With daylight savings time fast approaching, our time exposure in New England to the sun will be diminishing. This is a good time to remind you about Vitamin D, also called the “sunshine vitamin” because it is synthesized (from the body’s cholesterol) as the sun’s ultraviolet B rays (those UVBs we hear so much about!) strikes the skin. While this process starts at skin level, your liver and kidneys are hard at work converting the vitamin into its active form.
Vitamin D strengthens bones, muscles and teeth, and also supports your immune system, protects against high blood pressure, and helps with the absorption of calcium by the bones. It may also protect against cancers of the breast and colon.
Sitting in the summer's mid-day sun for 15 minutes (with no sunscreen) provides approximately 10,000 IU of vitamin D. But, during the winter months (November–February) your body can’t make vitamin D if you live north of the latitude; above 35 degrees, so make sure you have an external supply of it (i.e. food or supplements). If you get enough sun in the summer and fall, it can carry you through the winter because your body stores it.
Natural food sources of vitamin D include fatty fish, fish oils, and egg yolks. Cod liver oil is one of the greatest concentrations of vitamin D (and DHA). Milk is fortified with the vitamin; that goes back to the 1930’s when vitamin D was added to it to combat rickets.
The Institute of Medicine’s recommendation for Vitamin D is 600 IU for 4-70 years old and 800 IU for individuals over 70. As we age, we lose the ability to efficiently convert vitamin D by our body. People with darker skin are also at higher risk because the pigment in the skin acts as a natural sun blocking mechanism. Normal blood vitamin D levels per the Endocrine Society are between 30 and 60 ng/ml.
You can check with your doctor to have your level checked but you might need a risk factor for your plan to cover it. For example, many post menopausal women are at risk for osteoporosis and may get the test covered.
In Good Health,
Sophie
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