D is for deficiency

Less exposure to sunlight leaves many Americans lacking key vitamin
By Gee Loeb Sharp McClatchy News Service
Posted: 03/28/2010 11:51:12 PM MDT

We have evolved into a society sorely lacking in vitamin D.

Countless research hours have been conducted to help spread the word on its benefits, debunk the myths associated with it and lay out a simple set of guidelines to follow for optimum usage.

According to Dr. Jay Mattingly, a full-time anesthesiologist working for University of Tennessee Medical Group who recently became certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging, more than 1 billion people worldwide are deficient in vitamin D.

Actually, vitamin D isn`t a vitamin at all, but a hormone with receptors in all organs of the body, including the brain, heart, breast, colon, prostate and pancreas.

According to the Vitamin D Council, vitamin D deficiency has been implicated as a major factor in the pathology of at least 17 varieties of cancer, as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and more.

A major reason for our evolutionary decrease in vitamin D is our avoidance of the sun`s rays. Ask any vitamin D enthusiast about the sun`s ultraviolet rays and you`ll hear about its benefits, and how the skin produces about 10,000 units of vitamin D in response to 20 to 30 minutes of summer sun exposure.

Agnes Green, owner of The Healer Within wellness center in Portland, Ore., and a functional nutritionist, says we lack enough exposure to the sun to allow our bodies to produce sufficient amounts of vitamin D.

“We`re involved in more indoor activities,” Green says. “We are on our computers or watching TV, especially children and young adults who play video games. Our sun supply is cut down by diminished exposure, and what little time we do spend outdoors is rendered useless by the UV protection we lather over ourselves. … UV sunglasses also rob us of vitamin D production. … Unless you live directly under a hole in the ozone layer, you have no need for this militant sun protection. On the contrary, you`re doing yourself and your kids a disservice.”

How much vitamin D should you take? Though the U.S. government recently increased its daily recommendation to 400 IU daily, other doctors and health care professionals recommend a much higher dosage.

“The dose I recommend is 800 to 1,000 IU daily, though many of my patients with osteoporosis are still deficient at that dosage,” says Dr. Catherine Robilio Womack, internist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. “Many osteoporosis patients need 1,000 to 2,000 IU daily or a bigger weekly dosage. It doesn`t matter so much what you take daily; it is the cumulative dose that is important.”

Vitamin D in pill form can be toxic when taken in excess, so it is always important to have your levels checked after increasing your intake.

According to Mattingly, everyone needs differing amounts of vitamin D, just like anything else, but the average person needs 5,000 IU daily.

“There are no adequate dietary sources of vitamin D,” Mattingly says. “The average multi-vitamin has only 400 IU and an 8 oz. glass of milk supplies only 100 IU. Even supplements like Caltrate have only 600 to 800 IU.”