Oranges. The sun. Bones. Cod liver oil. A gold star if you guessed ‘Vitamin D’ is common to all of these. There's a great deal of buzz around Vitamin D that, as it turns out, is not actually a vitamin at all.
Heralded for its disease-fighting capabilities, its mood stabilizing properties, and its bone-strengthening qualities, Vitamin D plays an important role in our health. We've been told to drink milk (yuck), take those mongo calcium supplements, and get sun, but what is it really and why is it so important to our overall health?
Vitamin D is actually a hormone rather than a vitamin, technically a hormone. This hormone is primarily produced in the skin when it responds to sunlight, and it's absorbed from healthy foods we eat. In fact, about 10% of Vitamin D is absorbed this way. It's required so your "gut" can absorb calcium. From there, your liver and kidneys convert Vitamin D into the active hormone calcitriol.
But what are some of the secret properties of this hormone? And why has it come into the spotlight lately? Not only does Vitamin D improve bone health, reduce inflammation, and assist in cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, help prevent hypocalcemia tetany (that’s fancy doctor-speak for muscle spasms and painful cramps), it also helps protect against heart disease, cancer, and dementia, three of the most common diseases worldwide.
Today, it’s estimated that a quarter of the American population doesn’t get an adequate amount of Vitamin D in their average day. Over the decades as our culture shifted from a workforce that labored outdoors, farming, fishing, and building America to working indoors, sitting at desks under fluorescent lights, in warehouses or driving in our cars. The amount of sun exposure we receive daily has lessened significantly. What's worse is the average American diet, built on prepared and fast foods, doesn’t incorporate enough foods rich in Vitamin D.
Getting Vitamin D is a necessity to our overall health, well-being, and longevity. In fact, Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to several health issues, including diabetes and depression. And while the Vitamin D deficiency itself is not the direct cause of these conditions, the presence of Vitamin D has been found to help combat them.
Tradition has said that we can get Vitamin D from sun exposure. This is not a myth. Your body makes vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin. What prevents our skin from converting UVB rays to Vitamin D? Skin color for one. Melanin is the substance that makes our skin darken to protect against UV rays. So, melanin actually "competes" for UVB with the very substance in our skin that initiates Vitamin D production. What that means is that darker-skinned people tend to require more UVB exposure than light-skinned people to generate the same amount of vitamin D. Age is also an issue. When compared with younger people, older folks have lower levels of the substance in our skin that UVB light converts into the vitamin D precursor. Where you live in the world affects how much UVB you get as well as exposure. Think winter when less vitamin D–producing UVB light reaches the earth's surface in areas further away from the Equator, in cities like Chicago, IL or Fargo, ND.
Can you risk sun exposure to increase Vitamin D. Sure. According to most experts, just 20 minutes a day helps bolster Vitamin D levels. Beyond that, UVB rays can burn and cause long-term damage. To protect against skin cancer and sun damage, apply a mineral-based SPF 30+ or more to block UVA and UVB rays daily.
The easiest ways to increase your level of vitamin D is through your diet and supplementation. Foods like salmon, tuna, eggs with yokes, spinach, kale, mushrooms, and oranges (they resemble the sun, don't they). Some foods like cereals or oatmeal include fortified vitamin D, so don’t be afraid to check labels next time you’re at the store, looking for ways to boost your vitamin D. Adding a Vitamin D supplement is yet another option. Supplements are available in supermarkets, drug stores and online. Vitamin D supplements are fat soluble. That means you need to take your supplement during or after a healthy fatty meal, like avocado or peanut butter toast. Or you can take a spoonful of cod liver oil, if you’re into that sort of thing, although, mercifully, it does come in capsules now.
It’s hard to overdo Vitamin D, but it is possible. Experts used to believe that 400 IU daily was adequate, but for some, much higher doses of 5,000 IU daily are needed to make up for lower absorption as we age. This helps bring up levels to a therapeutic range. How would you know if you’re Vitamin D deficient? A blood test or complete blood count by your physician can detect this. If you’re feeling fatigued and generally weak, it’d probably worth a check. For a recommendation based on a blood test, it’s wisest to chat with your health provider first.
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