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Dr Russ Blog - D Story on Vitamin D
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D Story on Vitamin D
Created on 5/6/2008
Most people know that vitamin D helps maintain strong bones, in part by aiding with calcium absorption, but it also has many other health-promoting actions. For example, it appears that adequate vitamin D may help prevent colon cancer, and perhaps even breast and prostate cancer. In addition, data suggest that vitamin D may help prevent multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart disease and even a serious complication of pregnancy (preeclampsia). Some people diagnosed with fibromyalgia found to have low vitamin D levels experience improvement in symptoms when treated with vitamin D. The best way to determine vitamin D concentration is for your doctor to measure 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels with a blood test.
In recent years, the Adequate Intake (AI) level recommended for vitamin D has increased dramatically, such that regardless of age most people should be getting 1,000 IU daily to ensure good health (some pediatricians will recommend less, perhaps 400 IU daily).
Exposing one's skin to sunlight for 15-20 minutes a day produces enough vitamin D for some people to be well, but many factors must be considered, especially geographic location. The farther one lives from the equator the less likely it is that sunlight alone can provide adequate vitamin D, so other means, especially supplementation, shoud be considered. Vitamin D supplements typically come in 2 forms, ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). While vitamin D3 has long been considered superior to D2, recent data suggest the 2 forms may be equivalent (I continue to recommend D3 until more data become available). Some foods have vitamin D added to them, most notably milk, but the amounts found in foods are not sufficient alone to maintain healthy vitamin D levels.
People with dark skin, those who stay indoors (especially the elderly), and overweight individuals are especially at risk for low vitamin D levels. Breastfed babies are also at risk.
Be sure to speak with your doctor before beginning a program of vitamin D supplementation to be sure it is safe for you.
Bottom line - get outdoors and expose your skin (even just your hands and face may be enough) to sunshine for 15 minutes each day, then go back inside and apply sunblock before going outside again. If your doctor says it's okay, begin using a daily vitamin D supplement. Vitamin D3 has been considered preferable, but that may be changing. The recommended daily dose seems to be 1,000 IU.
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