With the days getting shorter and the temperature getting colder, this is the time of year when you might think about increasing your intake of Vitamin D. Why this time of year? Because our bodies actually manufacture Vitamin D (known as the sunshine vitamin) in response to skin being exposed to sunlight, so a decrease in skin exposure to sun over the winter months, means a decrease in our body’s production of Vitamin D.
Am I Deficient in Vitamin D?
Some of the signs and symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency are: Bone Pain, and Muscle Weakness, however, for many people, the symptoms are subtle. Yet, even without symptoms, too little Vitamin D can pose health risks. Low blood levels of the vitamin have been associated with the following: Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease; Cognitive impairment in older adults; Cancer; and Severe Asthma in Children.
What Causes Vitamin D Deficiency?
Vitamin D deficiency can occur for a number of reasons:
You don’t consume the recommended levels of the vitamin over time. This is likely if you follow a strict vegan diet, because most of the natural sources are animal-based, including fish and fish oils, egg yolks, cheese, fortified milk, and beef liver.
Your exposure to sunlight is limited. Because the body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight, you may be at risk of deficiency if you are homebound, live in northern latitudes, wear long robes or head coverings for religious reasons, or have an occupation that prevents sun exposure.
You have dark skin. The pigment melanin reduces the skin’s ability to make vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure. Some studies show that older adults with darker skin are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Your kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form. As people age, their kidneys are less able to convert vitamin D to its active form, thus increasing their risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Your digestive tract cannot adequately absorb vitamin D. Certain medical problems, including Crohn’s disease, Cystic Fibrosis, and Celiac disease, can affect your intestine’s ability to absorb vitamin D from the food you eat.
You are obese. Vitamin D is extracted from the blood by fat cells, altering its release into the circulation. People with a body mass index of 30 or greater often have low blood levels of vitamin D.
The first thing to do is determine if you have a deficiency.
The most accurate way to measure how much vitamin D is in your body is the 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood test. A level of 20 nanograms/milliliter to 50 ng/mL is considered adequate for healthy people. A level less than 12 ng/mL indicates vitamin D deficiency. Your PCP can order this test for you.
Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency:
Treatment for vitamin D deficiency involves getting more vitamin D — through diet and supplements.
What foods provide vitamin D?
Very few foods naturally have vitamin D. Fortified foods provide most of the vitamin D in American diets.
Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are among the best sources. Beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks provide small amounts.
Mushrooms provide some vitamin D. In some mushrooms that are newly available in stores, the vitamin D content is being boosted by exposing these mushrooms to ultraviolet light. Almost all of the U.S. milk supply is fortified with 400 IU of vitamin D per quart, but foods made from milk, like cheese and ice cream, are usually not fortified. Vitamin D is added to many breakfast cereals and to some brands of orange juice, yogurt, margarine, and soy beverages; I recommend that you check the labels.
How Much Vitamin D do I need?
Although there is no consensus on vitamin D levels required for optimal health — and it likely differs depending on age and health conditions — a concentration of less than 20 nanograms per milliliter is generally considered inadequate, requiring treatment.
Guidelines from the Institute of Medicine increased the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin D to 600 international units (IU) for everyone ages 1-70, and raised it to 800 IU for adults older than age 70 to optimize bone health. The safe upper limit was also raised to 4,000 IUs.
If you don’t spend much time in the sun or always are careful to cover your skin (sunscreen inhibits vitamin D production), you should speak to your doctor about taking a vitamin D supplement, particularly if you have risk factors for vitamin D deficiency.
Here is an excellent source of information on Vitamin D and your health by the National Institute of Health (NIH): http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-Consumer/
If you have any questions about this article or your health in general, please feel free to contact me at: [email protected]