What’s the Deal with Vitamin D?
Posted on Aug. 25, 2009
Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem in the United States, particularly in the Northern regions. “Ninety percent of my patients test in the deficient range for vitamin D,” says Stephani Waldron-Trapp, ND, an assistant professor at Northwestern Health Sciences University and a faculty clinician at the University’s Bloomington Natural Care Center in Bloomington, Minn.
“Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to multiple health concerns,” explains Waldron-Trapp. “Current research connects the deficiency to cancer, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, osteoporosis, attention deficit disorder, and autism, among other health probelms.”
Waldron-Trapp offers these suggestions to keep yourself healthy with vitamin D:
- Spend plenty of time outside. Work is important, and the house doesn’t clean itself, but make time get get outside and enjoy the weather. Sun exposure is a great source of viatmin D. It takes 10-15 minutes of sun exposure to get 10,000 international units (IUs) of vitamin D, but for those who are vitamin D deficient, that still won’t be enough to reverse the deficiency. Other therapies will need to be used in addition to sun exposure to reverse the problem;
- Forget the sunscreen for 15 minutes – It is recommended that people get 15 minutes of sunscreen-free exposure a few days each week. So when you are able to make time to get outside, leave the sunscreen in the bottle – at least for a little while. But make sure you don’t go overboard. Getting vitamin D exposure is not a free pass to bake at the beach all afternoon. Waldron-Trapp also suggests using non-toxic, natural sunscreens if you plan on being outside all day. “Most commercial sunscreens are toxic, and contain cancer causing agents,” she says. “Why would a person want to prevent skin cancer by rubbing a cancer-causing chemical on their skin? Stick to titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as a toxin-free sunscreen;”
- Tanning beds can be friendly. When used appropriately, tanning beds can be an efficient way of getting vitamin D, especially in the cold winter months. Look for salons that have UVB ray only beds if you want the vitamin, but don’t care for getting a tan;
- Soak up the rays at home. Purchase a full spectrum lightbulb and place it in the room you spend the most time in. “The bulb does need to be open, so special shades and fixtures may need to be purchased in order for you to get exposure to the light,” says Waldron-Trapp;
- Eat fish. Salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, and other oily fish have between 250 and 360 IUs of vitamin D per serving. Don’t forget that certain milks come vitamin D enriched; and
- Try supplements. Besides fish, vitamin D is not common in many foods, so it is hard to get enough through diet alone. Try supplements to keep your body healthy. Vitamin D is a fat soluable vitamin, so each dose needs to be taken with a meal in order to be effective. “Taking vitamin D with a few crackers won’t do, a meal that inludes fatty food is necessary for your body to absorbe the essential vitamin,” says Waldron-Trapp.
Waldron-Trapp suggests that 2,000 to 5,000 IUs of vitamin D need to be taken daily in order to maintain a a proper level of vitamin D; but those who are vitamin D deficient may need to take up to 10,000 IUs per day to reach the optimal level. On average, your blood level should be 50 –80nanograms per milliliter year-round. “Visit your doctor to get your vitamin D (25OHD3) levels checked, or ask for the test to be done at your next annual physical,” suggests Waldron-Trapp.
HealthyU is a program developed by Northwestern Health Sciences University to educate, empower, and support people who seek to improve and maintain their overall health and well-being through the integration of mind, body, and spirit. The HealthyU website features 1,200 pages of information on how to live healthfully and more than 1,300 links to additional resources on the web. Visit www.nwhealth.edu/healthyU.