Vitamin D – Sunshine, Supplements or Food?
October 23, 2015Vitamin D is a fat-soluble hormone key for bone and muscle health. It is also required for the health of our blood vessels, nervous system, immune system and other systems of the body. A good majority of my weight loss surgery patients take a Vitamin D supplement.
Vitamin D and Sunshine
On the topic of Vitamin D, I've often read that our society spends too much time inside in front of screens. All someone needs to do is to spend more time outside. This may be true but there are certainly other factors to consider.
Most of us spend the majority of our day indoors. As I write this article, I’m indoors and you’re probably indoors someplace reading it. Most of us don’t have the luxury of being able to work outside or take breaks during our day to soak up the sunshine. And, there is such a thing as too much sun hence our need for sunscreen.
Studies show we only need less than 45 minutes of sunshine to get our daily need of Vitamin D, which isn’t much. We’re supposed to spend about that same amount of time exercising each day. And while we do spend too much time indoors, there are other ways to get adequate Vitamin D without the risks some people fear of too much sun.
Vitamin D and Food
While a few extra minutes of sunshine can help, most bariatric patients take a vitamin supplement or prescribed a supplement. Only a small amount of our food contains Vitamin D. This includes fortified milk, egg yolks and saltwater fish.
I went through our pantry at home and found a few items that contain Vitamin D. I was both happy and disappointed at the same time to see that some foods have enough of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin D while others are lacking even though they have been “fortified.” What I found was a serving of canned salmon contains around 700 IU of Vitamin D, one serving of soymilk contains around 300 IUs and one serving of Vitamin D fortified milk contains around 250 IUs.
According to recommendations of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, adults under age 50 need 400-800 IU (International Units) of Vitamin D3 daily, adults age 50 and older need 800 – 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily.
Vitamin D and Supplements
Vitamin D helps to absorb calcium. In addition to over-the-counter Vitamin D supplements, it can also be prescribed as a preventive course against osteoporosis.
So you can see that even with the small amount that is found in our food and the amount we gain from the sunshine, there is still a need for some adults and children to have a Vitamin D supplement.
Vitamin D is an important vitamin to minimize the risks of osteoporosis (thinning of bones), stress fractures, muscle weakness, falls, poor coordination, depression and fatigue, as well as many other problems. The most common reason I hear from my patients on why they don’t currently exercise or why they have a hard time starting an exercise program is because they are too tired and their joints ache. Usually, joint aches occur because the surrounding tissue is too weak to support them. Many of my patients report they don’t enjoy walking with their family (or going to amusement parks, or going to family functions, etc.) is because they are too tired during the day and it hurts their knees (back, hips or ankles).
Some of the symptoms of vitamin deficiencies can include muscle weakness, fatigue, poor coordination (from the lack of muscle strength around the knees affecting the way one walks), along with possible falls in the past from weakness and thus depression from not being able to be as active as one would like.
When my son was a baby, we had to give him Vitamin D drops to help him absorb calcium and phosphorus to help prevent rickets (a softening or weakening of bones). As our bones are first developing, and then starting to break down, either from being overweight or aging, there is more of a need for additional Vitamin D to help with the absorption of calcium.
A word of caution - there is such as thing as having too much Vitamin D which can present its own set of problems. As with any new medication, talk to your doctor first to make sure that a Vitamin D supplement is right for you. Also, check with your pharmacist before starting anything new to ensure it won’t interact with any current medications or over the counter drugs you are taking.
While you can obtain small amounts of Vitamin D from sunshine and foods, taking Vitamin D supplements is your insurance policy for optimum health.
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Melissa Bell, ACSM CEP, EP-C is a Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist certified by the American College of Sports Medicine. Melissa helps weight loss surgery patients prepare for surgery by introducing exercise and counsels patients on ways to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives. She received her Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine from Appalachian State University. Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn.Read more articles by Melissa Bell! |
Photo credits: Colin Dunn cc
