What You Need to Know About Vitamin D!

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Vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as a pandemic, affecting an estimated 1 billion of the world’s population.

Most of us know the importance of vitamin D intake for strong, healthy bones. Even so, a resurgence of rickets, the childhood bone-weakening disease, has been seen in industrialized countries in recent years.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, vitamin D deficiency is of great concern because research conducted over the last decade suggests that vitamin D plays a much broader disease-fighting role than was once thought.

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods. There are two different supplemental forms of vitamin D: D2 and D3.

D2, also known as ergocalciferol, is the form made by mushrooms from exposure to sunlight, while D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is the type that’s made in your skin from the sun or from fish consumption.

Both D2 and D3 must be converted, or “activated,” to the hormone calcitriol before they can be used by the body. Both forms can be manufactured for supplements, although D3 is more commonly used. A number of studies show that D2 should no longer be used because it is not as easily converted by the body.

Why is it Important?

Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins for overall health. Its most important and well-known role is maintaining bone health (osteopenia and osteoporosis) and preventing childhood rickets.

Vitamin D, especially when taken with vitamin K, has also been found to enhance immune system response, improve cardiovascular health, and increase bone density, particularly in postmenopausal women.

Beyond Bone Building

The crucial link between strong, healthy bones and vitamin D was made many years ago. However, recent research suggests vitamin D also plays an important role in immune function, muscle health, cardiovascular health, brain health, insulin regulation, and cancer prevention.

Who Is at Risk for Vitamin D Deficiency?

The following groups are at increased risk for vitamin D deficiency:

  • People with naturally dark skin, as melanin reduces UV penetration
  • People with little or no sun exposure
  • Breast-fed babies, as breast milk contains little vitamin D
  • People suffering from celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, obesity, or renal disease
  • Older adults in nursing and retirement homes
  • Vegans (soy-based products fortified with vitamin D may be an option)

How Much Do I Need?

According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines, vitamin D intake depends on age. Below are the recommended daily allowances and upper limits:

  • Infants – Parents should consult with a pediatrician
  • Children (1–3 years): 600–2500 IU daily
  • Children (4–8 years): 600–3000 IU daily
  • Persons (9–70 years): 600–4000 IU daily
  • Persons (70+ years): 800–4000 IU daily

Note: The best way to determine your individual vitamin D needs is through a blood test called 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Serum levels below 50 ng/ml are considered deficient, while the optimal range is 50–70 ng/ml.

If you are taking higher doses of vitamin D (such as 50,000 IU) for extended periods, regular testing is important to avoid toxicity. Excess vitamin D can cause hypercalcemia, leading to poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, weakness, frequent urination, and kidney damage.

When Should I Take My Vitamin D Supplements?

There is no scientific evidence that taking vitamin D multiple times per day is more beneficial than taking it once daily. Because vitamin D is fat-soluble, it is best absorbed when taken with a meal that contains fat.

A study by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation found that taking vitamin D3 with the largest meal of the day increased absorption by approximately 50%.

Where Should I Get My Vitamin D From?

Vitamin D comes from two primary sources: sunlight exposure and the foods and supplements we consume.

Sunlight: Five to 30 minutes of sun exposure on the arms and legs, twice weekly, is often sufficient for vitamin D production. This varies by season, latitude, and conditions, and prolonged sun exposure carries its own risks.

Food: Sources include cod liver oil and other fish liver oils, fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, and tuna (wild-caught), cheese, egg yolks, beef, and liver. Fortified foods include breakfast cereals, orange juice, and milk.

Supplementation: Dietary sources of vitamin D are limited, so supplementation is often recommended. You can view a complete selection of high-quality vitamin D supplements . We only work with professional-grade supplement brands.

I hope this information is helpful. If you have questions or need assistance, contact customer service at customerservice@oakwaynaturals.com or call (888) 460-3091.

Until next time, stay healthy!

Yours in health,

Dr. Gregg Gittins

Health Library

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Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as a pandemic, affecting an estimated 1 billion of the world’s population.

Most of us know the importance of vitamin D intake for strong, healthy bones. Even so, a resurgence of rickets, the childhood bone-weakening disease, has been seen in industrialized countries in recent years.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, Vitamin D deficiency is of great concern because research conducted over the last decade, suggests that vitamin D plays a much broader disease-fighting role as was once thought.

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods. There are two different supplemental forms of vitamin D: D2 and D3.

D2, also known as ergocalciferol, is the form made by mushrooms from exposure to sunlight, while D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is the type that’s made in your skin from the sun or from fish consumption. Both D2 & D3 must be converted, ‘activated’ to the hormone calcitriol before they can be used by the body.

Both forms can be manufactured for supplements; although the D3 is the one more commonly used.

Why is it important?

Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins for overall health; yet it’s most important, signature role is that of maintaining bone health (osteopenia & osteoporosis) and preventing childhood rickets.

Vitamin D, especially taken with vitamin K, has also been found to enhance immune system response, and improve cardiovascular health and increase bone density, especially in postmenopausal women.

Beyond bone building

The crucial link between strong, healthy bones and vitamin D was made many years ago; however recent research suggests its importance in many other conditions, such as: colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, the flu, multiple sclerosis and type I diabetes to name just a few.

Who is at risk for Vitamin D deficiency?

The following groups of people are at increased risk for vitamin D deficiency –

• People with naturally, dark skin, the melanin in their skin adversely affects UV penetration

• People with little or no sun exposure

• Breast-fed babies, as breast milk contains little Vitamin D

• People suffering from: Celiac’s Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, obesity and Renal Disease

• Older adults in nursing and retirement homes

• Vegans (soy-based products fortified with vitamin D are possible options)

How much do I need?

According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines, the amount is dependent on a person’s age. Following is an RDA and an upper-limit range:

• Infants – Parents should consult with a pediatrician.

• Children (1-3 years) 600-2500 IU daily

• Children (4-8 years) 600-3000 IU daily

• Persons (9-70 years) 600-4000 IU daily

• Persons (70+) 800-4000 IU daily

NOTE: The very best way to determine your individual vitamin D needs is to have your doctor check your levels with a simple blood test.

When should I take my Vitamin D supplements?

There is no scientific evidence that taking Vitamin D several times a day as opposed to once a day is advantageous. However, Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, and as such is better absorbed when taken with a meal containing fat. For most people that would be the largest meal of the day.

A study conducted by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, found that by taking your vitamin D3 with the largest meal of the day, absorption was significantly improved with results showing about a 50% increase in serum levels.

Where should I get my Vitamin D from?

We get our Vitamin D from three places:

The sun: five to thirty minutes of sun on the arms and legs, twice weekly is often all a person requires for proper Vitamin D production. However, this is only applicable to certain times of the year, at certain latitudes, under certain conditions.

and….

 

Our Food Sources

Sources include: Fish liver oils, fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines and tuna (wild caught NOT farm raised – this may be due to the fact that vitamin D is readily available in the food chain, for wild-caught fish, but not available in the pellet diet fed to farmed fish), cheese, egg yolks, beef and liver contain small amounts, fortified foods, such as: breakfast cereals, orange juice and milk.

Supplementation

Sources of vitamin D are not so plentiful and it is recommended that you consider vitamin D supplementation. Here are a couple of top brands for your review: Thorne Vitamin D’s and Metagenics Vit D’s . Here is a link to our complete selection of Vitamin D supplements.

REFERENCES:

Serum vitamin D concentrations are related to depression in young adult US population: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Vijay Ganji, Cristiana Milone, Mildred M Cody, Frances McCarty and Yong T Wang International Archives of Medicine 2010, 3:29 doi:10.1186/1755-7682-3-29. 
Vitamin D: An Evidence-Based Review Teresa Kulie, MD, Amy Groff, DO, Jackie Redmer, MD, MPH, Jennie Hounshell, MD and Sarina Schrager, MD, MS Corresponding author: Sarina Schrager, MD, MS, Department of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin, 777 S. Mills St., Madison, WI 53715.
The case against ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) as a vitamin supplement Lisa A Houghton and Reinhold Vieth 2006 American Society for Clinical Nutrition.
Taking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption and results in higher serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Mulligan GB, Licata A. Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Vitamin D and Health The Nutrition Source | Harvard School of Public Health.
VITAMIN D AND THE HEART Gardner DG, Chen S, Glenn DJ. University of California at San Francisco.
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and risk of multiple sclerosis. Munger KL, Levin LI, Hollis BW, Howard NS, Ascherio A. Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, and Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass 02115, USA. JAMA. 2006 Dec 20;296(23):2832-8.
Do sunlight and vitamin D reduce the likelihood of colon cancer? Garland CF, Garland FC. Int J Epidemiol. 1980 Sep;9(3):227-31.
Vitamin D supplementation in early childhood and risk of type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Zipitis CS, Akobeng AK. Department of Paediatrics, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, Poplar Grove, Stockport SK2 7JE, UK. Arch Dis Child. 2008 Jun;93(6):512-7. doi: 10.1136/adc.2007.128579. Epub 2008 Mar 13.
The role of season in the epidemiology of influenza. Hope-Simpson RE. J Hyg (Lond). 1981 Feb;86(1):35-47.
Epidemic influenza and vitamin D. Cannell JJ, Vieth R, Umhau JC, Holick MF, Grant WB, Madronich S, Garland CF, Giovannucci E. Atascadero State Hospital, 10333 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA 93422, USA. jcannell@dmhash.state.ca.usEpidemiol Infect. 2006 Dec;134(6):1129-40. Epub 2006 Sep 7.
WHAT IS VITAMIN D TOXICITY, AND SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT IT SINCE I TAKE SUPPLEMENTS  Zeratsky, Katherine R.D., L.D.  Nutrition and healthy eating.