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Vitamin D is an extremely important nutrient that helps prevent cancer, heart disease, depression, polycystic ovary syndrome, diabetes, inflammatory/autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis

I've recently written the most comprehensive research article on vitamin D that has ever been published. Along with co-authors Gilbert Manso MD and John Cannell MD, I reviewed the current research on vitamin D.

Vitamin D supplementation to achieve optimal blood levels of vitamin D reduces a man's risk for prostate cancer. Vitamin D and its metabolites are best known for their actions in calcium and bone metabolism. However, epidemiological studies have suggested that an increased prostate cancer risk is associated with decreased production of vitamin D. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that the biologically active form of vitamin D, 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D), inhibits proliferation of cancer cells derived from multiple tissues, including the prostate. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2004 Apr;229(4):277-84
Vitamin D supplementation to achieve optimal blood levels of vitamin D reduces a woman's risk for breast cancer.

Vitamin D reduces a child's risk for diabetes by 80%.

Vitamin D supplementation to achieve optimal blood levels of vitamin D reduces your risk for colon cancer.

In an eight-year prospective study of 25,000 subjects, colon cancer was reduced by 80 percent in those with vitamin D levels above 33 ng/ml.
Vitamin D supplementation to achieve optimal blood levels of vitamin D reduces your risk for multiple sclerosis.

CONCLUSION: These results support a protective effect of vitamin D intake on risk of developing MS. Neurology. 2004 Jan 13;62(1):60-5
Vitamin D supplementation to achieve optimal blood levels of vitamin D reduces your risk for cardiovascular death. Deaths from cardiovascular disease are more common in the winter, more common at higher latitudes and more common at lower altitudes, observations that are all consistent with vitamin D deficiency contributing heart disease. People with 25(OH)D levels above 35 ng/ml were half as likely to have a heart attack than those whose level was less than 35 ng/ml.

Where does vitamin D come from?
Your skin makes it when you are exposed to the sun.
Can I get it from food?
You cannot get the adult requirement of 4,000 IU per day from food.
What do I do if my blood levels are too low?
You will need to take a high-potency supplement.
What if my blood levels are too high?
You should not take additional vitamin D.
What if I am taking thiazide drugs for edema or high blood pressure?
You should not take additional vitamin D unless your condition is supervised by a vitamin D expert.

You cannot be assured of your vitamin D status unless you get a blood test to measure your body's level of vitamin D. http://www.mercola.com/2004/jul/3/vitamin_d_levels.htm