Winter D-Fence

Now that the shorter days, snowy weather, & cloudy skies of winter are officially upon us here in Minnesota, it is more important than ever to make sure you are getting adequate vitamin D.

The decreased exposure to sunlight this time of year puts us at risk for vitamin D deficiency. Other risk factors include:

• dark skin tone
• elderly individuals
• exclusively breast fed infants
• sunscreen use
• fat malabsorption
• inflammatory bowel/celiac disease
• obesity

What is it & what does it do?

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that’s primary role is calcium absorption & maintaining calcium & phosphate levels in the body. Making it a crucial nutrient for bone growth & remodeling. It is also important for:

• reducing inflammation
• blood pressure regulation & cardovascular health
• neuromuscular & immune function
• insulin secretion
• gene expression
• cell differentiation

When vitamin D deficiency occurs an individual can develop bone mineralization disorders such as Rickets in children & osteomalacia in adults as well as muscle weakness & pain.

There is also evidence that vitamin D may be useful in the prevention and treatment several other conditions including:

• colon, prostate and breast cancer
• Type 1 & 2 diabetes
• hypertension & cardiovascular disease
• glucose intolerance
• multiple sclerosis & other autoimmune diseases

Where does it come from?

So how do we acquire this helpful little nutrient? We get vitamin D two ways: sun exposure & diet. Vitamin D is found naturally in very few foods. The best source is fish, like salmon, tuna & mackerel or fish liver oils. It is also found in small amounts in other foods like:

• beef liver
• cheese
• egg yolks
• mushrooms

In an effort to help the general public consume adequate vitamin D, many foods are often fortified, such as milk, orange juice & breakfast cereals. Infant formulas in the U.S. are also fortified with vitamin D. This is now how the majority of Americans get vitamin D in their diet.

The only other way to get this nutrient is from direct skin exposure to sunlight. In the summer you can go outside in a tank top & shorts for about 15 minutes without sunscreen to get the necessary vitamin D & that certainly isn’t going to happen when there’s 2 feet of snow on the ground. It is simply impossible to get adequate vitamin D from the sun in the winter & most of us do not consume enough fatty fish & fortified foods to cut it.

So what should I do?

One of the easiest ways to get your daily intake of vitamin D in the winter months is to incorporate it into your daily supplement routine. The normal recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D is 600 IU daily for men & women up to to the age 70. Then it is increased to 800 IU a day.

Typically multivitamins contain 800-1000 IU of vitamin D, but during the winter it is recommend you up that to 2000 IU a day. You can incorporate individual Vitamin D supplements to help increase your dosage in the winter months. They are available in capsules, chewable tablets, liquids, & drops which makes it easy if your aren’t a fan of swallowing pills. Look for vitamin D3 which is the more bioavailable form of vitamin D. It should be taken with a meal containing fat, so try taking it right away in the morning with your breakfast or at lunch. Also make sure that you are buying good quality supplement. Check with your healthcare provider if you need help finding some. Nutri-Dyn, Biotics Research, & Metagenics are a few of our favorites.

Making this small change in your supplement routine can help you & your family stay healthy through the winter months, as well as all year round.