Vitamin D is very important for your health. But, is your body making enough? The main sources of this vitamin are sunlight exposure outdoors and diet – our bodies naturally produce vitamin D when skin is exposed to UV rays. This vitamin is essential to help the body absorb calcium and phosphate from our food. Calcium and phosphate are important for healthy bones, teeth and muscles.
If your diet is deficient in this vitamin, it can lead to bone softness and deformities such as rickets in children and osteomalacia (bone pain) and osteoporosis in adults. One of my yoga students sent me this email about his vitamin D deficiency:
"I went to the doctors recently and had a blood test and they discovered I was deficient in Vitamin D. Apparently the normal range is between 70 to 200 odd (from memory). I was at 15!!! Anyway, Vitamin D deficiency is very common and is a particular problem for those with dark skin as this naturally restricts the amount of Vitamin D absorbed by the skin. I’m on a course of Vitamin D3 tablets to adjust my level back to normal. I’m also hoping to get some sun on holiday in Kos shortly.”
As much as 75 percent of the world’s population is vitamin D deficient and it is estimated that up to 85 percent of people who have insufficient levels of this vitamin are unaware of it.
An article in the Guardian, 2nd August 2015 says:
“People in Britain should boost their vitamin D intake with supplements because of a lack of bright sunshine to provide it naturally, government health advisers have suggested. The British weather prevents much of the population from receiving healthy amounts of the essential vitamin from sunlight, and natural food sources alone are not enough to boost levels, according to the scientific advisory committee on nutrition (SACN).”
The World Health Organisation recommends 5 to 15 minutes in the summer sun, two to three times a week. Sun protection blocks vitamin D production. However, very importantly, if you spend prolonged time in the sun you must use sun cream, especially between 11am and 3pm. Exposing yourself to more sun doesn't mean you'll have extra-high levels of this vitamin – when your body has made enough it simply breaks down any surplus.
Dietary vitamin D is present in only a small number of foods - oily fish e.g. salmon, mackerel, herring, fresh tuna, red meat, liver, egg yolks and fortified foods e.g. some breakfast cereals and fat spreads.
It can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease, type 2 diabetes, chronic inflammation, age-related macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness) and Alzheimer’s disease. And, helps you fight infections such tuberculosis, pneumonia, colds, flu and can also improve seizure control in epileptics.
Common types of vitamin D are vitamin D2 and D3. Compared to D2, vitamin D3 is 87 percent more effective, and is the preferred form for addressing insufficient levels of this vitamin.
The following groups of people are more likely to experience deficiency:
- People with naturally dark skin – for example people of African, Afro-Caribbean, middle-eastern or South Asian descent because the pigment melanin inhibits the skin's ability to make vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure.
- Those who wear clothing that covers up most of the skin.
- People Over 65 years old,
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women,
- Those who spend long periods of time indoors – the frail, housebound and those in hospital, for example, and people who are overweight or obese.
The Department of Health, advises that these groups should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10mcg of vitamin D throughout the year. During autumn and winter everyone (including pregnant and breastfeeding women) should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10mcg.
It is important to also note that you shouldn’t take any vitamin D supplement without taking vitamin K2.
Regardless of skin pigmentation, deficiency can be even worse if you live in northern latitudes where there is very little sun exposure.
If you think you may be deficient in Vitamin D, you will need to have a blood test done to determine your current levels , so a visit to the doctor may be in order.
Please seek medical advice if you need more information, including recommended practices and supplement levels for infants.
