YOUR VITAMIN D CHEAT-SHEET

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Eleanor Copeland
6 years ago
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1 YOUR VITAMIN D CHEAT-SHEET

When using the cutoff of 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/l) for vitamin D deficiency, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 90 million Americans are vitamin D deficient.

2 When using the cutoff of 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/l) for vitamin D deficiency, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 90 million Americans are vitamin D deficient. Are you one of them? Why do we need vitamin D? Vitamin D is critical for many functions in the body. You probably already know that having adequate levels is crucial for healthy bones, but it may surprise you to learn that the active form of vitamin D interacts with more than 30 different tissues in the body and affects more than 1,000 genes. In other words, it s important for a whole lot of things other than your bones! Here are some of the roles vitamin D plays in the body: necessary for maintaining muscle strength has a significant impact on the immune system increases our resistance to infections, particularly bacterial and viral infections that impact the respiratory tract may help protect against colorectal cancer important for maintaining healthy heart function and blood pressure

Checking Your Levels Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency is a problem in this country, particularly for those who are dark-skinned, spend most of their time indoors, regularly use sunscreen, live in

3 Checking Your Levels Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency is a problem in this country, particularly for those who are dark-skinned, spend most of their time indoors, regularly use sunscreen, live in northern latitudes, and/or are overweight or obese. Winter is an especially difficult season for our bodies to synthesize enough vitamin D as the days grow shorter and darker and we spend less time outside, we re simply not exposed to enough sunlight. For this reason, now is a good time to consider having your levels checked. Ask your healthcare provider, or you can order your own vitamin D test at RequestATest.com for $59.

What is a healthy level? The CDC reports 66 million Americans have 25(OH)D levels in the 12 to 20 ng/ml range, while 23 million have levels less than 12 ng/ml.

4 What is a healthy level? The CDC reports 66 million Americans have 25(OH)D levels in the 12 to 20 ng/ml range, while 23 million have levels less than 12 ng/ml. You should aim for 30 ng/ml, which is the threshold set by the Endocrine Society. If your levels come back under 20 ng/ml, I suggest talking to your practitioner about creating a protocol for elevating them.

Food Sources of Vitamin D While exposure of our skin to sunlight is the optimal way to get vitamin D, many people are concerned about the risk of skin cancer and sun damaged skin.

5 Food Sources of Vitamin D While exposure of our skin to sunlight is the optimal way to get vitamin D, many people are concerned about the risk of skin cancer and sun damaged skin. You can get it in food but it s not naturally present in large amounts. The majority of dietary vitamin D in the United States comes from the artificial fortification of milk or nondairy milk products; breakfast cereals, and orange juice. Herring, wild salmon, sardines, and fish liver oils are good natural sources of vitamin D, and you can also get small amounts in eggs, beef, and butter. However, while I advocate getting your nutrients from food whenever possible, it s hard to get adequate amounts of D from dietary sources alone. Here s an approximation of what you d need to eat in order to get just 600 IUs of vitamin D: 1.5 quarts (6 cups) of fortified milk 10 ounces (3.5 tins) of sardines 15 eggs 300 cups of mushrooms 18 ounces (1.1 pounds) of caviar Unless you REALLY like sardines or can afford mass quantities of caviar, chances are you ll want to consider supplementing in order to ensure adequate vitamin D levels.

6 SUPPLEMENT CONSIDERATIONS What form of vitamin D should I take? Our body uses cholecalciferol, or vitamin D3, which makes it the optimal form for supplementation. The vast majority of vitamin D3 in supplements is produced from either lanolin or fish liver oil. Ergocalciferol, or vitamin D2, is commercially prepared from ergosterol (present in yeast) and is generally preferred by vegans. How much? I recommend 2,000 IU per day of vitamin D3 for adults, particularly during the winter months. The upper limit is 4,000 IU per day, so this dose is well within the safe range. How do I take it? Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that needs to be taken with some fat. Since dinner tends to be richer in fat than other meals, I tell my patients to take their D with dinner or the fattiest meal of the day. One study found taking vitamin D with dinner increased blood levels of vitamin D by 50 percent more than when it was taken with breakfast.

7 Special Populations Research suggests vitamin D can help prevent flare-ups in people with inflammatory bowel disease and improve eczema symptoms. If you plan on becoming pregnant, have your vitamin D levels checked and corrected first if possible. Studies show having adequate vitamin D during pregnancy can be protective for both mom and baby. Newborn babies who are exclusively breastfed should be given 400 IU per day of vitamin D. To make sure infants get what they need, just put one drop of vitamin D oil (400 IU) on your nipple before nursing, alternating breasts each day. CAUTION: If you have hyperparathyroidism, Hodgkin s or non- Hodgkin s lymphoma, granulomatous disease (sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, kidney stones, kidney disease, or liver disease, make sure you talk to your healthcare provider before taking more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D.

MS Society of Canada Recommendations on Vitamin D in MS 1

MS Society of Canada Recommendations on Vitamin D in MS Many people affected by MS have questions about vitamin D, and whether it can prevent MS or be used to help stop the disease from getting worse.