Normal vitamin D levels critical to good health

“Drink your milk or you’ll get rickets,” mothers and grandmothers have been able to say since the 1930s.

This disease that caused bowed legs, knock-knees and weak bones was just about eliminated when dairy products were fortified with vitamin D.

Since then we’ve known how important calcium is to our bones and the important role vitamin D plays.

But now, many studies have proven that it’s a lot more than just about your bones. A study published in the Cambridge Journal states that a vitamin D deficiency can cause respiratory diseases in children.

A study in Finland monitored more than 10,000 children over a 31-year period and found that normal levels of vitamin D reduced the likelihood of type 1 diabetes.

Vitamin D has been discovered to be useful in treating psoriasis, preventing periodontal diseases, cardiovascular disease and asthma.

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., revealed a connection between high vitamin D intake and the risk of breast cancer.

People with other cancers such as prostate and those associated with tobacco use were found to have low vitamin D levels. And another study showed that pregnant women with low D levels were more apt to develop complications such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes.

Schizophrenia and depression have also been linked to vitamin D deficiency.

Whew! Please bear in mind that some of these studies are ongoing and that some researchers find them inconclusive. But, your health care provider can sort it out for you. It all starts with a simple blood test called the 25-hydroxyvitamin D test.

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VITAMIN D

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WebMD says “Current guidelines by the Institute of Medicine set a blood level of 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) as a goal for good bone health and overall health. However, some doctors say people should go higher to about 30 ng/mL to get the full health benefits of vitamin D.”

The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin D is 600 IU (international units) per day until you’re 70 and 800 IU after that. Your medico will take into consideration that some drugs like laxatives, steroids, anti-seizure and anti-cholesterol meds can prevent you from absorbing it.

Plus, too much vitamin D is not a good thing. Vitamin D may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, or interact with heart medications raising the calcium level resulting in an abnormal heart rhythm. Too much blood calcium can cause damage to blood vessels and kidneys.

Okay enough of that part. Let’s talk about how we get vitamin D. Called the sunshine vitamin, it’s pretty obvious that living where we do prevents us from getting enough of that! Sure, sitting out on a sunny day helps, but only if we’re fair skinned, are in short sleeved shirts and pants and can stay out for more than 15 minutes without hearing our dermatologist screaming at us!

The good part about getting vitamin D from sunshine is that it’s impossible to overdose. Yup, in Idaho in the spring it’s pretty impossible to get 15 minutes of sunshine, too!

We do get some vitamin D from food. The best source is fatty fish, mushrooms, eggs, meat and fortified foods like cereals and breads. Cod Liver Oil is high on the list as are oysters, caviar (love the idea of that diet) and fortified soy products.

The trick is to add up all the vitamin D that you’re consuming. Read the labels and remember to count what’s in your multiple tablets. Talk to your clinician or pharmacist about taking any supplement with prescription medications.

Then, add a little sunshine to your life by attending the Art Transplant Sale on Monday, April 29 from 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the BGH classroom!

Kathy Hubbard is a trustee on the Bonner General Hospital Foundation Board. She can be reached at 264-4029 or kathyleehubbard@yahoo.com.