Vitamin D: Are You Deficient?
Most people are, and it can be dangerous to your health
How Much Is in Your Food?
| Source | Vitamin D |
| Salmon 3.5 oz (wild) |
600-1,000 IU |
| Salmon 3.5 oz (farmed) | 100-250 IU |
| Tuna 3.6 oz (canned) | 230 IU |
| Cod liver oil (1 tsp) | 400-1,000 IU |
| Fortified milk, orange juice, yogurt, soy milk (8 oz) |
100 IU |
If you work indoors and faithfully wear sunscreen when you go out, you’re probably not getting enough of the sunshine vitamin. Four out of five men, women and children in Pennsylvania are vitamin D deficient and most don’t know it, says family medicine physician William Kracht, D.O., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. As new studies show, that can be dangerous to your health.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble hormone your body makes when your skin is exposed to sunlight. It helps regulate calcium absorption and promotes healthy bones. But vitamin D protects against many illnesses besides osteoporosis, says Kracht’s colleague, rheumatologist Marie O’Brien, D.O. These include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, muscle weakness and mood disorders. “The good news,” O’Brien says, “is that this vitamin is such a safe and inexpensive path to feeling good and staying healthy.” Here’s how to ensure you’re getting enough.
Evaluate your risk. You’re more likely to be vitamin D deficient if you have a condition like Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome or chronic kidney disease, have had weight-loss surgery, or take steroids or anti-seizure drugs—all these affect absorption. Older age, dark skin and being overweight also raise your risk.
Find out if you’re deficient. If you’re at risk or have symptoms like chronic pain, muscle fatigue or frequent illnesses, ask your doctor for a simple blood test called 25 hydroxy vitamin D level. It can be included in your cholesterol workup.
The average winter reading in the United States is 15-18 ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter)—far below the 30 considered deficient by most experts. “For real protection, you need at least 55,” Kracht says. “A recent study showed this level would prevent 60,000 cases of colon cancer and 80,000 of breast cancer annually.” If you’re deficient, your doctor will prescribe a course of high-dose D supplements and retest you in a few weeks.
Get in the sun when you can. “It takes just 20 minutes twice a week, with bare arms and legs and no sunscreen,” O’Brien says. (For longer exposure, use sunscreen to protect against skin cancer.)
Supplement your diet. The government’s Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin D (200-400 IU, or international units) is too low, O’Brien and Kracht agree. “Although it’s possible to overdose, the average person can safely take 1,000 IU daily and probably should,” Kracht says. Take more if you’re pregnant or nursing, since vitamin D is vital to the baby’s brain development.
Few foods approach 1,000 IU (see chart), so taking vitamin D capsules or fish oil is a wise idea. A word about cod liver oil, that classic source of vitamin D: “Check the label,” Kracht says. “In the past, cod liver oil bottlers were so fearful about toxicity they often removed the vitamin D. We’ve been wrong for 50 years on this issue!”
Want to Know More about vitamin D and sunshine or about vitamin D content in foods and supplements? Call 610-402-CARE.
Published from Healthy You Magazine, November-December 2008
This page last updated 10/23/08 12:18 PM
