Lack of sunshine blamed for vitamin D deficiency

eileen · 01-18-2008, 06:22 PM

Lack of sunshine blamed for vitamin D deficiency

Updated: Jan 18, 2008 05:39 PM EST

Anne Marie Tiernon/Eyewitness News
Vitamin D is very important in bone and muscle health, and a lack of sunshine can affect how much of the vitamin taken in by the body.
"A lot of people are (probably) low in vitamin D and don't even know it," said Dr. James Noland of the St. Vincent Center for Women's Health.
Vitamin D, which appears in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna, is a key partner to calcium, aiding it's absorption to strengthen bones, but it has a role in muscle health, too.
"Definitely. It's been associated with a chronic weakness of muscles and chronic pain patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, or maybe fibromyalgia, maybe want to talk to their doctor about having vitamin D obtained," Dr. Noland said.
The sun is a major source of vitamin D, and a lack of sunshine during the winter makes vitamin D deficiencies more common in the Midwest.
"The closer you get to the equator, the stronger the UVB is, which is the ultraviolet which can be damaging to your skin on the one hand, but it is a fabulous source of vitamin D," Dr. Noland said. "A day's exposure to the sun can give you over 20,000 international units of vitamin D."
So when you miss the sun, remember you're missing vitamin D, too.
"The recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 400 international units," Dr. Noland said. That's the equivalent of four glasses of milk.
"But we can probably safely take much more as we get older," Dr. Noland said. "That recommended daily allowance should increase. And many experts think we should be taking 1,000 to 2,000 a day."
There is a blood test for about $200 that will let you know if you are deficient. You can keep the baseline 400 units in mind and watch your intake to see if you are on track.

SOURCE LINK: http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp...&nav=menu188_2

01-18-2008, 06:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
eileen kiss me I'm Derf Join Date: Feb 10 2005 Posts: 6,819 Rep Power: 17	Lack of sunshine blamed for vitamin D deficiency Lack of sunshine blamed for vitamin D deficiency Updated: Jan 18, 2008 05:39 PM EST Anne Marie Tiernon/Eyewitness News Vitamin D is very important in bone and muscle health, and a lack of sunshine can affect how much of the vitamin taken in by the body. "A lot of people are (probably) low in vitamin D and don't even know it," said Dr. James Noland of the St. Vincent Center for Women's Health. Vitamin D, which appears in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna, is a key partner to calcium, aiding it's absorption to strengthen bones, but it has a role in muscle health, too. "Definitely. It's been associated with a chronic weakness of muscles and chronic pain patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, or maybe fibromyalgia, maybe want to talk to their doctor about having vitamin D obtained," Dr. Noland said. The sun is a major source of vitamin D, and a lack of sunshine during the winter makes vitamin D deficiencies more common in the Midwest. "The closer you get to the equator, the stronger the UVB is, which is the ultraviolet which can be damaging to your skin on the one hand, but it is a fabulous source of vitamin D," Dr. Noland said. "A day's exposure to the sun can give you over 20,000 international units of vitamin D." So when you miss the sun, remember you're missing vitamin D, too. "The recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 400 international units," Dr. Noland said. That's the equivalent of four glasses of milk. "But we can probably safely take much more as we get older," Dr. Noland said. "That recommended daily allowance should increase. And many experts think we should be taking 1,000 to 2,000 a day." There is a blood test for about $200 that will let you know if you are deficient. You can keep the baseline 400 units in mind and watch your intake to see if you are on track. SOURCE LINK: http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp...&nav=menu188_2 __________________ under-exposure to uv rays is as dangerous as over-exposure...This is "D" life! (eileen)

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