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Vitamin D:  Research shows it’s good for more than your bones.
By Dr. Lorraine Parker, DC, MS

            There’s been lots of media coverage about vitamin D lately. I became interested in vitamin D about six years ago. I was reading about a doctor who noticed that although most of the elderly residents and staff at a long-term care facility got the flu that winter, the residents who were given vitamin D did not. My curiosity was piqued. Could vitamin D prevent flu symptoms?
            For years, vitamin D was only recommended for strong bones because it increased your digestive system’s ability to absorb calcium from the food you ate and deposit it in your bones.  Recently, Dr. Michael F. Holick, a vitamin D researcher at Boston University’s Medical Center, identified links between a vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of developing the following diseases: 

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis
• Cancer especially of the colon, breast, ovary, or prostate gland
• Weak and aching muscles and debilitating bone pain that is often misdiagnosed, by your doctor, as arthritis, fibromyalgia, or a vascular disease
• Other research indicates that vitamin D might enhance the immune system.

Anyone with a moderate vitamin D deficiency can become severely deficient during the winter months. Although vitamin D can be made in your body when the sun’s UVB rays strike your skin, you have to live above 35 degrees latitude to reap this benefit during the winter months. And the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D – liver and fatty fish such as herring, salmon, and sardines – aren’t staples on the American dinner plate. Some food manufacturers are adding vitamin D to milk, margarine, butter, orange juice, and breakfast cereals. Check the food label for this information.
Ask yourself the following questions to evaluate your current vitamin D level:

1. Do you get 10 to 15 minutes of direct sun exposure between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. three times a week?
2. Do you use a sunscreen rated SPF 8 or higher? Using these sunscreens reduces your skin’s ability to produce vitamin D by 95 percent.
3. Are you an older adult? Aging affects your skin’s ability to make vitamin D.
4. Do you have dark-colored skin? Dark-colored skin, or even a tan, reduces your skin’s ability to make vitamin D.
5. Do you live in an area of the country with heavy clouds or smog? These block the sun’s rays.
6. Do you live north of Los Angeles or Atlanta (35 degrees latitude) from November to early March?  You won’t make enough vitamin D, because the sun’s rays aren’t strong enough during these months.

What’s your vitamin D level? Ask your health care provider about the blood test that measures your body’s vitamin D levels. If you’re deficient, consider taking a vitamin D supplement to decrease your risk of developing one of the diseases linked to a vitamin D deficiency.

 

OTHER ARTICLES BY
DR. LORRAINE PARKER, DC, MS

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How you can save your aging brain. 

Olive oil, almonds, and tomatoes – three foods that provide “super” health benefits. 

Vitamin D:  Research shows it’s good for more than your bones.