Vitamin D for Portlanders

 If you live in Portland, Oregon, or another location devoid of sunshine for many months at a time, you may want to think about the amount of Vitamin D your body needs to stay healthy.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin whose major role is to aid in absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestine and build and maintain bone mass. Beyond its function in calcium metabolism, it also has a role in reducing inflammation, preventing malignant cell growth, moderating immune function, and leveling mood. 

Last Winter, I couldn't shake a cough I had and was feeling really tired. I had a blood test to verify my Vitamin D levels and found they were insufficient. Not devastatingly deficient but lower than they should be.  My doctor suggested (until the sun came out again) taking a Vitamin D3 supplement (1000 IU) per day along with my multivitamin (400 IU) and eating foods fortified with D. (Please consult a doctor to see what is right for you.)

Over the past few years, research has shown that getting enough vitamin D can reduce the risk of several medical conditions, including osteoporosis, gum disease, diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and YES, even certain cancers.

The human body produces Vitamin D when sunlight hits your skin. According to experts, sun exposure without sunscreen for about 15 minutes is the best way to insure healthy Vitamin D levels for many people. For people who are dark skinned, over 50, or are overweight may have a harder time generating D through the sun's rays may need additional exposure or supplements.  Eating foods like salmon, mackerel, shitake mushrooms, canned tuna, cheese, egg yolks and Vitamin D fortified milk are recommended Vitamin D food sources.  I wasn't sure what fortified really meant when it came to vitamins, so I did a little reading and found some interesting information you may want to consider:

Fortified means that a nutrient has been added to the food because during manufacturing it was removed, or it was never naturally present. They tend to be isolated nutrients that studies have been shown are deficient in our diet ie. iron...Furthermore, foods are fortified using the cheapest form of a nutrient that your body cannot even absorb. Remember, it’s to sell the product, not to make you healthy. Calcium and vitamin D are great examples of this.

http://www.joyoushealth.ca/2010/08/18/food-claims-what-does-fortified-enriched-really-mean/

Young or old, thick or thin, light or dark; if you live in Portland you may want to think about how to maintain healthy levels of Vitamin D in your body!

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/vitamin-d-and-chronic-disease/
http://menopause.about.com/od/postmenopausehealthrisks/a/Daily-VitD-Meno.htm
www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20504538,00.html
today.msnbc.msn.com/.../ways-get-more-vitamin-d