Getting enough Vitamin D is essential for building and maintaining bone health because your body can only absorb calcium when Vitamin D is present. Vitamin D is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and supports immune health and muscle function. It can also improve your mood and decrease fatigue. Getting too little Vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis, muscle weakness and depression.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance of Vitamin D is 400 international units (IU) for children up to age 12 months, 600 IU for people ages 1 to 70 years, and 800 IU for people over 70 years.
Vitamin D is made from cholesterol in your skin when it is exposed to the sun, so getting sunlight is important and the most direct way to maintain adequate levels. But too much sun exposure comes with its own health risks. And while sunscreen is critical to preventing skin cancer, it also prevents your body from producing Vitamin D.
To get Vitamin D safely from the sun, try getting direct sunlight during the early morning hours or later afternoon when UVB rays are lower and you have the least chance of harming your skin. Any part of your body can be exposed to get Vitamin D, so consider having your legs or arms in the sun rather than your face, head and neck, which may get more sun exposure naturally throughout your lifetime. Wear a hat and sunglasses to protect your face, head and eyes while exposing other parts of your body. Since the head is a small part of the body, it will only produce a small amount of Vitamin D anyway.
The amount of Vitamin D your skin makes depends on several factors, including the time of day, season, latitude and your skin pigmentation. People with darker skin typically have more of the pigment called melanin than people with lighter skin, which naturally helps protect their skin against sun damage. But then this means that darker-skinned people need to spend longer in the sun than lighter-skinned people to produce the same amount of Vitamin D – a major reason why darker-skinned people have a higher risk of deficiency. Also, depending on where you live and how much sunlight your area gets, you may only get very low amounts or almost no Vitamin D during the winter.
Vitamin D can also be found in some foods like fatty fishes such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel.
But because it is not naturally found in many foods, look for it from fortified milk, cereals and yogurt. Packaging for these foods should list if they are fortified with Vitamin D, and you can check the nutrition label for the exact amount per serving.
Overall, the amount of Vitamin D adults get from their diets is often less than what is recommended. Especially in northern Indiana where we don’t get much sunlight during the winter, the result can be low Vitamin D levels or seasonal mood disorder.
Talk with your doctor about the use of a light box to address seasonal mood disorder. But remember that the sun’s UVB rays cannot penetrate through windows and don’t come from artificial lights, so if you sit or work next to sunny windows or electric lights you are not getting Vitamin D and can still be prone to a deficiency. Many older adults do not get regular exposure to sunlight (especially in the winter) and may also have trouble absorbing Vitamin D.
A simple and regular blood check by your doctor’s office can monitor your Vitamin D level. Your doctor may recommend a daily multi-vitamin or Vitamin D supplement like cod liver oil to help with your bone health or to help with symptoms of fatigue or mood, especially in the winter.
But don’t overdo it. Too high of levels of Vitamin D have not been shown to provide more benefits, and too much has been linked to other health problems like constipation, confusion or kidney stones. Always talk with your doctor about what’s right for you.
