Quick facts on vitamin D

By pH health care professionals

Vitamin D: You know you need it, but where do you get it? Here’s your “sunshine vitamin” cheat sheet:

From the sun:

• Your body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to the sun.

• Recommended dose is 5-30 minutes from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. on face, arms and legs with no sunscreen.    

• People with darker skin don’t absorb as much vitamin D as people with lighter skin because darker skin has more melanin. Melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color, impedes vitamin D synthesis in the skin from sunlight. Because of this fact, people with darker skin require more time in the sun to produce the same amount of vitamin D as people with lighter skin – one to three hours verses 20 minutes.

• Sunblocks decrease the conversion of vitamin D precursors (7-dehydrocholesterol) to pre-vitamin D.

• The elderly do not absorb vitamin D as well or may not be able to convert it to the active kind (vitamin D3).

•  Vitamin D exposure from the sun is affected by the season, time of day, length of day, cloud cover, smog and where you live.

• People with a higher BMI or who are overweight are often low in vitamin D or require more vitamin D based on weight. 

• You cannot overdose on vitamin D from the sun because the skin stops making it from sunlight when there is enough.

•  There is a drawback: Too much sun exposure can cause skin cancer and wrinkles.

From foods:

• Foods rich in D include salmon, swordfish and mackerel (be careful you’re not eating too much fish high in mercury). Eating fish two times a week won’t be enough for your vitamin D needs.

• Tuna, sardines, mushrooms, egg yolk and beef liver have some D too.

• There aren’t a whole lot of natural choices to get your daily vitamin D requirements.

• Vitamin D is also found in vitamin D-fortified milk, cereal, orange juice, bread and yogurt.

What are some reasons for low vitamin D levels, aside from limited sun exposure and vitamin D-rich foods?

• Obesity. After finding obesity can cause low vitamin D levels, researchers suggested that this may be because vitamin D gets trapped in the fat tissues, so that less of it can circulate in the blood.

• Kidney disease and liver disease.

• Digestive system conditions.

• Medications like Orlistat (weight loss), Prednisone (steroid), Phenobarbital and Dilantin (seizure).

What can you do?

• Aim for at least 10-15 minutes of sun exposure three times a week.

• The RDA of vitamin D for most adults is 600 IU/day. So get tested to find out where your vitamin D levels are, and work with a doctor to determine whether you need vitamin D supplementation.

What are the side effects of too much vitamin D?

You know that the sun won’t give you a vitamin D overdose, as we discussed above. But you can overdo it with supplements. Vitamin D toxicity may cause the following:

•  Elevated calcium that deposits in soft tissues like heart and blood vessels.

• Confusion, disorientation and nausea.

• Damage to kidneys.

• Kidney stones.

• Heart rhythm irregularities.

• Weakness, weight loss and poor appetite.

If you are experiencing any of the above, please seek appropriate medical care. Instead of self-diagnosing yourself with low vitamin D, we suggest a simple blood test to give you a true idea of where your vitamin D levels are. Our doctors can work with you to determine the appropriate dosage and recommend medical-grade supplements to help you remedy a deficiency, if you have one.

Enjoy Your Healthy Life!