Be Mindful of Your Vitamin D
/ Maureen FarleyIn late winter, it’s advisable to be especially mindful of vitamin D intake. It’s been a number of months since skin and sun have mingled, and skin needs sun to produce vitamin D without supplementation.
Vitamin D is sometimes called “The Sunshine Vitamin”
When the temperatures are in the single digits, maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D through food intake alone is challenging. Vitamin D deficiency is so prevalent that one-billion people are estimated to be affected – it's known as a global health problem and even referred to as the “ignored epidemic”. Because we live in a northern climate and don’t have the sun on our skin for months at a time, we are at particularly high risk.
Vitamin D acts more like a hormone than a vitamin and has receptors on nearly every cell in the human body. It helps the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus critical for bone-building and bone health; it’s related to the immune system - playing a critical role in fighting infections - and to the endocrine function and the body’s inflammatory response. It regulates the function of more than 200 genes and is essential for growth and development.
Research during the last decade suggests that vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk of:
osteoporosis
obesity
heart disease
autoimmune disorders
diabetes
multiple sclerosis
tuberculosis
chronic fatigue syndrome
seasonal flu
neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s
It plays a role in causing seventeen varieties of different cancers. There are studies that also are investigating a possible link between vitamin D deficiency and depression, anxiety, and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Natural sources of vitamin D include fatty fish like salmon, sardines, swordfish, tuna, cod liver oil, egg yolks, portabella mushrooms, and beef liver, and dairy products and breakfast cereals often are enriched with it.
Researchers and doctors agree that it can be challenging to consume enough vitamin D through food alone, but there is considerable debate about how much people need each day.
In the United States the Recommended Daily Allowance is 600 IU (international units). The Harvard School of Public Health recommends at least 1000 IU daily; the Endocrine Society recommends 1,500 – 2,000 IU per day for adults and 1,000 IU for children. If you are clinically deficient in vitamin D, however, you may need much larger doses (6,000 IU daily or more) for a time for your body to achieve a healthy level. It important to note that since vitamin D is fat-soluble and the body has no easy way of getting rid of fat-soluble vitamins, it is possible to over-consume.
If you are concerned about potential deficiency, the best course of action is to check with your physician, get a blood test, and follow the recommendations given.
If you have resisted the idea of supplementation, this might be the time to consider the benefits. In addition to the myriad benefits listed above, there is even a medical study that demonstrated people with healthy levels of vitamin D live longer.
Spring is around the corner, and skin and sun soon will meet again.
In the meantime, be mindful of vitamin D.
Sources:
Harvard.edu, JAOA.org, NLM.gov, Institute of Physiology
The content herein is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Maureen is a yoga teacher, teacher training faculty member, reiki master, and member of the management team at Green Lotus Yoga and Healing Center.
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