Take Charge of Your Health - Vitamin D's Balancing Act
Many people are deficient in vitamin D. A glass of milk, for example, has only 100 IU.
- Frank C. Garland
Vitamin D's Balancing Act
As summer approaches and sunlight abounds, a common source of Vitamin D takes center stage. But what is Vitamin D and why do we need it? Since data from the Council for Responsible Nutrition’s 2023 Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements confirms the important role supplements play in the lives of most Americans, with 74% of U.S. adults taking dietary supplements, we must believe it's important. Among the most popular supplement is Vitamin D – (also referred to as calciferol).
Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb other nutrients, primarily calcium and phosphorus, which are crucial to healthy bones as well as muscles. Vitamin D is available in two forms: D2 (ergocalciferol), which is derived from plants and often prescribed, and D3 (cholecalciferol), which is an animal-sourced, over the counter supplement. While Vitamins D2 and D3 both help boost Vitamin D levels in people with deficiencies, research reveals Vitamin D3 is often more efficiently absorbed and thus may be better at maintaining the Body's Vitamin D levels.
Boosting Vitamin D Through Sunshine
Our bodies require Vitamin D to build and maintain calcium-healthy bones and muscle strength. It turns out that our bodies can only absorb calcium when Vitamin D is present. Vitamin D prevents rickets in children and softening and thinning of the bones and weakening of the muscles in adults. Together with calcium, Vitamin D helps protect older adults from osteoporosis and can potentially lower the risk of falls and fractures. Fortunately, our body actually produces Vitamin D when UV rays from direct sunlight convert a chemical in our skin into an active form of calciferol. As we age, our bodies produce less Vitamin D, while simultaneously our body requires more Vitamin D to function effectively.
With the more widespread use of sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, people have decreased levels of natural Vitamin D production. Moreover many people don't get regular exposure to sunlight, especially during the winter months. Physicians suggest that the optimal sun exposure is 5 to 30 minutes a day, most days of the week, without sunscreen. (We bet you haven't heard that lately!) If you have more sun exposure than 30 minutes, then sun protection and the use of sunblock, protective clothing, and eye wear is important.
In addition to healthy bones, Vitamin D also helps manage many cellular functions. And the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties of Vitamin D support immune health, muscle function, and brain cell activity. Researchers are currently working to determine if deficiencies of Vitamin D may contribute to illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disease, and high blood pressure.
Boosting Vitamin D Through Diet
Vitamin D is not found naturally in many foods. Foods that do provide higher levels of Vitamin D include: fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, trout, and mackerel, beef liver, cheese, mushrooms, and egg yolks. You can also add Vitamin D to your diet from fortified foods such as milk, breakfast cereal, orange juice, yogurt and soy drinks. Multi-vitamins also typically contain Vitamin D, but read the label to check the amount.
Achieving the Right Balance
Low levels of Vitamin D are not always easy to identify since symptoms of deficiency are generally not overtly alarming. Symptoms include fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle aches or cramps, and pain in the bone. New research indicates that a lack of Vitamin D may also play an important role in our mental health and wellness. Specifically, researchers have found that a common theme among people with depression is an insufficient level of Vitamin D.
Taken in appropriate doses, Vitamin D supplements are safe, but just as you have to watch out for a Vitamin D deficiency, taking too much Vitamin D can be harmful. Those who take more than 4,000 IU a day can experience nausea and vomiting, weight loss, constipation, confusion, heart rhythm issues and/or kidney stones and kidney damage.
The amount of Vitamin D you need each day generally depends on your age. The recommended amounts, in international units (IU), are:
Birth to 12 months: 400 IU
Children 1-13 years: 600 IU
Teens 14-18 years: 600 IU
Adults 19-70 years: 600 IU
Adults 71 years and older: 800 IU
(Source: Institute of Medicine)
If your doctor suspects you may not be getting enough Vitamin D, a simple blood test can be used to check the levels of Vitamin D in your blood and identify if you need a supplement and if so, the proper dose. Now, go out, relax, and enjoy the summer!