Why should I even care so much about vitamin D? Straight from the Vitamin D Council's website: "Technically not a 'vitamin,' vitamin D is in a class by itself. Its metabolic product, calcitriol, is actually a secosteroid hormone that targets over 2000 genes (about 10% of the human genome) in the human body. Current research has implicated vitamin D deficiency as a major factor in the pathology of at least 17 varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune disease, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, and more. Vitamin D's influence on key biological functions vital to one's health and well-being mandates that vitamin D no longer be ignored by the health care industry nor by individuals striving to achieve and maintain a greater state of health."
Convinced? You should be! And the evidence is mounting every day.
Also known as the "sunshine vitamin," many of us have thought that if we live in Arizona or any warm-weather state, we don't need to worry about vitamin D. Vitamin D is synthesized through the skin when it comes into contact with UV rays. Unfortunately, in efforts to reduce our skin cancer risk or prevent wrinkles, we put on sunblock, which prevents the skin, kidneys, and liver from making vitamin D.
The USDA raised vitamin D recommendations from 400 IU (international units) to 800 IU per day, but many experts are recommending 2,000 IU to 5,000 IU and more. To give you some perspective, we synthesize 10,000 IU through uncovered, mid-day summer skin exposure (without sunscreen!) to the sun for 20-30 minutes.
Obviously, sun exposure is the best source of vitamin D. If you live in a warmer state, regular mid-day sun exposure for most of the year (preventing burning) is your best way to get enough vitamin D. However, if you work indoors, live in a state farther north than Georgia, or avoid sun exposure for any reason, supplementation is absolutely crucial. Vitamin D can be found in certain foods like egg yolks or fortified milk, but it's best to get it from a high quality cod liver oil, such as Carlson's, or through vitamin D3 supplements. Make sure you get D3, not any other form.
How much should you supplement? It depends on your blood levels, skin color, latitude, and sun exposure. The farther away you live from the equator, the darker your skin, and the higher your weight, the more vitamin D you may need.
The first step is getting your vitamin D checked through a blood test of your 25(OH)D. If your levels falls below 50, which is becoming the generally accepted minimum level for optimal D status, consider supplementing with 2,000 - 5,000 IU vitamin D per day until your levels are above 50. Don't worry about toxicity. No known toxicity at levels of even 10,000 IU have been reported, and our ancestors, who were outside many hours of a day, synthesized far greater levels of vitamin D on their own. Of course, make sure to talk to your doctor before starting any supplementation.
If you're an expectant mother, you may have heard that breast milk tends to be low in vitamin D. The only reason for this is that most women are deficient in D themselves, so not enough is transferred into their breast milk. Optimize your vitamin D levels before getting pregnant, and continue to supplement during pregnancy and breastfeeding to protect yourself and your child.
I was taking 2,000 IU most days and trying to get a little sun every day (about 10 minutes), but obviously that's not enough for me! I'm very curious to see if I start to feel better as my vitamin D levels increase. Will keep you posted.
*M*
