Vitamin D And Its Many Sources

Vitamin D plays its most critical role in maintaining healthy bones in both young and old alike. Research also indicates that it can help protect against numerous cancers such as that of the prostate, colon, breast, ovary and bladder by maintaining a healthy immune system. The major controversy seems to lie in what is the best way to increase our Vitamin D intake.
The two ways to get Vitamins D are from foods and the sun. Exposure to the sun involves the liver and manufactures a Vitamin D precursor (an advance representative or pre-vitamin) that migrates to the skin. With the help of the sun’s ultraviolet rays (UV), this pre-vitamin undergoes another change. The liver and kidneys alter it again to produce the active Vitamin D hormone that scientists feel has become an important player in today’s health issues. Should we take in more Vitamin D? Should we increase our exposure to the sun? No one can disagree that if a substance can possibly prevent certain types of cancers, the substance or behavior should be encouraged. Some physicians and scientists are saying that RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) should be raised from 400 IU (International Units) to 1000 IU. Some propose increasing the upper limit to 2000 IU for children and adults. No so simple, because Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and can be stored up in the body. If you take in too much, it can cause toxicity. Therefore, we need to consider the amount of Vitamin D we get through either food sources or the exposure to the sun. Vitamin D fortified foods include milk: 1 cup supplies 100 IU. This is one-fourth of the current recommended daily allowance for adults between the ages of 51 and 70. Three ounces of tuna packed in oil will give you 200 IU and one tablespoon of cod liver oil will give you approximately 1300 IU. These are a few of the food sources of Vitamin D you might consider. But what happens to a poor eater? What if someone has a disease or condition that impairs the production of the active Vitamin D? Should they be given supplements and, if so, how much?
Vitamin D in excess is the most toxic vitamin, causing damage to the kidneys and to the heart and lungs where it can cause death. What is the right thing to do? The jury is still out on debating the issues.
Another way of obtaining healthy quantities of Vitamin D is from exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. The new advice being given out is to "get more sun." Unlike Vitamin D supplements, the sun imposes NO RISK of Vitamin D toxicity. But increasing exposure to the sun, raises questions regarding skin cancer. Some problems exist when it comes to how much sun we should expose our skin to. The problem is that the amount of color in the person’s skin, determined by a compound called melanin, influences how much Vitamin D you actually make.
Melanin is a brownish-black coloring found in the skin of some individuals. Melanin blocks UV rays. The darker a person’s skin, the longer the person has to be in the sun to form the necessary amount of Vitamin D.
As my Irish priest says, "Fair-skin is the curse of the Irish." Unlike darker-skinned people, the fair-skinned people are extremely sensitive to the suns rays and vulnerable to skin cancer. On the other hand, those who use skin blocker (a sunscreen with an S.P.F. of 8) are blocking 95% of the skin’s ability to make Vitamin D.
Until these issues are settled, we need to sift carefully through the information, for the best way appropriate to our body. As we have said many times, you are the final arbiter in deciphering the mixed messages and then determining what is best for you.
Eat well to include all vitamins, including Vitamin D, in your eating regimen. Try to get a little bit of sun for five or 10 minutes a day - a few times a week and consider if you need a sun screen. Outdoor tennis players play for at least 1 ½ hours - three times a week in my Senior Tennis League. Most have no problem with skin cancer and have been doing this for decades. In the winter, they often go south for more opportunities to play in the sun. It is true that the fairer skinned individuals have had surgery for skin cancer, but they don’t wear large white hats and full (cotton) shirts and long pants.
We need to examine the latest evidence, but realize that any general guidelines may exclude us. Simply put, we are individuals with different types of skin and coming from all areas of the earth with unique DNA that places us outside the realm of any guidelines. Experimentation is necessary to determine what works with you. I have an Italian-Polish ancestry that provides me with a skin type that tans, but doesn’t burn. Favoring the skin of my Sicilian background has given me the advantage of a sun-tanned appearance, which is commented on by all my friends. And yet, I make no attempt to become a sun-worshiper. Lying in the sun was never something I looked forward to or desired. The sun I get is determined by many factors, and during normal outdoor activities, which varies according to the time of the year, the weather, and the hobbies I have. Because I suffer no consequence from this exposure, I do not worry or cover myself with lotions or excessive clothing. If I suffered sunburn, like that which many of my friends experience, I would surely limit my exposure and use precautionary measures such as sunblock and clothing to protect my body.
However, we still need to realize how much individual responsibility is required. "Make Eating A Lifestyle Change" is not a diet and not just about exercise—it is a lifestyle that suits your individual needs, based on ethnicity, skin texture, allergies, our ancestry, our tastes, our likes and dislikes and most of all—what works for us.