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April 22, 2004
Prairie Fare: Are You Falling Short of the Sunshine Vitamin?
It’s great when we finally get to shed our “Midwestern winter cocoon.” Heavy coats, hats, scarves, mittens, boots and other bulky winter survival clothing protect us from the bone-chilling cold. In cold weather, most of us drive around looking for close parking spots and we scurry from vehicles to warm buildings. Now with spring and warmer weather, there’s a metamorphosis as people in short sleeves emerge from buildings and bask in the warm sun. Are there any nutritional issues associated with avoiding the outdoors for several months of the year? Sunlight exposure has effects on nutritional status. Vitamin D is one of only two vitamins our bodies can make. With the action of sunlight on our skin, vitamin D is made and then activated in the liver and kidneys. The link between sunlight and vitamin D gets a little complicated. In the summer months, we wear less clothing but we slather ourselves with sunblock or avoid the sun to reduce our chances of skin cancer and premature aging. What’s so important about vitamin D anyway? Do you have any bones? If you’re like most people, you have 207 and they all require calcium, vitamin D and numerous other nutrients to remain strong. Vitamin D helps the body absorb the calcium we consume. According to recent research, getting adequate vitamin D may have other health benefits. Consuming enough vitamin D is linked with possibly reducing risk of prostate cancer, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Unfortunately, researchers estimate that about half of all Americans are falling short of vitamin D needs. Rickets, a softening of the bones and bowing of the legs, is associated with vitamin D deficiency. It is re-emerging as an issue among children in the United States. The current vitamin D recommendation is based on age and ranges from 400 to 800 International Units (IU) daily. Children need less vitamin D than adults. Some nutrition experts think we need more vitamin D than the current recommendation -- but not too much. Too much vitamin D can cause bones to become weaker and a host of other health issues. The upper limit for safety is 2000 IU from food and supplements. Besides being produced by the action of sunlight on skin, vitamin D is found naturally in foods like canned salmon and canned tuna. The most common source is fortified milk, with a cup of milk providing about 100 IU. Many calcium-fortified
juice and cereal products are also fortified with vitamin D. If you take
a calcium supplement, be sure it also contains vitamin D. Many nutrition
experts suggest limiting vitamin D from supplements to no more than 400
IU daily. Here’s a tasty vitamin D-containing beverage. Check out the orange juice varieties with added calcium and vitamin D, too.
### Source:
Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu |
Market Advisor: |
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North Dakota State University |
