Vitamin D and Your Health
Why You Should Skip Sunscreen and Drink More Milk
Vitamin D is good for your bones. The best way to get it is from fortified dairy products and from the sun.
Vitamin D is an important nutrient for your health. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps your body absorb calcium and build strong bones. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the fatty tissue of the body. Unfortunately, Vitamin D is not naturally found in many foods. The three major sources of Vitamin D are fortified foods, sunlight, and dietary supplements.
What Vitamin D Does
In addition to aiding calcium absorption, Vitamin D helps the body regulate the amount of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. It helps in bone formation and mineralization. Vitamin D also supports a healthy immune system and helps fight against tumor formation. Vitamin D may also protect against peripheral artery disease.
Getting Vitamin D from Food
Because Vitamin D does not naturally occur in many foods people eat, it has to be added. Milk and other dairy products are often fortified with Vitamin D. This is helpful, because the added Vitamin D helps the body absorb the calcium that naturally occurs in milk.
Besides milk, there are other foods that are good sources of Vitamin D:
- Cheese
- Butter
- Yogurt
- Cereal
- Margarine
- Bread
There are a few foods in which Vitamin D naturally occurs:
- Fish liver oils
- Fatty fish, like herring
- Sardines
- Tuna
- Mushrooms
- Eggs
Getting Vitamin D from Sunlight
Another good source of Vitamin D, oddly enough, is the sun. When sunlight hits the skin, UVB radiation reacts photochemically with substances in the skin to synthesize Vitamin D.
Because of the increase in sunscreen use over the past few decades, more and more people are found to be Vitamin D deficient. For these people, it may be beneficial to occasionally go outside in the sun for brief periods of time without wearing sunscreen, or using a sunscreen with SPF lower than 8.
Lighter-skinned individuals tend to absorb more sunlight than darker-skinned individuals, making them less susceptible to Vitamin D deficiency. Individuals who wear full-body coverings, such as the burqua, are also more susceptible to Vitamin D deficiency.
The Right Amount of Vitamin DToo little Vitamin D can cause problems in both children and adults. Vitamin D deficiency in adults can lead to osteoporosis, or weakening of the bones. Vitamin D deficiency in children can lead to rickets, which can impede growth and cause deformity of the long bones.
Too much Vitamin D can also be a problem. Having too much Vitamin D can cause kidney stones, vomiting, and muscle weakness. It can also cause high blood calcium, which can damage the function of the heart and lungs.
This article is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult with your physician. For more information about Vitamin D and your health, visit Medline Plus.
