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Living in a country that offers an abundance of sunlight, you’d think that a shortage of Vitamin D is a health concern you wouldn’t need to worry about.
Sadly, research suggests that growing numbers of people aren’t getting enough of the sunshine vitamin.
Our lifestyles have changed with many of us spending the majority of our work days indoors, only arriving home after sunset.
What’s more, people with dark skins are much less efficient in producing Vitamin D from sunlight (due to the increased melanin pigment which acts as a natural sunscreen).
The elderly also have a decreased ability to make Vitamin D due to changes in their ageing skin and their kidneys being less able to convert Vitamin D into its active form.
Interestingly, obesity has been linked to Vitamin D deficiency. In obese people, the body fat binds to some of the Vitamin D, preventing it from getting into the blood and being absorbed by the body.
Digestive disorders like Crohn’s disease and coeliac disease can also affect the intestine’s ability to absorb Vitamin D from food.
Why we need Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for strong bones. It helps with the absorption of calcium and is need for bone growth and repair. Too little Vitamin D can result in soft bones in children (rickets) and an increased risk for fractures and brittle bones in older people.
Vitamin D is crucial to the health of your heart. Studies show that a deficit in the sunshine vitamin can increase your risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
Low Vitamin D-levels have been linked to cancers of the colon, breast and prostate, as well as the development of diabetes and multiple sclerosis (a chronic disease of the nervous system).
Research has confirmed the importance of Vitamin D for healthy brain function. A sufficient intake of Vitamin D keeps your mind sharp, slows mental decline and helps prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It can also help treat mild depression.
Vitamin D plays an important role in boosting the body’s immune system and reducing inflammation. Studies have found low Vitamin D-levels to increase the risk for respiratory infections like the common cold.
Get your daily D
Good sources of Vitamin D include fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines, butter, egg yolks, and liver. Vitamin D is also fortified in foods like breakfast cereals, milk, margarine and orange juice.
The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily intake of 600 IU (international units) for children and adults younger than 70, and 800 IU for those 70 and older.
Apart from including Vitamin-D rich foods in your diet, it’s recommended that you get 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure most days of the week (without sunscreen) so your body can produce the vitamin. To protect against the harmful effects of the sun, avoid direct sunlight between 10am and 3pm.
