Getting vitamin D, the old fashioned way. By Dr. Joe Klassen, ND Questions about the value of sun exposure seem to come up at the start of every summer after we experience the warmth of the sun on our skin. We know that low levels of vitamin D have been associated with various cancers, depressive symptoms, cardiovascular disease, muscle pain, fatigue and anxiety, which helps explain why there’s such interest in maintaining healthy levels. However, even regular supplementation with vitamin D is no guarantee you will achieve adequate levels. Relying on supplements to meet all your vitamin D needs may leave you vulnerable to deficiency if you are not effectively absorbing. There are many factors that affect how much vitamin D we get from the sun, but the most important factor is you actually need to get out in the sun! There are so many health benefits to getting physical activity in the fresh air. It is great for the cardiovascular system, improves mood, helps to burn a few calories and allows you to connect with the elements. Do keep in mind that the sun needs to hit “unprotected” skin, because the use of protective clothing and sunblock prevents vitamin D from being made in the skin. Having sunlight hit your skin is a good thing, but as with most things, moderation is key. There is some interesting research regarding sun exposure and vitamin D, and as you might expect, it shows improved vitamin D levels in those who get out in the sunlight. One particular study focused on elderly persons who cycle or garden (presumably not both at once) and sure enough, it shows that those activities increase vitamin D levels and reduce the likelihood of deficiency. A good feature of this study is that it focused on realistic leisure-time activities that offer other social and physical benefits for participants. Another paper studied vitamin D levels in chickens, where researchers can control for diet, sun exposure and other factors that are hard to control in large numbers of human subjects. German researchers looked at three groups of chickens: those raised exclusively indoors, those raised exclusively free-range outdoors, and those with mixed
25-OH-vitamin D3
accommodations. The group that was raised outdoors exclusively had eggs with more than 3 times the amount of vitamin D than those raised exclusively indoors. So we can conclude several things from this study: first, that free-range farming does indeed provide a more nutritious food product; second, that healthy lifestyles naturally include exposure to sunlight; and last, it offers insight as to why vitamin D deficiency is increasing compared to previous generations, when eggs most likely came from chickens raised exclusively outdoors. The benefits of having adequate vitamin D levels are clear, but many variables including sunlight exposure, latitude, sunscreen usage, clothing coverage, dietary intake and supplementation can affect those levels. By testing your vitamin D levels at the beginning and end of the summer season, you can use that information as motivation to get out in the sun during the summer months and to adjust your vitamin D supplementation when the sun goes down in the fall. The Importance of Dose, Frequency and Duration of Vitamin D Supplementation for Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D.Chao Y-S, Brunel L, Faris P, Veugelers PJ.. Nutrients. 2013; 5(10):4067-4078 Vitamin D deficiency and leisure time activities in the elderly: are all pastimes the same? De Rui M, Toffanello ED, Veronese N, Zambon S, Bolzetta F, Sartori L, Musacchio E, Corti MC, Baggio G, Crepaldi G, Perissinotto E, Manzato E, Sergi G. PLoS One. 2014 Apr 10;9(4):e94805. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094805. eCollection 2014. Free-range farming: a natural alternative to produce vitamin D-enriched eggs. Kühn J1, Schutkowski A1, Kluge H1, Hirche F1, Stangl GI2. Nutrition. 2014 Apr;30(4):481-4. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2013.10.002. Epub 2013 Oct 14. Dr. Joe Klassen, ND is the founder of Fish Creek Naturopathic Medicine and a Clinician Support Specialist for Rocky Mountain Analytical, a Calgary medical laboratory. He enjoys outdoor activities and encourages patients to also enjoy the great outdoors, be active and eat healthy whole foods.
essential for good health
Test kits now available at participating Calgary Safeway Pharmacies Low vitamin D has been linked to: Anxiety
High blood pressure
Autoimmune disease (Lupus)
Multiple sclerosis
Cancers
Muscle pain and fatigue
Depression
Osteoporosis
Diabetes - Type I and Type II
Poor immune response
Heart disease 7 out of 10 Canadians do not meet the suggested minimum vitamin D level for optimal health. Statistics Canada, Health Reports. Vol. 21, no. 1, March 2010.
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