Vitamin D
 Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is synthesized by the skin when it is exposed to ultraviolet rays from sunlight. Hence the name "The Sunshine Vitamin". Ten minutes of sun exposure, two times per week is enough to prevent deficiencies. However, season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, sunscreen are among the factors that affect UV radiation exposure and Vitamin D synthesis. For example:
- above 42 degrees North Latitude (a line approximately between the northern border of California and Boston), between November and February there is no sufficient UV energy for Vitamin D synthesis.
- in far Northern Latitudes, this low energy lasts for up to 6 months.
- Latitudes below 34 degrees north (a line between Los Angeles and Columbia, South Carolina) allow for Vitamin D production throughout the year.
Vitamin D Health Benefits- It helps the body absorb Calcium and Phosphorus.
- It helps in forming and maintaining strong bones.
- It promotes bone mineralization in conjunction with other vitamins, minerals and hormones. Without vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, soft, or misshapen.
- It plays an important role in activating the immune system.
- It helps the pancreas produce insulin.
- Reduces inflammation, blood pressure and helps to protect against heart disease.
Foods Rich in Vitamin D Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, herring, tuna, mackerel, catfish), shrimp, fish liver oil (like cod liver oil), eggs, fortified milk, beef liver.
In many countries, such foods as milk, yogurt, margarine, oil spreads, breakfast cereal, pastries, and bread are fortified with Vitamin D, to minimize the risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D and Menopause- Daily Value for women at menopausal age is 400 IU. Most people meet their Vitamin D needs through exposure to sunlight. Women with limited sun exposure need to include good sources of Vitamin D in their diet.
In the United States, typical diets provide about 100 IU/day. Although milk is usually enriched with Vitamin D, this is insufficient in practice to obtain the levels recommended by various U.S. medical authorities.
- Studies suggest that increased intake of Vitamin D reduces the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women.
- Bone loss and joint pain, major menopause symptoms, can be relieved by taking adequate quantities of Calcium and Vitamin D. Bone loss at menopause leads to Osteoporosis, a condition characterized by reduced bone mineral density and increased bone fragility.
- At menopausal age, Vitamin D deficiency may lead to Osteomalacia, a bone-thinning disorder which results in muscular weakness and weak bones.
- Vitamin D deficiency will increase susceptibility to high blood pressure, memory loss and foggy brain.
Interesting Facts (Wikipedia, 2004) - A 2006 study using data on over 4 million cancer patients from 13 different countries showed a marked difference in cancer risk between countries classified as "sunny" and countries classified as "less sunny" for a number of different cancers.
- Research has also suggested that cancer patients who have surgery or treatment in the summer - and therefore make more endogenous Vitamin D - have a better chance of surviving their cancer than those who undergo treatment in the winter when they are exposed to less sunlight.
- Another 2006 study found that taking the US RDA of Vitamin D (400 IU per day) cut the risk of pancreatic cancer by 43% in a sample of more than 120,000 people from two long-term health surveys.
- A randomized intervention study involving 1,200 women, published in June 2007, reports that Vitamin D supplementation (1,100 international units (IU)/day) resulted in a 60% reduction in cancer incidence, during a four-year clinical trial, rising to a 77% reduction for cancers diagnosed after the first year (and therefore excluding those cancers more likely to have originated prior to the Vitamin D intervention).
- Researchers monitored the Vitamin D levels, blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors of 1739 people, of an average age of 59 years for 5 years and they found that those people with low levels of Vitamin D had a 62% higher risk of a cardiovascular event than those with normal Vitamin D levels. Heart attacks peak in winter and decline in summer in temperate, but not tropical latitudes.
 Vitamins can have toxic effects just as severe as drugs, if taken in excess. The range of safety of the vitamins is much wider than that of most drugs. The toxic ranges do not apply to each individual. Dosage must be prescribed individually, because some people may be able to absorb more than others. Ask your doctor before taking any vitamins.
Reference: Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes: Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D and Fluoride. National Academy Press. Washington, DC, 1999.
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