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Vitamin D- Are You Getting Enough?

Wellness Mama

Vitamin D seems to be gett ing some pos itive publicity lately, but the tide of public opinion is yet t o shif t on

the importance of sunlight in this equation. While scientist s debate the topic, perhaps a conclusion can bereached with some good o ld-f ashioned logic.

A quick stro ll around any Walgreens shows t he trend t hese days to lather sunscreen each day to pro tect

against damage f rom the sun. Sunscreen under your make-up, sunscreen in your make-up, sunscreen for

baby, sunscreen for those who are sweating, sunscreen with added tanner, the list goes on. This would all

be well and good, except it isnt working! Our overuse o f sunscreen hasnt s to pped skin cancer at all, it is

actually increasing! On top of that , people are gett ing the mos t dangerous types o f skin cancer in places

the sun never even touches. Something here just doesnt add up

First , lets break down what ro le the sun plays in our biochemistry, and why it is important in the f irst place.

Organisms like plants and algae use sunlight f or photo synthesis to create oxygen and other important by-

products. Sunlight doesnt work quite the same way for us , but is s till just as important. When we are

exposed to ultraviolet B light f rom the sun or artif icial sources, vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol is created

photochemically in our skin. Food sources like fatt y f ish, eggs, and meat also provide D3. However Vitamin

D enters t he body, it is then transported through the bloodst ream to the liver where it is converted into the

prohormone calcidiol. Calcidiol is then converted by the kidneys or organisms in the immune system into

calationol. Calatinol circulates as a hormone and regulates mineral concentration in the blood (including

calcium), function of the neuromuscular and immune systems and gene proliferation (this is the reason f or

the link between Vitamin D def iciency and Cancers).

Or put more technically (courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Following the final converting step in the kidney, calcitriol (the physiologically active form of

vitamin D) is released into the circulation. By binding to vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP), a

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carrier protein in the plasma, calcitriol is transported to various target organs. [8]

Calcitriol mediates its biological effects by binding to the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which is

principally located in the nuclei of target cells.[8]The binding of calcitriol to the VDR allows the

VDR to act as a transcription factor that modulates the gene expression of transport proteins

(such as TRPV6 and calbindin), which are involved in calcium absorption in the intestine.

The vitamin D receptor belongs to the nuclear receptor superfamily of steroid/thyroid hormone

receptors, and VDRs are expressed by cells in most organs, including the brain, heart, skin,gonads, prostate, and breast. VDR activation in the intestine, bone, kidney, and parathyroid

gland cells leads to the maintenance of calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood (with the

assistance of parathyroid hormone and calcitonin) and to the maintenance of bone content.[23]

The VDR is known to be involved in cell proliferation and differentiation. Vitamin D also affects

the immune system, and VDRs are expressed in several white blood cells, including monocytes

and activated T and B cells.[24]

Apart from VDR activation, various alternative mechanisms of action are known. An important

one of these is its role as a natural inhibitor of signal transduction by hedgehog (a hormone

involved in morphogenesis).[25][26]

So what does this mean for us? In humans, Vitamin D is much more than just a simple vitamin that we need

to hit a target RDA of . Vitamin D is a hormonal precurso r and science is constantly linking def iciency of

Vitamin D to increased incidence of many diseases. Ironically, while Vitamin D is reality available (at least

part of the year in most parts of the world) f or f ree if produced f rom sun exposure, people are surprisingly

def icient in it these days.

Vitamin D3 can be obtained by adequate sun exposure or

by oral supplementation, but which is better? For years

and years (basically all of human history until the last f ew

hundred years) vitamin D was obtained f rom the sun in

varied amounts based on proximity to the equator.

Obtaining Vitamin D from foo d wasnt really a f easible

opt ion, since mos t f oo ds didnt have any mentionable

level of Vitamin D.

People who got the most sun exposure because they

lived in hot areas of the world developed excess melanin

(a darker skin pigment) to block burning while lighter

skinned people could produce Vitamin D (and a sunburn) a

lot more quickly. This system worked really well when in

the t ime when people lived in the same basic area their

whole lives, but now a light-skinned person like me could

go live in Ecuador or a naturally dark skinned person could move to Moscow. For this reason, people with

lighter skin need less sun exposure to get their vitamin D, while those with darker skin need much more sun

to get the same amount.

These days, health experts propose that vitamin D def iciency is t he mos t rampant and dangerous vitamindef iciency. What then, is the best way to get this all-important vitamin, the sun or a supplement? No matter

how Vitamin D is obtained, it ends up in the exact same f orm once it hits the liver (as long as an oral f orm is

D3). While I would personally suggest gett ing Vitamin D from the sun if possible because of the o ther

benef its o f sun exposure, the mos t important thing is to just get Vitamin D. If sun exposure is not possible

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or not f easible, supplementing orally is necessary. The amount of Vitamin D a person should take varies by

person, and a blood test is the only certain way to t ell if you are gett ing the right dose orally (the body

regulates this quite well if you are gett ing it f rom the sun). You want to get your 25(OH)D levels t ested and

aim f or gett ing them between 50 and 70. Experts are now est imating that mos t people need at least 10

times the suggested RDA (400 IU) of Vitamin D to accomplish this.

If you are fort unate enough to be able to get your vitamin D f rom the sun, your body will tell you how much

you need and when you have enough (hello, sunburn). The goal is to get adequate sun and not ever burn.

For light skinned people this may be only 15-30 minutes, but darker skinned people may need two hours ormore!

So then, lather on the sunscreen, right? Not so f ast ! The chemicals in sunscreen have been linked to

cancer themselves (hmmm, could that be the reason for the increasing skin cancer rates?). Chemicals in

sunscreens are also f ound to create f ree radicals in the body and produce an estrogenic ef f ect (man

boobs anyone?). So how ever do we protect ourselves f rom over-exposure to the sun? Aft er realizing that

mos t people arent gett ing enough to begin with, the logical answer once you have got ten your sun

exposure f or the day get out of the sun! Find some shade, wear some clothes, but get out of the sun. If

you are at the beach or o n an adventure race, consider a natural sunscreen or a pure zinc oxide formula.

Of course, many people will have trouble accepting the f act that sun exposure is so important, even as

study af ter st udy show the importance of vitamin D. Of course, it is up to you, ignore the sun and dont

supplement more than the RDA of the big D if you arent worried about:

Cancer- Research is now est imating that 75% of cancers can be prevented by adequate

consumption of Vitamin D.

Calcium Levels- Vitamin D controls calcium and phosphate levels in the blood and contributes to

bone growth and bone strength

Your Immune System-Ever heard of those t -cells that protect your body against bacteria and

disease? Vitamin D is crucial in their creation and function.

Inf lammation- Lack of Vitamin D can cause inf lammation in the body, then again, so can grain

consumption. Have joint pain, soreness or inf lammation? Cut the grains and hit the beach!

Other things to remember:

Vitamin D helps calcium abso rption, but make sure you are gett ing the calcium f rom diet or

supplements.

Def iciency of magnesium can inhibit vitamin D function, make sure you get that to o!

Eat proteins and f ats

Dont eat grains

Jump into sun exposure slowly if you arent used to it, though many people who switch to a no-grain

no po lyunsaturated or hydrogenated oil diet not ice a much higher resistance to the sun.

Here is more inf ormation about how diet and supplants can af f ect the bodys reaction to the sun and how

you can improve your skin tolerance naturally with certain supplements.

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