All Your Vitamin D Questions Answered!

Why do We Need it? 

•  It helps the body to absorb calcium which in turn plays a huge part in the bone-building process
•  Provides healthy immune support so the body can properly fight off infections and prevent diseases
• Aides in supporting a healthy brain and nervous system
• It helps keep our emotions in balance
• Protects us from many types of cancer, including breast cancer, skin cancer and prostate cancer
•  Prevents hypertension, stroke, and cardiovascular disease

How Much Vitamin D Do I Need?

The following is based on research from the Institute of Medicine. Assuming that a person gets hardly any vitamin D from sunshine (ALL Minnesotans during the winter months!) -- and that this person gets enough amounts of calcium -- the IOM committee recommends getting the following amounts of vitamin D from diet or supplements:

• Infants age 0 to 6 months: adequate intake, 400 IU/day; maximum safe upper level of intake, 1,000
• IU/dayInfants age 6 to 12 months: adequate intake, 400 IU/day; maximum safe upper level of intake, 1,500 IU/day
• Age 1-3 years: adequate intake, 600 IU/day; maximum safe upper level of intake, 2,500 IU/day
• Age 4-8 years: adequate intake, 600 IU/day; maximum safe upper level of intake, 3,000 IU/day
• Age 9-70: adequate intake, 600 IU/day; maximum safe upper level of intake, 4,000 IU/day
• Age 71+ years: adequate intake, 800 IU/day; maximum safe upper level of intake, 4,000 IU/day

Who is most likely to Suffer from Vitamin D Deficiency?

• People over fifty- the skin receptors that change UV-B light into Vitamin D weaken as we age. Maybe this is why all the seniors flee to the south in the winter!
• Persons of color and darker skinned white people. Melanin in the skin will protect you from harmful UV light, but ironically will also slow down your absorption of D from UV-B light. Darker skinned people actually need more sun exposure than fair-skinned people to produce Vitamin D3.
• Persons with liver, kidney or metabolic disorders, whose bodies are not able to fully process and metabolize D3.
• Persons taking pharmaceutical medications that interfere with Vitamin D metabolism.

How do I get Vitamin D?

• Natural sunlight
• Supplements
• Food

Surprisingly few foods contain vitamin D -- unless it's added to the food. That's because your body is built to get vitamin D through your skin (from sunlight) rather than through your mouth (by food). Unfortunately sunlight isn't always available to us. Here are some super foods that do have Vitamin D:

• Salmon (especially wild-caught)
• Mackerel (especially wild-caught; eat up to 12 ounces a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are low in mercury)
• Mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light to increase vitamin D

Other food sources of vitamin D include:

• Cod liver oil (warning: cod liver oil is rich in vitamin A; too much may be bad for you)
• Tuna canned in water
• Sardines canned in oil
• Milk or yogurt -- regardless of whether it's whole, nonfat, or reduced fat -- fortified with vitamin D
• Beef or calf liver
• Egg yolks
• Cheese

Written By: Annie Stanz