More on Vitamin D
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD
The reader relayed a real-life experience that spot on tackles the skin cancer versus low levels of vitamin D argument. This reader endured both skin cancer, pre-osteoporosis (osteopenia) and low blood levels of vitamin D! Talk about a bad day. I thank her/him for sharing this story and am so sorry s/he had to go through such a rough patch. But it does highlight the need to address appropriately, adequate sun exposure to help boost our vitamin D levels, keeping in mind the real risk of getting too much sun. This reader recommends anyone living in northern climates to get a blood test to find out your vitamin D status and not be quite so obsessive about avoiding the sun. I have to concur.
Our kids are at special risk because they are in the process of building bone. We want to keep ours, and make sure our kids are indeed laying down adequate bone mass. New research out this week shows kids living in the northeastern United States indeed appear to be at real risk of bone diseases, like rickets, due to inadequate blood levels of vitamin D. Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia measured kids blood concentration from this part of the country and found over half of them had inadequate vitamin D levels. So we must take this seriously. Yes use sunscreen, but do allow your child to have some sun exposure. As I had said before in my previous post, vitamin D researchers are suggesting we get some sun but stop just short of our skin changing color.
And lastly I have to toot my horn for a sec. I was interviewed yesterday for a Newsweek story on bone health, particularly emphasizing the need for vitamin D. The story should run in about two weeks so look for it if you get Newsweek.
Don't forget you can get some D from your diet by drinking fortified milk, soy milk and rice milk, fatty fish like salmon, shrimp, and eggs. Check the nutrition facts label to find out if a food is fortified. And of course you could also take a supplement.
Have a vitamin D filled day!
6 Comments:
At Tue Aug 21, 03:16:00 AM 2007,
TedHutchinson said…
When buying Vitamin D supplements one needs to check the type of Vitamin D they contain. The Case Against Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) as a Vitamin Supplement explains why.
Readers who live in Europe need to understand our milk is NOT fortified and therefore is NOT a source of Vitamin D.
Where D2 may be used to fortify milk products people should be aware that not only is the amount generally LESS than stated but it's effect is not as reliable as if D3 were used. It is also impossible to drink sufficient milk to meet the amount your body uses daily.
Where sun is available people need to understand this is a heat driven, self limiting process.
The HEAT comes from UVB rays so we need an erythemal index of at least 3 and your shadow needs to be shorter than your height.
The good news regarding the self-limiting aspect is that one cannot get Vitamin d overdose from sun exposure BUT this is because further heat applied to newly made Vitamin D3 turns it to supra sterols that the body doesn't use.
This is why it is SO important NOT to spend too long in the sunshine. Not only do you risk sunburn (increasing your cancer risk) BUT you also destroy the vitamin D on the surface of your skin.
20minutes full body exposure is the most that is needed to produce 4000iu, the amount your body actually uses each day. So then you should cover up or go inside, to let the skin cool down and allow time for the Vitamin D3 to be absorbed.
At Sat Oct 27, 08:09:00 AM 2007,
lorna thorne said…
I have a prescription for 50,000 units if vitamin D once a week for eight weeks, is this safe
At Sun Dec 16, 06:58:00 AM 2007,
Babsie said…
My daughter was also prescribed 50,000 mg of Vit. d once a week for 8 weeks. Her hair stopped falling out; but when they moved her to every 4 weeks, her hair started fallingout again. Then they put her at 50,000 every 3 weeks & her hair stopped falling out again. Maybe it's an individual thing. Babsie
At Tue Feb 19, 05:42:00 PM 2008,
Anonymous said…
I was just prescribed Vitamin D, a 50,000 mg, to take once a month, for as long as it takes to build back up my Vitamin D levels, The blood test showed a level of 27. Normal levels are 100, how long will it take to build back up my vitamin D levels to that nomral leverl of 100. I was on thyroid meds for 17 years I didn't need to be on, at all, I just found out, and was prescribed diabetic meds that I should have never taken because I found out I wasn't a diabetic at all, and I was prescribed predninsone, a few years back, I was precribed "twice" in the Med Dose pack, within 7 months. I understand thyroid meds, deplete your bones along with the predninsone, and that the thryroid meds depleted my bones as well, because it interfered with the absorption of the calcium supplemnts I took all those years. Will that large dose of 50,000 mg a D really work, and can you overdose on Vitamin D. I don't get in the sun too much. And I live in a tropical sunshine state. Afraid of skin cancer.
At Sun Mar 02, 03:37:00 PM 2008,
Anonymous said…
I was prescribed 50,000 IU of vitamin D once a week and then it was increased to twice a week. It now has been increased to 50,000 IU three times a week. This sounds like an awful lot of vitamin D. Since I have one kidney and heart desease, this concerns me. When questioned about this, my doctor just responded, "You need it."
Would 50,000 IU three times per week be considered and overdose?
At Mon Mar 03, 05:08:00 AM 2008,
Anonymous said…
my down's syndrome (28years old ) has suffered various symtoms for a number of years, because he has no communication skills every test ect, shows negative results. is it possible to have one test that could check EVERY vitamin deficiency? carol murden
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