For years we have been told to get an adequate amount of vitamins. We ate lots of dairy (eggs, cheese and full glasses of milk – for calcium and Vitamin D), lots of red meat for protein, and then added some fruits and vegetables to obtain our C and B vitamins and smaller amounts of other vitamins. However, during the past 20 years, we have begun to doubt the old wisdom. We are drinking much less milk (replacing it often with soymilk) and we are using a lot of highly protective sunscreen to avoid the “dangerous” rays that cause skin cancer.
Problem is, researchers have been finding greater and greater deficiencies of vitamin D among American adults. The number of men and women getting adequate quantities of vitamin D was reduced almost 50% between 2001 and 2004 and between 1988 and 1994. It has been suggested that this huge reduction in vitamin D may be the result of people spending more time indoors, avoiding direct sunlight, and using too much high protection suntan lotion.
Previous research linked low vitamin D to the rare disease, Rickets, in children, and to lower bone density and teeth problems in adults. Recent research reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, however, has begun to link inadequate vitamin D to some major health problems, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, infection, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity and weight gain, parathyroid problems, immune function, and overall health and well being.
Why is vitamin D so important and what does it do for your body? Dietary vitamin D is actually a building block for a steroid hormone in your body called calcitrol. Vitamin D works with other nutrients and hormones to enhance the ongoing process of bone renewal. Calcitrol also becomes part of healthy cells, assisting the process of tissue renewal.
Your body cannot create vitamin D. The two main sources of vitamin D direct sunlight with strong enough UVB rays, only a few hours per week, or eating foods that are high in vitamin D, such as fatty fish (wild salmon, sardines) or foods fortified with vitamin D.
How much vitamin D should you be taking daily? The U.S. Food and Nutrition Board suggests that we need 2000 IU per day, but some studies suggest that adults may need as much as 3000-5000 IU per day, or even as much as 10,000 IU per day.
How might you know that you have a vitamin D deficiency? Symptoms can range from simple muscle pains, low energy, fatigue, depression, mood swings and sleep problems to weak bones, fractures and lowered immunity. People with kidney or intestinal problems may also have vitamin D deficiency because they are unable to absorb or convert the nutrient into calcitrol to function properly in the body.
What can you do now to prevent or overcome vitamin D deficiency?
Get adequate sun exposure, preferably early morning or late afternoon
Eat fatty fish, eggs including the yolks, milk and other dairy, and even some meats, e.g., liver
Take a multivitamin daily
Add a vitamin D supplemtn
Receive yearly blood tests which include a test of your vitamin D blood level