Many New Zealanders may be blocking out the health benefits of sunshine and becoming vitamin D deficient, researchers say. Growing evidence of vitamin D deficiency, including the re-emergence of childhood rickets, has prompted two health researchers to conduct an online survey of mothers and health professionals to find out how much they know about the essential vitamin. "There is emerging evidence that sections of the New Zealand population, ranging from newborn babies to the elderly, are vitamin D deficient," Massey University Vitamin D Research Centre co-director Pamela von Hurst said.
Read article in The New Zealand Herald
Comment: Vitamin D deficiency is becoming a worldwide problem. In the United States, Canada, the UK and throughout the EU, for example, deficiencies of the vitamin are now widespread. Anthony Norman, a professor emeritus of biochemistry and biomedical sciences and an international expert on vitamin D, notes that half the people in North America and Western Europe get insufficient amounts of vitamin D and that merely eating vitamin D-rich foods is not adequate to solve the problem.
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The evidence is mounting that deficiency of D3 is responsible for many of the ills of society. Our shunning of sunlight without enormous volumes of sunscreen, travelling in vehicles and hiding indoors in offices and factories, together with low volumes of foods containing any of it or its precursors, has coincided with increases in CVD,CHD,Cancer and Diabetes.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, in that it is now almost impossible to obtain sufficient from sunlight, or foodstuffs; Vit D2 is the poor substitute used to fortify milk, after pastuerisation. In addition as we age our capability, to synthesise D3 from sunlight also diminishes. The answer is to move nearer the equator, or more sensibly supplement with an oil suspended source Cholicalciferol. And take a serum 25-hydroxyvitamine D test, in the middle of winter. Ideally levels above 50nmol/L should be attained but for good bone health >75 is viewed as better.
Current view of 400iu per day would never get you there, but many advocate an intake of 5000iu or more. I take that amount daily as my levels had gone quite low this year (21). I'm awaiting the effect, as I have only been doing it for a few weeks. I am however sure of the science.
blackdog,
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. Give it 6 months at 5,000iu at least.
I took 4,000iu daily, for 6 months and got up to 64 ng/ml. I upped the dose to 10,000iu for a further 6 months and was up to 104. I've been on 5,000iu for the last 6 months, and being tested soon. I'm hoping for 75/80 ng/ml and intend to sustain at that level.