Behind The Scenes With D, The Vitamin

Vitamin D is a rock star. Seriously. Here’s my evidence: It has a pseudonym—the sunshine vitamin—and has almost 5 million hits when searched in Google, not to mention it is the subject of research studies worldwide. The only problem is that, with those studies bombarding the health sections of every form of media, it’s difficult to stay on top of all the new information and intake recommendations.

Not to worry; Tan Responsibly has got you covered. The following is a quick resource guide on what exactly vitamin D does for the human body, how much vitamin D the body actually needs and where vitamin D comes from.

What It Does

Originally, vitamin D was propelled into the limelight as the answer to protecting children against rickets and adults against osteomalacia, both of which are characterized by softened bones. Virtually wiped out until the 1990s, scattered cases of rickets in African-American infants and breast-fed babies are currently documented as far south as Georgia.

Vitamin D’s role in bone health is specific to its interaction with calcium and phosphorous. Basically, vitamin D functions as a hormone in our bodies, which allows more calcium and phosphorous to be absorbed. Without vitamin D, the body only absorbs 10 percent to 15 percent of dietary calcium and about 60 percent of phosphorus.

This means that, in utero and in childhood, deficiency can cause growth retardation, skeletal deformities and increase the risk of future hip fractures. In adults, too little vitamin D can lead to or exacerbate osteopenia, osteoporosis, muscle weakness and fractures.

In addition to these bone-fortifying properties, vitamin D also helps to regulate blood pressure and enables proper secretion of insulin, and there is growing evidence that the vitamin may help prevent common cancers as well as autoimmune, infectious and cardiovascular diseases.

How Much You Need

Unfortunately, it has become evident that many people are vitamin D deficient, and many experts believe that we are facing an epidemic. In fact, Michael F. Holick, M.D., director of the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University School of Medicine and director of the Bone Healthcare Clinic at Boston Medical Center, estimates that 1 billion people in the world have insufficient levels of the much-needed vitamin.

Deficiencies have been documented in all age groups from children to older adults. The elderly, individuals with dark skin, and those who avoid sunlight exposure are particularly at risk because their skin does not produce adequate amounts of vitamin D.

Just last February, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that more than 80 percent of pregnant black women and nearly half of pregnant white women (and the babies they later gave birth to) were classified as "insufficient" or "deficient" in vitamin D.

Additionally, older people in hospitals and nursing homes are especially likely to lack the vitamin. In one study, 57 percent of elderly patients admitted to a Boston area hospital were found to be vitamin D-deficient, according to blood samples and diet records.

Since early spring, compelling research has cropped up worldwide suggesting that people are spending more time indoors and slathered with sunscreen when outdoors is to blame. Additionally, there is evidence that people who live at higher latitudes—where the angle of the sun's rays is not sufficient to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D in the skin—are more likely to develop and die of Hodgkin's lymphoma, colon, pancreatic, prostate, ovarian, breast and other cancers. There also is an association between low levels of vitamin D and increased risk for type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease and hypertension.

To combat this rising deficiency statistic, Holick says that the current recommended intake for vitamin D needs to be increased to 800 to 1,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D3 per day. It also is important for groups such as African-Americans, people with limited exposure to sun, and the elderly (who are not able to produce sufficient vitamin D) to take vitamin D supplements as well as consume excellent dietary sources of vitamin D.

There is no current consensus on an optimal level of vitamin D; so, if you are concerned about your level, ask your physician to order a blood test that measures 25-hydroxyvitamin D, a form of vitamin D that reflects your overall vitamin D status.

Where You Get It

Vitamin D is found in very few foods. Fortunately, our bodies have an amazing ability to manufacture vitamin D in the skin after exposure to sun, i.e., the vitamin’s pseudonym. Ten to 15 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen at least twice a week to the face, arms or hands is usually enough to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D.

The strength of the sun can make a difference, however. Sun rays in places like Iowa are probably strong enough in spring, summer and fall, but not in winter.

Hint: This is where indoor tanning comes in—it is one of the best ways of combating vitamin D deficiency, but to get the best effects, you should tan in addition to taking other measures to improve your vitamin D levels. Additionally, taking care of your skin with lotions, exfoliants and moisturizers will help to maximize the effects of exposure to UV rays.

Vitamin D also can be ingested through fortified products like milk, soy milk and cereal grains. Because of the rickets epidemic that propelled vitamin D into the spotlight, most large processing plants began to fortify milk with vitamin D. (Note: Milk from a small "on-farm" processor isn’t likely to be fortified with vitamin D.) This only applies to fluid milk, though—not to milk products like yogurt, cheese or ice cream. Additionally, the amount of vitamin D contained in milk varies, so be sure to read the nutrition facts on the label.

Vitamin D also can be found in wild salmon, Atlantic mackerel, sardines and shrimp, and a variety of multivitamin and calcium supplements. These supplements generally contain either 200 IU or 400 IU of vitamin D. Over-the-counter individual supplements of vitamin D also are available in the range of 400 to 2,000 IU per capsule or tablet. When buying supplements, look for those that contain D3, or cholecalciferol, because that is the more potent form and has a greater effect on improving vitamin D status.

Source: The Des Moines Register