Vitamin D for Good Health

Overview: Vitamins, vitamins, and vitamins!  So much has been written about vitamins it is difficult to determine if all those dieticians have any idea what they are talking about. Well, some do.

Recent studies suggest that the blood levels of vitamin D in our bodies are much lower than they should be. There are a couple of reasons for this low blood level. First, our bodies are not making enough vitamin D from the sun’s rays because most of us spend very little time outside in the sun. Most of us spend time out of the sun like in cars or in the house. We are more concerned about skin cancer than a balance of the essential vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain good health. And when we go outside we cover ourselves with sunscreen, which cuts down on vitamin D production.  

When we are outside, the sun’s ultraviolet B rays penetrate into our skin’s outer layer and produce a vitamin D precursor. The liver and kidneys then process this precursor and coverts it into the usable active form in your body that is known as vitamin D3. At the same time that we’re staying out of the sun and not producing vitamin D, we’re also not getting very much from our diet. Vitamin D is fairly difficult to get in your diet because food sources are pretty limited. Milk, fatty fish and egg yolks are three of the main sources. But when we consider milk and eggs we think of all the warnings about their consumption. It’s enough to give you a head ache if you are really trying to figure all this stuff out.

So in short, we are not getting enough Vitamin D from the sun or from our diet. In the meantime researchers are finding more and more of the benefits from vitamin D. Vitamin D is as important along with calcium for bone health and protecting your body from brittle bones.

Benefits of vitamin D:

• Helps maintain strength and balance.

• Helps the immune system function correctly. Vitamin D is in almost every cell in the body.

• Helps treat psoriasis.

• May help stop the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells including breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.

• May play a role in autoimmune disease. Research has found that people with higher levels of vitamin D in the body are less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS). Diabetes, also considered an autoimmune disease since the cells of the pancreas are affected

The current recommendation for vitamin D is between 200 and 600 international units (IU) per day depending on your age. However, many dietitians think these recommendations are too low and are pushing for them to be increased up towards 1000 IU’s a day. Dietary guidelines already suggested that people with darker skin, elderly or people that do not get sufficient sunlight need 1000 IU’s daily.  The less you are in the sun, the more vitamin D you need from food. Many vitamins occur naturally in a variety of foods but not vitamin D. In vitamin supplements there are two forms of vitamin D, vitamin D2 and D3. You want the vitamin D3 form which is the more potent form.

Vitamins D Food Sources:

• Natural Food sources:
  Salmon, 3.5 ounces cooked: 360 IU
  Tuna, 3 ounces, in oil (drained) 250 IU
  Egg yolks, 20IU.
• Fortified Food Sources (read the label to determine the amount)
  Milk, 8 ounces, 100 IU (doesn’t matter the fat percentage)
  Orange juice, 8 ounces, 100 IU
  Cereals, about 1 cup, 40 IU

To insure that your are getting sufficient vitamin D check your multi vitamin/mineral supplement, most have 400 IU of vitamin D.  Adopt a diet that has sufficient amounts of vitamin D. Consult with your doctor if you think you are not getting enough vitamin D.