Let's Talk Vitamin D

Let's Talk VITAMIN D

This is NOT another generic vitamin D post - you guys already know tha D is gud fer youuuu.

But what is it, why do we need it, and howwww do we make sure we're not missing out on this superpower?

What is Vitamin D really?

A fat soluble vitamin that ACTS as a steroid hormone.

Why do we need it?

It influences bones, intestines, immune and cardiovascular systems, pancreas, muscles, brain, and cell cycles. Plus it's essential for absorbing calcium and phosphorus!

Oh, and did you know...

There are HIGH correlations studied between vitamin D levels and lower incidences of cancer, heart disease, obesity, hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes, depression, cognitive impairment, fractures and falls, autoimmune disease, and age-related macular degeneration?

Vitamin D Deficiency (or VDD)

is defined as a 25(OH)D of 21–29 ng/mL
Affects almost 50% of the population worldwide (Hollick 2007)
Is an independent risk factor for total mortality in the general population (Melamed 2008)
Is most often caused by inadequate exposure to sunlight

Sources of Vitamin D

Sunshine

When an adult wearing a bathing suit is exposed to one minimal erythemal dose of UV radiation (a slight pinkness to the skin 24 hours after exposure), the amount of vitamin D produced is equivalent to ingesting between 10,000 and 25,000 IU.

Note: Vitamin D produced in the skin may last at least twice as long as the blood compared with ingested vitamin D.

Food

Fortified foods provide most of the vitamin D in the American diet.

Very few foods in nature contain vitamin D. Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel) as well as fish oils are the best food sources. Small amounts are found in cheese, egg yolks, and beef liver. The vitamin D found in some mushrooms is D2.

Supplementation

A variety of options are available for individual vitam D supplementals, including capsules, chewable tablets, liquids, and drops. Cod liver oil is a good source of vitamin D, but in large doses there is a risk of vitam A toxicity.

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What you ALSO may not know is...

Wearing a sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 30 reduces vitamin D synthesis in the skin by more than 95% (Matsuoka et al. 1987).

Can I just say it??

Basting yourself in oil and sunbathing for hours is NOT the same as getting sunshine on your skin for 5-15min per day. It's just not.

I'm not anti-sunscreen - if you're going to be outside for more than 15 minutes (and if you're Susan Franklin's daughter) you're gonna slap it on - particularly your face, back of hands and décolletage OKKAYYY.

But in this post we're talking D levels and that means YA GOTTA GET SOME SUN PEOPLE (or supplement appropriately).

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PARTICULARLY at-risk individuals are...

Infants and breastfed infants
Homebound individuals
Someone who wears long robes/coverings for religious reasons
People with occupations that limit sun exposure
Older adults (skin cannot synthesize vitamin D as efficiently)
Have high pigment melanin (reduces the skin's ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight)
Those classified as obese (greater amounts of subcutaneous fat sequester more of the vitamin and alter its release into the circulation - Malone 2008, Nair 2012)