Posted Jan 2, 2010
Take supplements: 1,000 units per day for children, and 1,000 to 2,000 units daily for adults.
Store up plenty of sun during the summer, fall and winter. Going outside with sunscreen on your face in short 10- to 15-minute stints allows us to absorb vitamin D-producing rays and store them for the winter.
Stay in shape. Obese people have more trouble releasing vitamin D that is stored in their fat cells.
Eat foods that are high in vitamin D. Fortified orange juice and milk as well as wild salmon all contain vitamin D.
Source: Dr. Michael Holick
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What problems are caused by vitamin D deficiency?
A. A growing body of research connects vitamin D deficiency to a wide range of health problems, including multiple sclerosis, depression, Alzheimer’s, cancer, auto-immune diseases, influenza and asthma.
Q. What are some common signs of vitamin D deficiency?
A. Muscle aches and pains, fatigue, depression.
Q. What are the main sources of vitamin D ?
A. While some foods contain vitamin D, our most important source is ultraviolet rays from the sun.
Q. Why can’t we make vitamin D from the sun’s rays in the winter?
A. The angle of the sun in relation to the Earth during the winter prevents ultraviolet rays that contain vitamin D from reaching the Earth. Ozone in the Earth’s atmosphere filters out these vitamin D-producing rays.
Date: Dec 29, 2009
Editor’s Note: Some people may need much more supplemental vitamin D base on their 25-Hydroxy vitamin D blood test, a.k.a 25 (OH) D. To learn more visit www.vitamindcouncil.org.
Tags: Asthma, Body, Cancer, Children, Depression, Fatigue, Flu, Food, Immune, Pain
