April 17, 2018
By: Dr. Danielle Stromme, DC
Picture this… It’s 79 degrees outside, you’re lying by the pool or relaxing on a boat somewhere in lake country with a cold beverage in hand, soaking up the sun! The rays are pouring down, you have the day off and not a worry in the world. Sounds like a typical Minnesota summer, right?! And with this April snow, warm weather sounds amazing right about now. Who knew spending a day outside could have such an impactful health benefit? That benefit is vitamin D.
Would you believe that the majority of the population, up to 90 percent of adults in the United States, is believed to have a vitamin D deficiency? This deficiency is becoming so serious, vitamin D is becoming one the most recommended supplements by health care providers today. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver and fatty tissues of the body. This means that increased body fat has the ability to absorb vitamin D and keep it from being used within our body. As the population of overweight and obese adults and children has risen steadily over the past several decades, so has the incidence of vitamin D deficiency symptoms. Vitamin D deficiency not only causes metabolic bone disease among children and adults but also may increase the risk of many common chronic diseases. According to research, a vitamin D deficiency symptom can be linked to the following health problems:
Many times, we rely on our food sources to supplement our need for vitamins but vitamin D is unique in the fact that our body makes most of it. The way our bodies produce vitamin D is by converting sunshine into chemicals that are used in the body. The cholesterol in our skin converts to “previtamin D” and makes the usable form of vitamin D3. Vitamin D becomes a hormone within our body. It impacts not only our skeletal structure, but also our blood pressure, immunity, mood, brain function, and ability to protect ourselves from cancer. As mentioned above, cholesterol plays a role in the conversion of melanin into usable vitamin D. Because of this process, it can be normal to see a moderate rise in cholesterol levels during winter months due to the lack of sunlight.
In humans, melanin is the primary determinant of skin color. The more melanin you have in your body, the darker your skin color is. With that being said, the amount of melanin you have in your skin directly affects the amount of vitamin D you can produce. The fairer your skin, the more easily you can make vitamin D. Melanin gets released when we are exposed to the ultraviolet rays of sunshine. The more time you spend in the sun, the more melanin is released in our skin. It is believed that up to 90 percent of most people’s vitamin D comes from casual sun exposure.
There are two main reasons for vitamin D deficiency; lack of sun exposure and sunscreen. Years ago, it was normal to send your children out to play and burn energy but nowadays kids spend much of their time indoors on their phones or computers, watching tv and surfing the internet. Likewise, adults spend much of their time working, exercising and spending free time indoors reducing their exposure to the sun. Addressing sunscreen is another story. It’s not surprising that skin cancer is on the rise due to lack of sunscreen use. Protecting the skin is always important but studies have shown that wearing sunscreen as low as 8 SPF can reduce the ability of your body to make vitamin D by up to 90 percent. Wearing sunscreen and getting adequate sun exposure is a “catch 22” type of situation. To protect yourself from intense rays but allow for adequate sun exposure, try applying sunscreen to the hands and face leaving your body exposed for about 10-15 minutes before applying to the rest of the body.
So how much sun is really enough?
Most experts recommend getting about 10-15 minutes daily of direct sunlight without wearing sunscreen if you are fair to medium toned. If you have dark skin, you will likely need more time in the sun to make enough vitamin D since your skin has more protection against the sun’s effects.
Some experts recommend that darker toned people spend about 40 minutes to one hour in the sun daily if possible. If you live farther from the equator (in the US this would be the mid-states or farther north), then you will need more time overall in the sun (closer to the hour time-frame). Or if in winter, you will need to double the recommended time to allow enough vitamin D production to occur.
Coming from the Midwest, it would be outrageous to sit outside for “double the recommended time” during winter months. Especially when Mother Nature puts up a fight in April! That’s where supplementation plays an important role.
The RDA for vitamin D according to the USDA is 600 IU/day for adults. I personally recommend getting 5000 IU/day, especially since there is little risk in over-supplementing with vitamin D, but many benefits to gain from having adequate levels.
However, keep in mind that this is a general recommendation and there is no way to know the exact amount that’s best for you without a blood test. You may need a higher or lower amount and should speak to a Health care Provider if so, this way you can purchase a good-quality, food based vitamin in the proper dose you need right away.
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