D, and explains why vitamin D is important.

Traditional bone health recommendations may have overemphasized the importance of calcium in bone health and underemphasized the importance of vitamin D. Vitamin D isn't just for bone health. Dr. Kettles explains that low levels of vitamin D are also associated with certain disease states.

Cooper Clinic started routinely checking vitamin D levels of all patients in June 2007.  Your physician can check your vitamin D level with a simple blood test. The test to take is a 25-hydroxy vitamin D level.

The Cooper Complete scientific advisory team suggests vitamin D supplementation of 1,000 IU daily. Vitamin D-3 is a better supplement compared to vitamin D-2, and when purchasing vitamin D-3, look for the word "cholecalciferol? on the supplement facts label.

An article entitled, "Vitamin D Deficiency and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease? was published in the journal Circulation on Jan. 22, 2008 - (http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.706127v1).