The Sunshine Vitamin

We hope everyone will join us for another delicious Pathfinder Produce market, this Thursday, February 12, from 2 to 5 p.m.  Our market cheerfully accepts cash, personal checks, SNAP cards, and Visa, Mastercard and Discover cards, and offers great prices on the freshest produce.

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Following two weeks with significant snowfalls and days without sunshine, I thought a look at the Sunshine Vitamin was in order.  Vitamin D is normally made in people’s skin on exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet-B light rays), and has a role in preventing rickets, other bone issues, as well as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, depression, and low immune function.

According to a 2012 paper in the Journal of Pharmacology & Pharmaco-therapeutics by Rathish Nair and Arun Maseeh, Vitamin D insufficiencies are pandemic:  About 50% of the world’s population does not have enough Vitamin D for optimum health, and an estimated 1 billion people have a Vitamin D deficiency (VDD). This is attributed to reduced time out in the sun (either by being indoors or clothing coverage), or environmental reasons (smog), which stop UV-B from reaching the skin.  Getting enough Vitamin D from natural food sources is difficult, and the authors suggest that consuming Vitamin D fortified foods or taking over-the-counter supplements of D₂ or D₃ capsules may be helpful.

Authors Nair and Maseeh note that Vitamin D deficiencies result in decreased absorption of calcium and phosphorus during digestion, which contributes to decreased bone mineral density, skeletal defects, and muscle weakness.  In older adults, Vitamin D deficiencies may result in unsteadiness while standing, which can lead to falls and serious fractures.  Groups at risk for VDD include breastfed infants, senior citizens, those with dark skin, people who are overweight or who have had gastric bypass surgery, and those of us with limited sun exposure (which means all of us living above the 37^th parallel in the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year).

According to the National Institutes of Health, the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin D by age group is:  Infants – 400 IU(mg); Children (1-13 years) 600 IU; Teens and Adults – 600 IU; Seniors (age 71+) 800 mg/day.  Pregnant and breastfeeding moms should also have 600 IU per day.  NIH indicates the upper limit for Vitamin D is 1,000 to 1,500 IU/day for infants, 2,500 to 3,000 IU/day for children 1-8 years, and 4,000 IU/day for children 9 years and older, adults, and pregnant/lactating teens and women.

To have Vitamin D do its job properly, it’s necessary for it to be consumed along with foods that are good sources of calcium.  Vitamin D fortified milk is a readily available option, as are fortified breakfast cereals. According to the World’s Healthiest Foods, any bony fish, including tuna, sardines or canned salmon, is rich in both vitamin D and calcium.  Pasture-raised eggs offer about 10% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin D (in the yolk), and some types of mushrooms offer about 5% per serving.  In as much as Vitamin D is fat soluble, it is recommended that you use a non-fat based method of cooking these foods to retain as much Vitamin D as possible.

If you think you might need some additional Vitamin D in your diet, check with your healthcare provider first, especially as some medications may have drug interactions with Vitamin D supplements -- corticosteroid medicines for inflammation, weight-loss and cholesterol lowering drugs, and some seizure control drugs.

Until next time, think sunny thoughts, and be well.

Lori