Good Sources Of Vitamin D
From about late March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight.
The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors.
But between October and early March we do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight. Read more about vitamin D and sunlight.
Vitamin D is also found in a small number of foods.
- fortified foods such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals
Another source of vitamin D is dietary supplements.
In the UK, cows’ milk is generally not a good source of vitamin D because it is not fortified, as it is in some other countries.
Are You At Risk For These Common Nutrient Deficiencies
Yet very few foods have enough vitamin D to reach recommended daily intakes, and sunshine can be unreliable in certain climates. Men and women relying on sourcing vitamin D through diet alone typically dont exceed 288 IU a day on average. Even drinking an 8-ounce glass of milk will only get you 100 IU one-sixth the amount that many adults need daily.
But when supplements are added, they get closer to the 600 IU goal. Consider this: Women between ages 51 and 70, who averaged 156 IU through the diet-only approach, reached 404 IU with the help of supplements.
How Is Osteomalacia Treated
Patients who have osteomalacia can take vitamin D, calcium or phosphate supplements, depending on the individual case. For instance, people with intestinal malabsorption may need to take larger quantities of vitamin D and calcium.
Other treatments to relieve or correct osteomalacia symptoms may include:
- Wearing braces to reduce or prevent bone irregularities
- Surgery to correct bone deformities
- Adequate exposure to sunlight
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When Is The Best Time To Take Vitamins
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While these nutrients are found in varying amounts in food, some people need to supplement with certain vitamins to meet their nutritional requirements.
Normally, most vitamins can be taken at any time of day. That said, some vitamins are better absorbed under special conditions, which is why its good to know how and when to take a supplement to promote optimal absorption.
This article explains how and when to take vitamins.
What About Children Babies And Pregnant Women
The advice is:
- breastfed babies from birth to one year old should be given a daily supplement of 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D to make sure they get enough
- formula-fed babies should not be given a supplement until they are having less than 500ml of infant formula a day, because formula contains vitamin D
- children aged one to four should be given a daily supplement of 10 micrograms
The dose for adults applies to pregnant and breastfeeding women. A higher dose may be recommended for pregnant women with dark skin or with high-risk pregnancies.
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Why Is Vitamin D So Important For Your Health
Internal Medicine World Report
Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins for our overall health, but many people in the United States, as well as worldwide, are not getting enough of this vitamin. And the only way to know if you’re getting enough of this vitamin is by doing an expensive test. And everyday it seems, new studies show new reasons why this vitamin is so important to our health.
Although vitamin D can be stored in your body fat until it is needed, the problem is that it’s not so easy to get enough vitamin D into your body.
The main job of vitamin D is to keep the right amount of calcium and phosphorus in your blood?these are the 2 nutrients that work together to make your bones strong. If you don’t have vitamin D in your body, only a small amount of the calcium from your diet can be absorbed by your body, and only a little more than half of phosphorus is absorbed. Without enough calcium and phosphorus being absorbed in your body, your bones would become brittle and break easily.
Until recently, experts believed that the main role of vitamin D was to keep our bones healthy and prevent them from breaking up. But new research has shown many other reasons why this vitamin is so important for our health.
Incorporating It Into Your Morning
Many people prefer to take supplements such as vitamin D first thing in the morning.
Not only is it often more convenient, but its also easier to remember your vitamins in the morning than later in the day.
This is especially true if youre taking multiple supplements, as it can be challenging to stagger supplements or medications throughout the day.
For this reason, it may be best to get in the habit of taking your vitamin D supplement with a healthy breakfast.
Using a pillbox, setting an alarm or storing your supplements near your dining table are a few simple strategies to remind you to take your vitamin D.
Summary
Some people may find that taking vitamin D first thing in the morning is more convenient and easier to remember than taking it later on.
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If You Take Any Group Of Patients With Almost Any Disease Their Vitamin D Levels Will Be Lower Than In A Healthy Individual Ian Reid
Ian Reid, professor in medicine at the University of Auckland, believes that diseases cause low vitamin D levels, as being unwell often leads to spending less time outdoors exposed to sunlight, rather than vice versa. If you take any group of patients with almost any disease, their vitamin D levels will be lower than in a healthy individual. This has led some to hypothesise its low vitamin D developing the disease, but theres no evidence to prove it, he says.
Some experts believe people who are unwell have low vitamin D levels because they spend less time outdoors, not that their low levels cause health problems
Researchers have found that higher vitamin D levels are associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer it plays a role in stemming the formation of new blood vessels and stimulating better communication between cells. Vitamin D also has been found to help maintain normal levels of calcium in the colon, which slows growth of non-cancerous but high-risk cells.
Other studies, including of the link between vitamin D and liver cancer,breast cancer and prostate cancer, suggest there is good reason to think that low vitamin D plays a part in the spread of cancer cells. But taking supplements would then, surely, help stave off cancer and a recent meta-analysis failed to find that supplementation reduced cancer risk.
D for depression
Do You Need To Take Vitamin K2 With Vitamin D
Video Friday: Dr. John Campbell reviews the scientific evidence to determine if supplementing with vitamin K2 with vitamin D is absolutely necessary
Its Video Friday! Todays video addresses a frequently asked question among GrassrootsHealth participants and followers Do I need to take vitamin K2 with my vitamin D supplements? This video is presented by Dr. John Campbell as he reviews the current published scientific research on vitamin K for an answer to this question.
Please take a moment to watch and share the video along with our detailed information below.
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Treatment For Vitamin D Deficiency
Treatment for vitamin D deficiency involves getting more vitamin D — through diet and supplements. Although there is no consensus on vitamin D levels required for optimal health — and it likely differs depending on age and health conditions — a concentration of less than 20 nanograms per milliliter is generally considered inadequate, requiring treatment.
Guidelines from the Institute of Medicine increased the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D to 600 international units for everyone ages 1-70, and raised it to 800 IU for adults older than age 70 to optimize bone health. The safe upper limit was also raised to 4,000 IU. Doctors may prescribe more than 4,000 IU to correct a vitamin D deficiency.
If you don’t spend much time in the sun or always are careful to cover your skin , you should speak to your doctor about taking a vitamin D supplement, particularly if you have risk factors for vitamin D deficiency.
What Causes Cystic Fibrosis
CF is passed through the CFTR genes. People who have CF inherit two faulty genes, one from each parent. The parents do not have to have CF in fact, many families do not have a family history of CF. In this case, the person with the faulty gene is called the carrier. About one in 31 people in the United States is a carrier who is free of CF symptoms.
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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Vitamin D Deficiency
Severe lack of vitamin D causes rickets, which shows up in children as incorrect growth patterns, weakness in muscles, pain in bones and deformities in joints. This is very rare. However, children who are deficient in vitamin D can also have muscle weakness or sore and painful muscles.
Lack of vitamin D is not quite as obvious in adults. Signs and symptoms might include:
- Fatigue.
What Does It Take You To Get Your D To 40 Ng/ml
Did you know your health could be greatly affected by making sure you have a vitamin D level of at least 40 ng/ml ? Help us help you.
STEP 1 – Do you know what your vitamin D level is? If not, be sure to test today to find out.
STEP 2 Determine your target level. Are you at your target level? Experts recommend a level of at least 40-60 ng/ml .
STEP 3 Need to boost your level? Use the D*calculator to see how much vitamin D it may take to reach your target. Opt for the Loading Dose for a quicker boost.
STEP 4 Optimize how your body absorbs and utilizes vitamin D with co-nutrients and these simple steps.
STEP 5 Re-Test! This is an important step to make sure you have reached your target level, and to ensure you are not taking too much! Re-testing after 3-4 months is recommended.
STEP 6 Adjust, Repeat
Give your immune system the nutrients it needs to support a healthy you and protect yourself from unnecessary diseases, especially COVID-19.
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What Does Sunlight Have To Do With Getting Enough Vitamin D
There are health benefits of sunlight. Vitamin D is produced when your skin is exposed to sunshine, or rather, the ultraviolet B radiation that the sun emits. The amount of vitamin D that your skin makes depends on such factors as:
- The season: This factor depends a bit on where you live. In areas such as Cleveland, OH, the UV-B light does not reach the earth for six months out of the year due to the ozone layer and the zenith of the sun.
- The time of day: The sun’s rays are most powerful between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- The amount of cloud cover and air pollution.
- Where you live: Cities near the equator have higher ultraviolet light levels. It is the UV-B light in sunlight that causes your skin to make vitamin D.
- The melanin content of your skin: Melanin is a brown-black pigment in the eyes, hair and skin. Melanin causes skin to tan. The darker your skin, the more sun exposure is needed in order to get sufficient vitamin D from the sun.
When Should A Vitamin D Test Be Taken
There is no conclusive evidence that regularly testing vitamin D levels among the general population is helpful. The FOPH therefore does not recommend general screening as a preventive measure. According to the FOPH, in most cases it is not necessary to measure someoneâs vitamin D levels before they take supplements â as long as they do not exceed the recommended daily amount of 600 IU for adults and 800 IU for those aged 60 and over. These recommendations are supported by recognised medical publications. A test is only considered useful for high-risk groups. These include those who are pregnant, newborn babies, older people with osteoporosis or bone fractures and patients with chronic kidney or liver disease.
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Muscle Problems That Are Thought To Be Caused By Statins
Its possible that muscle aches and pains that are often thought to be caused by statins are actually caused by a lack of vitamin D. Too little vitamin D can cause muscle weakness and tenderness in the bones these muscle problems seem very similar to the ones linked to statins.
Because a lack of vitamin D is so common, its likely that many people who are taking statins dont have enough vitamin D.
Your doctor can check if you have enough vitamin D in your blood using a simple blood test.
What Is Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency means that you do not have enough vitamin D in your body. Vitamin D is unique because your skin actually produces it by using sunlight. Fair-skinned individuals and those who are younger convert sunshine into vitamin D far better than those who are darker-skinned and over age 50.
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Sunlight As A Key Source
Exposure to sunlight is crucial to help your body make vitamin D. In fact, according to a June 2019 article in StatPearls, 50 to 90 percent of the vitamin D in your body is accrued through sun exposure .
If your climate has a lot of sunshine, get outside a few times a week to soak it in. Keep in mind that you need to let the sun penetrate a large part of your body not just your face and hands. The StatPearls paper notes that, on average, 20 minutes of sunshine daily with about 40 percent of your skin exposed is required to prevent vitamin D deficiency.
There’s a catch, though: Wearing sunscreen decreases your absorption. But, sunscreen protects you from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays and foregoing it increases your risk of developing skin cancer, according to the American Academy of Dermatology .
For this reason, the AAD suggests that most people can and should get the vitamin D they need from a combination of D-rich foods and supplements, although you should speak with your doctor to determine the best approach for you.
How Can I Help Prevent Vitamin D Deficiency
The goals of treating and preventing the lack of vitamin D of treatment and prevention are the sameto reach and keep an adequate level of vitamin D in the body. Your healthcare provider will let you know if you need to take or keep taking vitamin D supplements. If so, they will also let you know how much you should take. You might also want to consider:
Eating more foods that contain vitamin D: See the vitamin D food sources table included in this article. Keep in mind that foods alone usually don’t meet the daily recommended levels of vitamin D.
Getting some exposure to sunshinebut not too much: Exactly how much sun exposure is needed isnt clear. 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure two to three times a week to the face, arms, legs or back may be all that is needed to absorb a suitable amount of vitamin D. You might need more sun exposure if:
- You are older.
- You have a darker skin color.
- You live in northern climates.
The use of sunscreen, and standing behind a window, prevents vitamin D from being produced in the skin. However, you should remember that too much sunshine increases the risk of skin cancer and ages the skin. That is why taking an appropriately dosed D supplement is far safer than intentionally getting routine sun exposure.
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Other Ways To Get Enough Vitamin D
There are other ways to get vitamin D beyond just taking a supplement. Sunshine is an excellent source of vitamin D, and so are many foods.
Spending 10 to 20 minutes in the sun provides 1,000-10,000 IUs of vitamin D. The amount of time you should spend in the sun and the number of IUs youll get will vary on the season, where you live in the world, and how dark your skin is. No matter where you are, the short time in the sun that you spend daily should be unexposed so that your body can adequately absorb the light.
Try incorporating vitamin D-rich foods into your diet, too. Here are some options:
- Fatty fish are high in vitamin D.
- Some mushrooms, like portobello and maitake, have proper levels of vitamin D, especially if theyre grown using UV light.
- The United States fortifies milk with vitamin D. Still, raw milk is known to have naturally occurring vitamin D as well. It may even have a higher concentration of nutrients.
Is It Possible To Take Too Much Vitamin D
Only the excessive consumption of supplements can cause a spike in vitamin D levels. This results in an excessive concentration of calcium in the blood, which manifests itself in a general feeling of weakness, headache and cardiac arrhythmia. In serious cases, taking too much vitamin D can lead to kidney stones and kidney failure. You should therefore avoid taking multiple vitamin D supplements at the same time.
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Vitamin D And Sunlight
Children need sunlight on their skin for their bodies to make vitamin D. They get about 80% of their vitamin D this way.
Scientists arent sure exactly how much sun Australian children need for good levels of vitamin D. But we do know that the amount of sun your child needs depends on where you live in Australia and the time of year.
It also depends a bit on your skin colour. People with naturally very dark skin need 3-6 times more sun to make vitamin D than the amount fair-skinned people need.
