Vitamin Information Center

Over the past few years the sun has gotten a bad rap. Too much sunshine can put you at risk for skin cancer. And an overdose of sun can also lead to nasty sunburns, or even heatstroke.

But the sun isn’t always bad for the body. Scientists have known for years that the sun is a great source of vitamin D. This vitamin naturally boosts the immune system, your body’s defense against disease. Now mushrooms bathed in ultraviolet (UV) light — like that from the sun — can help you get some of this valuable vitamin.

Each year there are more and more studies released that suggest if you want to be healthy, vitamin D is where it’s at. Vitamin D strengthens your heart and bones, and can prevent asthma and some forms of cancer and diabetes.

Some foods, like fish and eggs, are naturally brimming with the vitamin. And others, like milk and some cereals, are fortified with vitamin D. But you would need to consume a lot of milk and cereal to get your daily dose of vitamin D. Sunlight still reigns king as the best source for vitamin D.

Recently scientists have shown that specially treated mushrooms could give people a vitamin D boost. U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers in California treated portabella mushrooms to suntanning sessions of up to 18 minutes. The mushrooms didn’t develop a bronze glow or complain of heat stroke though. Instead each mushroom produced nearly 4 micrograms of vitamin D per gram of tissue. When white mushrooms were given similar sun treatments, these fungi boasted extra vitamin D, too. Now both kinds of vitamin-infused ‘shrooms are on the market. So if you like mushrooms, you could munch your way to a higher daily dose of Vitamin D.

Depending on a person’s age, people should get between 5 and 15 micrograms (or 200 to 600 international units) of vitamin D each day. Without these amounts, people are prone to get diseases like rickets, which causes distorted, soft bones. These numbers, though, are really just a minimum. Now some scientists suggest it’s better to get as much as five times the recommended vitamin D dose each day.

Having more foods with Vitamin D is a good thing, since there are also several factors that make it hard to get enough of the vitamin from just the sun.

One factor influencing elderly people’s vitamin D intake is that they often spend less time outdoors. Therefore, they need more vitamin D in their diet. And if you spend a lot of your time indoors, playing video games or on the computer, you may need extra vitamin D from your food, too.

Skin color and weight also help determine a person’s vitamin D needs. Darker skin filters out more of the sun’s UV light, so people with darker skin need more sun exposure to make necessary amounts of vitamin D. For unknown reasons, heavier people also need a greater amount of UV light to enable vitamin D production.

And latitude — how far north or south you live — can play a major role in the sun’s ability to help you get adequate vitamin D amounts. As you get farther away from the equator, the amount of UV-filtering atmosphere increases. This means that at higher, more northern latitudes, people get less UV rays. So, if you live in a state like Alaska, most of the year you can’t get enough sun to trigger the vitamin’s production by your skin.

Eating foods enriched with vitamin D or taking a daily vitamin may not be as satisfying as breaking out your bathing suit and lying in the sun. But the right foods and supplements can help keep you healthy until summer’s rays are here again.

Everywhere you look this month, someone seems to be talking about Vitamin D. Good Morning America, Parenting Magazine, and numerous news organizations have focused on the possible benefits of the vitamin your body produces itself, yet most people seem to lack.

All this attention has led to some confusion. South Jersey Healthcare outpatient dietitian Deborah Stump helped shine some light on vitamin D last week by answering more than a dozen questions submitted to The Daily Journal’s Healthline.

“It’s a big topic right now,” said Stump. She added that recent studies have linked vitamin D to everything from diabetes to cancer prevention.
What is it?

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and form bone. It also strengthens the immune system.
How do I get it?

Getting vitamin D is as easy as going outside. Your skin turns UVB rays from sunlight into vitamin D. It also is found in most multi-vitamin supplements, stand-alone supplements, and in “fortified” foods such as milk and some fruit juices and cereals.

So, if it’s so easy to get, why are more than half of children and some 65 percent of adults not getting enough?

Turns out, according to Stump, some generally-accepted, healthy habits have had the unintended consequence of restricting vitamin D. The first: sunscreen.

“You need 10-20 minutes of sun exposure three times a week,” she said, adding that the exposure should come between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., when the sun is strongest. Sunscreen, of course, blocks those rays.

And yes, you have to go outside.

“One question asked if you can get sunlight through glass,” Stump said. “Glass lets about 78 percent of UVA rays through,” she said, “but it blocks all but about 5 percent of the important UVB rays. So, you have to get outside.”

Stump added that people should spend a little more time outside during the winter months, when the sun is not as strong.

Vitamin D took another hit as people moved away from eating saturated fats.

“As people started eating more poly and unsaturated fats, we saw a decrease in vitamin D,” she said.
How much do I need?

This was the most common Healthline question.

The Dietary Reference Intake for vitamin D is 200 International Units per day for kids and adults up to age 50, but that is being hotly debated. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 400 IU per day, and a quick check of a bottle of One-A-Day vitamins says that 400 IU covers 100 percent of my daily requirement.

Stump said even that may not be enough.

“There is a lot of research supporting 800-1,000 IU of Vitamin D per day,” she said.
What’s the use?

So why so much interest in vitamin D? Well, besides forming bone and helping the immune system, Stump said there is an association between vitamin D deficiency and Type 1 and 2 diabetes. Also, there is evidence that vitamin D can fight prostate, breast, and colon cancers as well as fight depression and improve cardio-vascular health.

A slew of recent books and studies have touted the benefits of vitamin D and the perils of not getting enough vitamin D; some even encourage lying in the sun and taking vitamin supplements in order to prevent depression. But dermatologists say more time soaking up the rays isn’t necessary—most Americans get all the vitamin D they need just by going outside in the course of their daily duties, and beyond that, it’s easy to get adequate levels of the vitamin through nutrients in food. “Sunlight helps us produce vitamin D, but the amount of sunlight you need is so low that you could walk outside for probably five minutes and have enough,” says Craig Austin, a New York-based dermatologist and founder of AB Skincare.

Vitamin D is important because it helps with calcium absorption; it’s found in foods ranging from milk and cheese to liver, beef, fish and eggs. Many cereals are now fortified with vitamin D, as well; most people who follow normal diets probably don’t need to take vitamin D or calcium supplements, Austin says. “Vitamin D deficiency, I don’t think, is really all that common.”

During the winter, people who live in northern climates might consider taking daily supplements, says New Jersey-based dermatologist Eric Siegel. But overdoing the vitamins has side effects, too, including nausea, vomiting, poor appetite and constipation. “You can also start suffering kidney disease, and, believe it or not, once you go past a certain dose of vitamin D, you can start clogging up the kidneys, because there’s too much calcium absorbed into the blood,” he says.

So don’t use vitamin D as a reason to lie in the sun that extra half hour, Siegel says. “Why not get [vitamin D] out of food or supplements?” he asks. “Why give yourself skin cancer?”

The benefits of vitamin D have long been known. It’s central for healthy bones and preventing some cancers.

A recent study boosted D’s profile, saying people with a moderate vitamin D deficiency had a 60-percent increased risk of cardiovascular problems, and those with a severe deficiency a almost 100-percent risk.

Since we get vitamin D from the sun along with food, it seemed great news for those who like to catch some rays. But not so fast, says Judy Dowd, a physician’s assistant with Cotton-O’Neil Dermatology. She says one source says all you need is five to 10 minutes of sun exposure on the hands, arm and face, two to three times a week, to get enough sun exposure to get the vitamin D you need and metabolize it usefully.

That’s about a half hour total. Other health officials said up to two hours total a week is what’s needed. But you also get vitamin D from food. Dowd says it is milk, cereals, breads and other foods are fortified with it and it’s also in eggs and liver.

Dowd advocates minimal sun exposure, so that you get enough vitamin D without adding to the risk sun exposure poses. She says it can cause early signs of aging, like wrinkles. It can also impact the immune system and cause skin cancers.

Dowd says it’s projected there’ll be 1.3 million new cases of skin cancer in the next couple years. She says many health experts attribute this to the increased use of tanning beds. As for tanning beds and vitamin D, she says we get vitamin D from UVB rays, not UVA rays, and most tanning beds use only UVA rays.

The number of skin cancers continues to climb and successful treatment means catching it early. The Cotton-O’Neil Cancer Center will have free skin cancer screenings Saturday, April 26th. It’s free, but you do have to register for an appointment by calling HealthConnections at 785-354-5225.

Medical and nutrition experts offers some ways to get more vitamin D in your life:

The National Institutes of Health recommends getting about 10 minutes of sun exposure on your arms, legs and hands two to three times a week without using sunscreen. Eat oily fish such as salmon or mackerel. Just 3.5 ounces of either provides 90 percent of the daily value for vitamin D.

Eat vitamin D-fortified foods such as milk, some cheeses, yogurts, juices and cereals. Check labels to see which ones contain vitamin D.

Take a vitamin D supplement. The government’s current recommendation for vitamin D is 200 IUs (international units) a day for people up to age 50, 400 IUs to age 70, and 600 IUs for people over 70. Although some scientists believe these dosages are too low, most caution not to exceed 1,000 IUs daily from supplements, because too much vitamin D can be toxic.

Take vitamin D-3 (cholecalciferol form) instead of D-2. Vitamin D-3 is more potent and more easily absorbed by the body than D-2.

– R.J. IGNELZI

In a 1996 survey, however, when 1,009 Americans were asked which of five foods–lettuce, asparagus, navy beans, brown rice, and oatmeal–provided the best source of cholesterol-fighting soluble fiber, many missed the mark. While Americans may know they need fiber, they aren’t getting enough fiber in their diets is an essential element of a healthy diet.Some fibers are soluble in water and others are insoluble. As it passes through the gastrointestinal tract, soluble fiber binds to dietary cholesterol, helping the body to eliminate it. Antioxidants help prevent cholesterol from being moved out of the blood and into the lining of the blood vessels.

Weight loss is reverting back to a fiber diet. Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and rich in fruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain fiber, particularly soluble fiber, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The following is a guideline for your cholesterol levels. Acceptable blood cholesteral-180-199. Borderline high blood cholesterol-200-219. 220 or higher-then your blood cholesterol level is too high. If your total blood cholesterol level is greater than 200 (and especially if it is over 220), you should have another test to see what type of cholesterol is high. Fresh fruits, vegetables and unprocessed grain products such as whole-grain breads and cereals are naturally low in fat, cholesterol-free, but rich in starches and dietary fiber. Including more starches and fiber in your diet can help you lower your cholesterol level as well as reduce your risk for obesity, cancer, high blood pressure and other maladies.

This information will guide you towards a fiber rich liquid vitamin with a minimum of 4 grams of fiber per ounce. Do not ignore this, as it is the basis for good health and well being! Today’s liquid vitamin nutrition is essential for protecting you & your family against disease.

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Do you know what you are feeding your dog? If you are feeding your dog with commercial dog food, than you are in for a big surprise.

Dog food ingredients are not required to pursuant to the FDA guidelines therefore the actual ingredient could be as little as 25% of the total packaged product. The question is what comprises the remaining 75%?
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Undeniably, a huge gap between what our body consumes and what it needs exists. In the recent times, the having-as-much-fun generation outweighs those who worry about optimal health. No matter how tedious it may sound, this nugget of wisdom proves true: health is priceless wealth. As we age, we know that the tastiest meals can cost our entire health, and that being less careful with what we eat can equate to a lifetime of regret. Continue Reading…