TOPICS:
WHY DOES OUR BODY NEED VITAMIN D?
HOW MUCH VITAMIN D DO WE NEED A DAY?
WHAT ARE SYMPTOMS OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY?
CAN SUPPLEMENTS HELP?
HOW DO I KEEP MY SKIN SAFE?
WHAT SUNSCREENS ARE BEST FOR ME AND HOW TO APPLY?
SUMMARY
How good do you feel when you wake up with the sun poking through the curtains? You tend to want to get out of bed and gravitate towards the sun, having your morning breakfast and cup of tea while thinking "what can I do today?" or "I really don't want to be inside today". Well you are not alone in that thought. Our body is made to depend on sunlight.
WHY DOES OUR BODY NEED VITAMIN D?
Vitamin D is different to other vitamins. Our body actually makes it internally from cholesterol but the sun on our skin needs it first so that it is then transported via our blood to our liver then kidneys to make it active for our bodies use. How does our body use it? It is needed for production of your pancreatic enzymes, control calcium and phosphorus levels in blood and your bones then it goes on the store the excess Vitamin D in the liver and fatty tissues. So this then helps your bones, teeth, muscles, cartilage, cardiovascular health, production of sex hormones, brain function and immune system.
HOW MUCH VITAMIN D DO WE NEED A DAY?
Recent findings show that an average younger person needs 600 IU a day and over 70years old, they need 800 IU a day. To put that into perspective, a single serving of salmon has approximately 400IU of Vitamin D in it. This looks to be ok but when you start to learn that foods such as egg yolks, cod liver oil, oily fish like salmon, liver and mushrooms (only if they are natural from sun), are the only foods that are high in Vitamin D as well as the fact we are now putting more sunscreen on ourselves to protect us from the sun, its no wonder that the most common Vitamin Deficiency is Vitamin D.
WHAT ARE SYMPTOMS OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY?
When your body is depleted from one or two nutrients, it starts to tell us signs - but more often than not we seem to ignore them. A deficiency in Vitamin D can cause cancers, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, rickets - bones, autoimmune diseases and depression.
Yes its no wonder that we feel a little gloomy in the winter months. Its true - when you feel down and feel a little moody as you look outside at yet another gloomy day, there is a name for it. Seasonal Affective Disorder or SADs (Winter Blues) - is a real thing. Chemical changes happen in the brain when people, who are also spending more and more time indoors even in summer or they don't want to do activities, their sleeping patterns change start to make people feel down and depressed. If you feel like this, it is good to go see someone about it.
CAN SUPPLEMENTS HELP?
As we are becoming more and more aware of Vitamin D deficiency, we start to think about supplements and how they can replace the natural ways we are to get our vitamin. Vitamin D3 is an animal based product and is found to be absorbed easily into our body whereas Vitamin D2 is a plant based product and even though helps, it isn't as readily absorbed. RDI: 10-25mcg/day. However, people can now be seen to be taking too much Vitamin D supplements and that can actually end up causing more problems, eg: a 2010 study published in JAMA showed that intake of very high doses of vitamin D in older women was associated with more falls and fractures. So moderation is best. Keeping up your foods, sunlight and then using a supplement to top it up only if you are lacking vitamin D from being inside a lot or aging.
HOW DO I KEEP MY SKIN SAFE?
In New Zealand, we are very close to the "ozone hole". Mostly the ozone layer absorbs the UV Rays from the sun but as we have a hole close by, we actually need more protection with our skin. This means, we need to cover up, wear hats, sunscreen and be inside during the hottest hours of the day. But in saying this we need the Vitamin D from the sun to help our body. The best time for this is 3x a week for 15minutes from 10am until 2pm - but hold on! We also need sunscreen at this time as we would burn and that can cause problems like skin cancer. So what can we do? We can still use sunscreen especially on our thin skin like our face, backs of hands, feet, neck and decollate and over our body but at times let sun get to our arms and legs for a very short time. Be sensible. Times do differ to what type of skin for example very thin skin or the colour you have as to how long you should be in the skin.
WHAT SUNSCREENS ARE BEST FOR ME AND HOW TO APPLY?
There are lots of sunscreens out there. It is best to use physical sunscreens for direct and daily protection and chemical sunscreens for physical activity as yes they go a little deeper into your skin barrier but they don't come off with sweat or water. I prefer mineral based sunscreens myself. It is best to wash your face, apply serums and moisturisers then your sunscreen. Try to get sunscreens in your makeup and definitely in summer it is best to use a good strength. IMPORTANT: The UV factor is not how strong the sunscreen is but how long it will last and when you need to reapply. eg: UVF50 : if your skin burns in 10mins then you use this equation 10 x 50 = 500 so you would need to reapply before 500mins is up. This is a general guide as it depends on your activity and your skin type.
SUMMARY
Sunlight is needed for our Vitamin D uptake into our body. Without it it can cause health problems in our body and immune system. As we age we lose a portion of it and sometimes supplements are needed but its not good to rely on them. Vitamin D is becoming more and more deficient as we stay inside more and use sunscreen but it doesn't mean we don't apply sunscreen. We do - we just are sensible about it.
Comments