Vampires Drink Blood For Vitamin D

Vampires Drink Blood For Vitamin D

FRIDAY Nov. 18, 2011 — They're baaaaackkkk! Yep, the angsty, supernatural teens of Twilight are coming to your hometown this weekend for the release of Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1, the fourth installment of the mega-popular vampire saga. And while Hollywood has decided to break Breaking Dawn into two parts, these films are the finale — the last act of Bella, Edward, and Jacob's freakishly twisted love triangle.

So we can't help but wonder — will Bella's dreams of becoming a vampire (so she can literally spend forever with her cold-blooded beau) come true? (Okay, this writer already knows Bella's fate because she read the books, but she's not trying to spoil the movie for anyone!)

If Bella does indeed become a vampire, she should beware: There are some specific health risks that seem to go hand in hand with the blood-sucking lifestyle. Take a look.

Major vitamin D deficiency. It doesn't matter which vampire-ideology you subscribe to, most myths stick to this: Vampires and sunlight don't mix. While some believe blood-suckers have a heightened sensitivity to sunshine, triggering extreme pain, Twilight's Edward (and the rest of his vamp-fam, the Cullens) stick to dreary, dark locations because their extremely fair skin actually sparkles in the sunlight (which could out them as vampires, of course). Either way, there are real health risks to living sunshine-free. Daylight is a natural source of vitamin D, the powerful vitamin that promotes the body's absorption of calcium — the mineral that keeps your teeth and bones strong. Without vitamin D, your risk of conditions such as osteoporosis skyrocket.

Fortunately for the Cullens, vitamin D supplements are available, and it can also be found in a number of foods, such as salmon, sardines, and dairy.

Heightened HIV risk. The Cullens don't suck human blood (they're "vegetarians" — swoon!), but most vampires do — and that's a big no-no if you want to protect yourself from blood-borne illnesses like human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. In fact, unless a vampire asked his victim to get an HIV test before sucking him dry, there would be no way for him to know his risk. Since the virus lives in a human's bodily fluids — primarily blood — we're pretty sure vampires could be facing a major HIV/AIDS epidemic. Other blood-borne diseases include hepatitis B and C and viral hemorrhagic fevers.

In the real world, teen vampire enthusiasts may also be at risk. A reported trend among some young people is to sink their teeth into each other — hard enough to draw blood — and then, in a vampire-like fashion, suck the blood (yuck). Not to mention, MSNBC reports that about 10 to 15 percent of these human bite wounds actually become infected. "If you break the skin, your mouth is pretty dirty," Thomas Abshire, MD, a pediatric blood and cancer specialist, told MSNBC.

Sleep deprivation. No wonder vampires are so darn cranky! Twilight's living dead never sleep (sounds like a big drawback to us, Bella); others walk the night (so we're willing to bet their sleep habits aren't very sound).

What does that mean for these fatigued freaks of nature? Along with about 30 percent of humans, vampires likely suffer some pretty hefty health problems due to insomnia. Skimping on zzzs is tied to a number of symptoms — from higher levels of depression and heart problems to lower sex drive and energy.

Extremely unbalanced diet. Everyone knows that the key to good health is a balanced diet. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests getting ample amount of fruits and veggies, calcium-rich foods, whole grains, and lean protein to ward off disease and illness, increase energy, and boost mental health. Still, vampires choose to disregard this healthy lifestyle habit, opting instead for an all-blood diet. (We hope they're at least choosing healthy victims, so they can reap some of the secondhand nutritional benefits.)

Dental issues. Just like the rest of the body, teeth need certain nutrients to stay healthy. Are those nutrients found in human blood? Nope — they're found in foods like calcium-rich dairy, fruits, and veggies. In fact, dentists are so sure that vampires' pearly whites are in terrible shape, the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) recently launched a dental health campaign around the idea. The video, aimed at dentist-evading teens, features a young woman about to be bitten by a vampire, when she suddenly pushes him away, repulsed by his awful breath and hideous teeth.

Bella — you've been warned.

Photo Credit: Andrew Cooper - © 2010 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Vampires Drink Blood For Vitamin D

Source: https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/1117/big-bloody-health-risks-of-being-a-vampire.aspx

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