May Lead To Bone And Back Pain
Vitamin D deficiency can have a negative impact on your skeletal health. After all, the micronutrient plays a major role in the absorption of two pro-bone health minerals, phosphorus, and calcium.
Low bone calcium reserves, as a result of low vitamin D levels in the body, can cause low bone density and osteoporosis. This can lead to chronic joint, back, and general bone pain.
In one study involving 9,000 women, scientists witnessed that those with vitamin D deficiency were more likely to complain of back pain than vitamin D-sufficient participants. This highlights the need to obtain an adequate amount of vitamin D from the sun, natural food, and supplements.
/10can Sunscreen Affect Vitamin D Levels
We use sunscreen to protect our skin against skin cancers and sunburns. Sunscreen has chemicals that either reflect, absorb or scatter sunlight. When this happens, the skin is exposed to lower levels of the harmful UVB rays.
But UVB rays are important for making vitamin D and sunscreen can stop the skin from producing sunlight. Studies show that sunscreen with SPF 30 or more reduces vitamin D production in the body by 95-98 per cent. So, if you are wearing sunscreen, you might have to spend long hours in the sunlight for your skin to produce enough vitamin D.
Benefits Of Vitamin D Risks Of D Deficiency
Vitamin D helps keep your bones strong by regulating calcium levels. Maintaining adequate amounts of the vitamin is essential for your bone health. People deficient in the vitamin can suffer symptoms including muscle aches, muscle weakness and bone pain. In severe cases, by reducing calcium absorption, deficiency can lead to slower growth, bone softening and weakened bone structure, increasing the risk of skeletal deformities, osteoporosis and fractures.
Studies have never found that everyday sunscreen use leads to vitamin D insufficiency. In fact, people who use sunscreen daily can maintain their vitamin D levels.
In recent years, the claims for vitamin D have gone further. Some proponents hypothesize that it does everything from decreasing cancer deaths and heart disease to inhibiting type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. However, these suggestions are based on observational studies alone. This means the researchers have observed that people with enough vitamin D have a lower incidence of and/or deaths from these diseases, but not that vitamin D is the reason they are lower. While observational studies may be a good starting point, they are not proof or a basis for medical recommendations.
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Advice For Infants And Young Children
The Department of Health and Social Care recommends that babies from birth to 1 year of age should have a daily supplement containing 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year if they are:
- breastfed
- formula-fed and are having less than 500ml of infant formula a day, as infant formula is already fortified with vitamin D
Children aged 1 to 4 years old should be given a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year.
You can buy vitamin D supplements or vitamin drops containing vitamin D at most pharmacies and supermarkets.
Women and children who qualify for the Healthy Start scheme can get free supplements containing vitamin D.
See the Healthy Start website for more information.
Tips For Optimizing Your Natural Vitamin D Production
The sun offers you free vitamin D! Take advantage of this with a few tips for squeezing more vitamin D from the sun.
These tips for absorbing more vitamin D from the sun are especially beneficial to anyone who lives further from the equator, is older in age, has darker skin, cannot get sun during midday, or cant afford supplements or vacations to sunnier weather in winter seasons.
In Part 4 of this series, we are going to examine the little known connection between vitamin D, sleep disorders, and Alzheimers disease. You wont want to miss this It could be the missing link to your best health yet!
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How Does Your Body Get Vitamin D
Excepting vitamin supplements, the easiest way to get the amount of vitamin D your body needs is through direct sunlight. In other words, without wearing sunscreen.
Getting ample exposure to sunlight takes relatively little time. Depending on where you live and how strong the sunlight is in your area, as well as the time of year, this is as little as 10 to 20 minutes each day . You also do not need to bare your entire body simply baring your arms exposes enough skin for your body to create the necessary amount of vitamin D.
This bare skin exposure is one of the reasons for the increase in vitamin D deficiency found in many patients. Most people recognize the dangers of skin cancer and either stay out of the sun or wear sunscreen when theyre out and about. You still need to protect yourself from skin cancer, but unless you doctor advises otherwise, 10 to 20 minutes per day in the direct sun does not cause harm.
If you cannot get the vitamin D you need through sunlight exposure, you can take a supplement. Talk to your doctor about how much vitamin D you need to meet the daily recommended dose, but the average recommendation is 600 IU . For patients with extreme deficiencies, the number may be much higher, up to 4,000 IU.
/10the Best Time To Be Out In The Sun
The best time to soak yourself in the sun to get the maximum vitamin D is between 10 am to 3 pm. At this time, the UVB rays are intense and it is also said that the body is more efficient in making vitamin D at this time.
This time is also considered safer for getting exposed to the sun as it is said that getting the sun during the later part of the days also increases the risk of certain types of cancer.
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What Does This Mean For People
The findings suggest theres DNA damage happening before skin burns and that it may be more likely to lead to problems in lighter skin types than darker ones. Larger studies will be needed to confirm those results.
People with darker skin can be encouraged to expose their skin to the sun, without burning, to get vitamin D with very low risk of skin cancer, says Rhodes. However, for people with lighter skin who are easy burners weve shown even very low doses of UV radiation, down to one fifth of their sunburn threshold, can unfortunately damage the cells in lower layers of the skin.
There may not be a totally safe level of exposure to the sun when it comes to DNA damage and skin cancer risk, but we also need some sunshine to make vitamin D. Rhodes next question was how long do we need to spend in the sun to make enough?
How Long Do You Need Sun For Benefits Of Vitamin D
We hope that our article on the benefits of vitamin D3 has been helpful.
Yes, the experts disagree about what vitamin d dosage is normal. But since there are no vitamin D side effects from a high dosage, it is best to be safe than sorry. Why?
- This vitamin is needed by all the cells of our body. When you have enough the body works well. The symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are varied, and can creep up on us unnoticed.
Not having enough of this vitamin is also associated with hypertensive heart disease, one of the worlds biggest killers.
Hypertension and vitamin d deficiency?
- Dr. Robert Heaney, professor of medicine at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska found that people with LOW levels of this vitamin had higher blood pressure,insulin resistance and Syndrome X, leading to diabetes and stroke heart attack problems.
Adding this vitamin can help prevent hypertension and vitamin d deficiency.
We hope you will be able to use the new science about vitamin D deficiency effects, in order to stay or get healthy.
- If you live where there are winters and you do not get much sunshine, you will likely need a higher vitamin d dosage than you think.
Although there are some foods high in vitamin d, it is wise for most people to get extra vitamin d benefits with D3.
Now you can avoid these new found vitamin D deficiency effects and even recover from illness better with a therapeutic dosage for:
Here’s the diseases now listed as having vitamin d deficiency symptoms:
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What Is Vitamin D And What Are The Benefits
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and hormone that helps your body absorb and maintain homeostasis of calcium and phosphorus, major building blocks needed to create and maintain strong bones and teeth.* Ample vitamin D also allows these minerals to function properly in your muscles so they can contract and relax properly.*
That’s not all, either. The sunshine vitamin also supports the body’s response to inflammation, promotes cell growth, and is critical for immune function.*
Without ample vitamin D , a variety of body systems struggle to function optimally.*
Staying Safe In The Sun
Although the sun’s ultraviolet rays are essential for making vitamin D, they can, unfortunately, cause sunburns, premature aging, and other forms of skin damage, as well as induce immune suppression. In a worst-case scenario, prolonged exposure can also up your risk of skin melanoma, a malignant form of skin cancer.
So, if you choose to get limited sun exposure for vitamin Dâs sake, you should stick to the following safety tips:
- During particularly hot summer days, stay out of the sun when itâs shining the most, often between noon and 2 p.m.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat that will protect at least the top of your ears, eyes, and face since these are very vulnerable to sun damage. Itâs also perfectly fine to wear wrap-around sunglasses.
- Perk up your sunscreen game. Summer wear is usually highly exposing and lightweight, which can fuel skin damage. So, after 10-15 minutes of unprotected exposure, apply sunscreen liberally and frequently.
- See to it that your sunblock sports a minimum SPF of 15, but lighter-skinned folks should stick to SPF-30 and higher. You should also shoot for a broad-spectrum sunscreen because it has the right blend to keep off both UVA and UVB rays.
If you have any questions or concerns about your time in the sun, consult with a dermatologist for a skin check and to discuss your skincare routine including sunscreen.â
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May Lead To Depression
If you suffer from unending bouts of depression and mood problems, you may be vitamin D deficient. This seems to be the conclusion of one 2013 study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health, and Aging.
Likewise, research has shown that vitamin D may play a role in helping lower depressive symptoms, especially in older adults.
Breaking The Old Rules
Vitamin D is one of the 13 vitamins discovered in the early 20th century by doctors studying nutritional deficiency diseases. Ever since, scientists have defined vitamins as organic chemicals that must be obtained from dietary sources because they are not produced by the body’s tissues. Vitamins play a crucial role in our body’s metabolism, but only tiny amounts are needed to fill that role.
Although vitamin D is firmly enshrined as one of the four fat-soluble vitamins, it is not technically a vitamin. True, it’s essential for health, and only minuscule amounts are required. But it breaks the other rules for vitamins because it’s produced in the human body, it’s absent from all natural foods except fish and egg yolks, and even when it’s obtained from foods, it must be transformed by the body before it can do any good.
As our habits change, most of us cannot rely on our bodies to produce vitamin D the old-fashioned way. Instead, we increasingly depend on artificially fortified foods and pills to provide this vital nutrient. Coming full circle in the modern world, this substance may actually come to fit the technical definition of a vitamin.
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How Does Vitamin D Work
Vitamin D was discovered in the early 1920s by scientists researching malnutrition diseases, most notably rickets. This is a weak-bone disease that affects predominantly children, causing pain, motion problems, and bowed legs. It has since been curbed with vitamin D-fortified foods, and cases of rickets are now rare in the United States.
Like all vitamins, D is essential for good health and is needed only in trace amounts. It can also be obtained from a very few natural foods, such as egg yolks, beef liver, tuna, cod liver oil, salmon, and sardines. These natural foods listed above canât come close to fulfilling your recommended daily intake of vitamin D of at least 15mcg for an adult, and you would have to eat them nearly every day.
Unlike other vitamins that must be obtained solely from dietary sources, vitamin D can be synthesized naturally by the body from sunlight. Getting vitamin D from the sun is perhaps your best shot at making a significant dent in your RDI needs.
Hereâs the interesting part
Whether you get vitamin D from sunlight, natural foods, or dietary supplements, it must first be converted by the kidney and liver into an active form before it can be beneficial for your body.
You see, vitamin D is available in multiple chemical forms, of which vitamin D2 and D3 are the two major types.
In Search Of Vitamin D
Under the right circumstances, 10 to 15 minutes of sun on the arms and legs a few times a week can generate nearly all the vitamin D we need. Unfortunately, the “right circumstances” are elusive: the season, the time of day, where you live, cloud cover, and even pollution affect the amount of UVB that reaches your skin. What’s more, your skin’s production of vitamin D is influenced by age , skin color , and sunscreen use .
Lack of sun exposure would be less of a problem if diet provided adequate vitamin D. But there aren’t many vitamin Drich foods , and you need to eat a lot of them to get 800 to 1,000 IU per day. People who have trouble absorbing dietary fat such as those with Crohn’s disease or celiac disease can’t get enough vitamin D from diet no matter how much they eat . And people with liver and kidney disease are often deficient in vitamin D, because these organs are required to make the active form of the vitamin, whether it comes from the sun or from food.
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Selected food sources of vitamin D |
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What Is The Recommended Sun Exposure For Production Of Vitamin D
Sensible sun exposure, especially between the hours of 10:00 am and 3:00 pm produces vitamin D in the skin that may last twice as long in the blood compared with ingested vitamin D. If sun exposure produces slight pinkness, the amount of vitamin D produced in response to exposure of the full body is equivalent to ingesting 10,000-25,000 IU. A variety of factors reduce the skins vitamin D-3 production, including increased skin pigmentation, aging, and the topical application of a sunscreen. A clinical study from Sweden comparing full body irradiation with UVB lamps 3 times a week for 6 weeks to a daily vitamin D3 supplement of 1,600 IU daily for 6 weeks found UVB therapy to be more efficacious in raising serum 25D concentrations. This suggests that UVB therapy may be a useful therapeutic approach in selected individuals.
When Do I Need Sun Protection
Sun protection is recommended when the UV Index is 3 or above, or when spending extended periods of time outdoors. Sunscreen should be incorporated into your daily morning routine on these days.
UV radiation levels in northern areas of Australia are generally higher than in southern areas, so in some parts of the country, sun protection is needed all year round, whenever the UV Index is 3 or higher. In these areas, it is safe to go outside without sun protection early morning and late afternoon when the UV Index falls below 3.
In some southern areas of Australia, there are times of the year when sun protection may not be necessary, generally late autumn and winter. If you live in an area where the UV Index falls below 3 during these months, you do not require sun protection, unless you are at high altitudes or near highly reflective surfaces like snow, work outdoors, or are outside for extended periods.
To check UV levels and the times sun protection is required, look at the UV Index in the weather section of your daily newspaper, on the Bureau of Meteorology website or download Cancer Council’s free SunSmart app to your mobile device. When UV levels are below 3 no UV Alert is issued.
Several studies have shown that sunscreen use has minimal impact on Vitamin D levels over time.
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