Treatment for Vitamin D deficiency

It’s estimated that more than 40% of American adults have a vitamin D deficiency. The commonly recommended daily dose of vitamin D3 is 600 IU.

Vitamin D has multiple roles in the body. It assists in:

• promoting healthy bones and teeth

• supporting immune, brain, and nervous system health

• supporting lung function and cardiovascular health

• influencing the expression of genes involved in cancer development

• regulating insulin levels and supporting diabetes management

Evidence-based health benefits of vitamin D

• decreasing your chance of developing heart disease

• reducing your risk of multiple sclerosis.

• helping to reduce your likelihood of developing the flu

• Research has shown that vitamin D might play an important role in regulating mood and warding off depression. In one research, researchers found that people with depression who received vitamin D supplements noticed an improvement in their symptoms.

• researchers found vitamin D deficiency was more common in those who were also experiencing anxiety and depression.

• Vitamin D has an important role in regulating cell growth. Laboratory experiments suggest that it helps prevent the unrestrained cell increasing in numbers that characterizes cancer by reducing cell division, restricting tumor blood supply, increasing the death of cancer cells, and limiting the spread of cancer cells.

How to get vitamin D from sunlight.

Factor effect vitamin d production from sunlight.

- Sunscreen: some studies estimate that sunscreen of SPF 30 or more reduces vitamin D production in the body by about 95–98%.

- Duration and area of sun exposure: wearing a tank top and shorts for 10–30 minutes three times per week during the summer should be sufficient for most people with lighter skin.

- Season and Location: People living in areas farther away from the equator make less vitamin D in their skin.

- Skin types: Darker-skinned people need to spend longer in the sun than lighter-skinned people to produce the same amount of vitamin D.

How about Kid?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should receive at least 400 IU per day from diet and supplements.

Food source of vitamin D

Source: HealthlinkBC

Example food which equals 400 IU of vitamin D3

Risk Factors for Vitamin D Deficiency

Insufficient sunlight exposure

Medication use that alters vitamin D metabolism (e.g., anticonvulsants, glucocorticoids)

Obesity (body mass index greater than 30 kg per m2)

Age older than 65 years

Breastfed exclusively without vitamin D supplementation

Dark skin

Sedentary lifestyle

Blood test for vitamin D level

for adults,

Deficiency is defined as a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of less than 20 ng per mL,

Insufficiency is defined as a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of 20 to 30 ng per mL

Vitamin D deficiency treatment package

Reference

1. American family physician Oct 15, 2009 Issue " Recognition and Management of Vitamin D Deficiency "

2. "How to Safely Get Vitamin D From Sunlight" Written by Ryan Raman, MS, RD on April 28, 2018, Healthline