Vitamin D
Vitamin D - The Sunshine Vitamin All of the vitamins work together to keep you healthy and feeling good. Here is a summary of the role of the sunshine vitamin, one of the fat-soluble vitamins, in your good health.
# Vitamin D needs are based in Adequate Intake “AI”, the amount the average healthy person consumes. There is not enough scientific evidence to establish an RDA. These amounts are based on getting Vitamin D from diet alone and not from the sun. Let the sun shine Vitamin D is the only vitamin (some say it is really a hormone) that is not necessarily something you need to get from your diet. Sunlight on your skin activates a precursor that manufactures this vitamin. However, if you live in northern climates or have very dark skin, it may be more difficult for you to get enough sunshine. In that case, you will need to get the sunshine vitamin from your diet. Those most affected by deficiency are children living in poverty and the elderly. In developed countries, rickets (deficiency in children) is uncommon. However, infants who are breast fed by mothers who don’t get enough sunshine or vitamin fortified foods may become deficient. Elderly at risk The elderly are at risk because with advancing age, the body becomes less able to manufacture the sunshine vitamin. In addition, older people tend to stay out of the sun or to use sunscreen. Vegans that do not include fortified products in their diets, are also at risk for deficiency. Interesting Fact: Although many health experts recommend that you wear sunscreen to protect yourself from the harmful rays of the sun, sunscreens with SPF of 8 and above also block the ability of your body to produce Vitamin D from the very same sunlight. It seems we are always trying to balance the harmful effects with the beneficial effects. Some health experts suggest that you spend ten to twenty minutes in the sun each day without wearing sunscreen. Dark-skinned people will require as much as an hour each day of sunshine to achieve the same effect. Prevention Although Vitamin D is mostly known for its role in healthy bones, recent studies have shown that it may have a protective influence against some types of cancer and some autoimmune diseases. There is also some research that shows that Vitamin D helps protect against viruses such as respiratory flu. Caveat: Of all the vitamins, Vitamin D is the most likely to become toxic if taken in large doses. Too much Vitamin D can cause calcification of the soft tissues of the body. Click here to go from the Vitamin D page back to Healthy Eating Support home page. How to Use This Site
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