The role of Vitamin D in the body has been placed under the spotlight recently with research showing that this vitamin we get from the sun does much more than just keep our bones healthy.
We get most of our Vitamin D from sunshine, but because you have a suntan in the summer doesn’t mean you can take it for granted that you have enough Vitamin D in your body, especially if you use sun block.
The problem is even when it is sunny you might not get enough Vitamin D. A study from the city of Calgary – one of the sunniest places in Canada – showed that nearly the whole town’s population had a vitamin D deficiency and here in Australia one of the sunniest places on earth an osteoporosis study conducted in Geelong last year found over 43 per cent of people had low vitamin D levels during winter.
So what does having low levels of this vitamin mean for your health?
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to osteoporosis, increased body fat, unexplained muscle pain, respiratory infections, a depressed sex drive and even a 50 per cent increase in the risk of severe asthma risks.
It was first thought that the vitamin’s role was just to help the uptake of calcium into the bones to help prevent osteoporosis. After further studies on the vitamin it is now believed it plays many other important roles.
Vitamin D just might be your best defence against many ailments including cancer.
• It’s been reported that high D
levels can lower the rate of all
cancers by 77%.
• People with the highest levels
of vitamin D have a 43% lower
rate of heart disease
• Women with high vitamin D
levels have 20% less bone loss
and fractures
• People with high vitamin D
levels have 20% lower rates of
gum disease
• People with the most vitamin
D have a 55% lower rate
of
diabetes
• Men with high vitamin D levels
have less skin cancers
• Vitamin D is recognised
as a mood enhancer
In Australia we have taken the message of not going out in the sun without sunscreen to heart but at what cost? Are we risking the chance of osteoporosis against a melanoma risk?
Without adequate sunlight exposure your body can not make vitamin D, which is produced in your skin upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. An adequate amount is considered to be between 15 – 20 minutes a day exposing your arms, legs and face without sunblock. This is best done earlier in the day when there is less risk of sunburn.
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To boost your vitamin D you can eat more of the foods that contain it or take a good quality supplement. The foods that contain decent amounts of vitamin D are salmon, sardines, beef, eggs, mushrooms, alfalfa and cod liver oil. Milk, cereals and breads can be vitamin D fortified. However, it is virtually impossible to eat all your vitamin D needs.
There is a pandemic of low vitamin D in Australia,” says Dr Monica Cooper. “It is important that most people should be routinely tested, especially children and adults of African descent.”
“The main way to improve your vitamin D is by spending time outdoors exposed to the sun. Supplements of 1000 mg tablets are also available.”
Being tested is as simple as a blood test. Your level of 25 hydroxyvitamin D (250 HD) should be at least 80nmol/L, although international research suggests that 125nmol/L is
the most effective level for reduced cancer risk.
If you need to take a supplement it should be in the form of D3 (cholecalciferol) not D2 (ergocalciferol) which can be toxic.
Recent scientific research is mixed on how much to take.
Last November the United States Government updated their mandated food labels by the Institute of Medicine to recommend the daily allowance to 600 international units
a day (up from the previous 400 IUs) for people aged 1 to 70. Seventy plus they recommended 800 IUs a day.
The report sets 4000 IUs as the upper daily limit but not as the amount to strive for.
This is far below the 2000 IUs a day that some scientists and health practitioners recommend. 10,000 IUs are considered to be toxic for the kidneys.
However if your blood test is a bit low most doctors will suggest a 1,000mg tablet a day.
How low your actual levels are may depend on the lab testing of the blood. The deficiency could be in the lab reporting. The test measures the active form of 25 hydroxy vitamin D in the body. Some labs may use 20 nanograms as adequate for bone health while other labs will report vitamin D levels low if below 30ng. Serious deficiency is said to be under 20ngs. It’s best to check with your doctor and ask what your actual results are if they tell you that they are low.
If your levels are low you will need to work with your health professional to find out what is right for you.
• The Canadian Multicentre
Osteoporosis Study,
www.camos.org
• Pasco,J.A, Henry M.J.,
Nicholson,G.C.,et al “Vitamin
D status of women in the Geelong
Osteoporosis Study.
• Doctor’s House Call, Al Sears,
How I Get My Winter
Vitamin D.
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