By James Houston
Many, if not most, Americans do not get enough vitamin D. We all know that vitamin D helps your body build strong bones. However, if you don't get enough vitamin D your body will actually destroy your bones in search of calcium! Without vitamin D your body is unable to absorb calcium from food or supplements.
Vitamin D's most important role is to signal the intestines to absorb calcium into the bloodstream. Without sufficient vitamin D, your body will break down bone to get the calcium it needs no matter how much calcium you consume through food and supplements. Vitamin D is also relatively scarce in normal diets.
The recommended daily amount of Vitamin D for people between the ages of 50 and 71 is 400 international units (IU). To meet this recommendation a person would have to consume 5 ounces of salmon, 7 ounces of halibut, 30 ounces of cod, a 6 ounce can of tuna or 4 cups of milk. Very few people include that much fish or milk in their daily diet. For that matter, milk does not normally contain vitamin D. Nearly all of the milk consumed in the U.S. today is fortified with vitamin D.
By the way, the practice of fortifying milk began in the 1930s to combat rickets, a disease that leads to soft, weak bones caused by vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, don't make the mistake of assuming that all dairy products are automatically vitamin D fortified. In fact, dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, are not typically fortified with vitamin D and contain only small amounts.
Casual exposure to sunlight will provide you with most of your vitamin D requirement. Sunlight contains two forms of radiant energy that your body needs to generate vitamin D, which is why it's known as the sunshine vitamin. If you were to sit outside on a sunny day in the middle of summer at the equator wearing only a swimsuit, your body would create a whopping 20,000 IU of vitamin D per hour.
Depending on the season and where you live, even if you don't sunbathe or spend a great deal of time in the sun, you can generate a fair amount of vitamin D just by walking outside for short periods of time throughout the day. Also, your age, skin color and use of sunscreen will influence your production of vitamin D.
Recent studies have revealed evidence that health benefits from vitamin D extend far beyond its reputation for building healthy bones. Over the past decade, studies suggest that adequate amounts of vitamin D may lessen the risk of several types of cancer including colon, prostate, and breast cancer. It may also play a role in preventing high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia. A 2007 meta-analysis of 18 random controlled tests showed that vitamin D supplementation may even help you live longer.
Many, if not most, Americans do not get enough vitamin D. We all know that vitamin D helps your body build strong bones. However, if you don't get enough vitamin D your body will actually destroy your bones in search of calcium! Without vitamin D your body is unable to absorb calcium from food or supplements.
Vitamin D's most important role is to signal the intestines to absorb calcium into the bloodstream. Without sufficient vitamin D, your body will break down bone to get the calcium it needs no matter how much calcium you consume through food and supplements. Vitamin D is also relatively scarce in normal diets.
The recommended daily amount of Vitamin D for people between the ages of 50 and 71 is 400 international units (IU). To meet this recommendation a person would have to consume 5 ounces of salmon, 7 ounces of halibut, 30 ounces of cod, a 6 ounce can of tuna or 4 cups of milk. Very few people include that much fish or milk in their daily diet. For that matter, milk does not normally contain vitamin D. Nearly all of the milk consumed in the U.S. today is fortified with vitamin D.
By the way, the practice of fortifying milk began in the 1930s to combat rickets, a disease that leads to soft, weak bones caused by vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, don't make the mistake of assuming that all dairy products are automatically vitamin D fortified. In fact, dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, are not typically fortified with vitamin D and contain only small amounts.
Casual exposure to sunlight will provide you with most of your vitamin D requirement. Sunlight contains two forms of radiant energy that your body needs to generate vitamin D, which is why it's known as the sunshine vitamin. If you were to sit outside on a sunny day in the middle of summer at the equator wearing only a swimsuit, your body would create a whopping 20,000 IU of vitamin D per hour.
Depending on the season and where you live, even if you don't sunbathe or spend a great deal of time in the sun, you can generate a fair amount of vitamin D just by walking outside for short periods of time throughout the day. Also, your age, skin color and use of sunscreen will influence your production of vitamin D.
Recent studies have revealed evidence that health benefits from vitamin D extend far beyond its reputation for building healthy bones. Over the past decade, studies suggest that adequate amounts of vitamin D may lessen the risk of several types of cancer including colon, prostate, and breast cancer. It may also play a role in preventing high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia. A 2007 meta-analysis of 18 random controlled tests showed that vitamin D supplementation may even help you live longer.
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