Vitamin D

Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D?

            Winter is here in the Sacramento region and the fog has blanketed the valley shrouding what little sunlight we have in these shortened days. It is a MUST for sustaining good health to supplement vitamin D especially this time of year. Alarming new research reveals that not only is vitamin D deficiency related to a plethora of chronic conditions, but it may also be far more widespread than previously thought.

What’s the consequence?

Most people know that vitamin D wards off bone diseases like rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults. However, I am concerned that many individuals remain unaware that this nutrient is fundamental to preventing a myriad of other chronic conditions. Specifically, recent research links vitamin D deficiency with cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease, poor immune function and cognitive problems such as dementia.

The Inflammation Link

            Other recent studies tie vitamin D deficiency to a higher incidence of colds and flu symptoms. Individuals with common lung diseases, such as asthma or emphysema, may be particularly susceptible to respiratory infections from vitamin D deficiency.

Another analysis evaluated 3,000 people with type 1 diabetes and found a decreased risk of disease severity for people who took vitamin D supplements.

Scientists have recently discovered that inflammation is the underlying factor behind a plethora of disease processes, including those associated with vitamin D deficiency.

A small decrease in vitamin D levels may aggravate symptoms in people who are sick or at risk.

Vitamin D Deficiency on the Rise

Average blood levels of vitamin D decreased significantly over the past several years. In fact, a whopping 75 percent of individuals may now be deficient, according to a just-released report in Archives of Internal Medicine.

Humans naturally produce vitamin D when sunlight hits their skin. However, increased time spent indoors, coupled with campaigns to limit sun exposure in hopes of preventing skin cancer, have reduced exposure to sunlight. In addition, “fast-food” diets lack vitamin D rich foods.

Natural Sources of Vitamin D

To improve vitamin D status and achieve its related health benefits, most people should get at least 1000 IU of vitamin D per day.  Make sure your vitamin D supplement is derived from a natural organic source, and liquid vitamin D is best absorbed into the body. Sunlight is a readily-available, free source of vitamin D. Exposing 25 percent of the skin’s surface area to 10 minutes of sunlight three days per week will maintain adequate levels in the majority of people; however, people with darkly-pigmented skin need more. Only a few foods contain vitamin D naturally, such as fatty fish; other sources are dietary supplements and vitamin-D-fortified foods.

What About Supplementation?

Do vitamin D supplements help prevent conditions associated with vitamin D deficiency, such as immune problems, cognitive dysfunction and cardiovascular disease?

The research is saying Yes! Vitamin D supplementation appears to lessen and even mitigate the incidence and adverse outcomes of these diseases.

Current RDA recommendations for dosage of vitamin D supplements are inadequate to address the growing epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency. Increased intake of vitamin D (1,000 international units per day or more) – particularly during the winter months and at higher latitudes along with judicious sun exposure would improve the overall health of the US population.

Kids Need Vitamin D, Too

Insufficient vitamin D isn’t just a problem for adults. One in six adolescents is vitamin D deficient, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Experts collectively proposed that the minimum acceptable serum vitamin D level be raised from 11 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) to at least 20 ng/mL for adolescence. Other experts argue that even these new higher guidelines remain far too low,

Using the newer criteria, the study finds more than half of American teens are vitamin D deficient. Girls had more than twice the risk of deficiency compared with boys. And overweight teens had nearly double the risk of their counterparts.

In these winter months, make a healthy choice to supplement vitamin D or at least get your blood levels checked. I believe highly in the old phrase “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. For more wellness information visit our website at chiropractic-usa.com. Learn more about our community office and FAN us on Facebook!

 

Creating a Healthy Community,

Dr. Bob Graykowski