D-ficient

Oh life can seem so complicated.  If you have kids, or daily contact with other human beings, then you probably know what I’m talking about. (smile)  Nutrition, eating right, getting all you need to thrive…this too can start to feel complicated.  Have you ever had a mess to clean up?  That’s like complication.  When feeling that way I tend to immediately break things down into smaller segments.  “I’ll take all the silverware and soak them in water here while I go and collect all of the plates and pile them up here.”  That’s what this Weekly Special is all about, collecting the silverware, or breaking information about nutrition down into small segments so that it’s not overwhelming. 

Even though I started out sounding a bit like Eore, this week I want to focus on something really happy and bright. Vitamin D is sometimes referred to as the “sunshine vitamin”  because the sun is our greatest natural source. Most of us know that Vitamin D works together with calcium to build and strengthen our bones, while possibly keeping that calcium from settling in our arteries. (1) 

What most of us don’t know is the new research showing that “vitamin D can reduce cancer cell growth and plays a critical role in controlling infections.” (2)  We knew that there are serious skeletal consequences for low Vitamin D levels, which is why products like milk are fortified, but cancer?  This is new information. Commenting on new Vitamin D research, The National Cancer Institute says, “In these studies, vitamin D promoted the differentiation and death (apoptosis) of cancer cells, and it slowed their proliferation.  Some studies suggest that risk of developing some types of cancer is lower for people who have higher levels of vitamin D in the body.”  (3)

It’s all very exciting, and almost all sources will admit that our understanding of the full powers of Vitamin D is just beginning to unfold.  But many studies show D-ficiencies across the age spectrum. “Worldwide, an estimated 1 billion people have inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood, and deficiencies can be found in all ethnicities and age groups.” (4)  For now, getting some weekly sunshine without sunscreen and with skin exposed is widely recommended, as well as asking your doctor about taking a supplement.  Good edible sources are fortified foods like milk and cheese, fatty fish like salmon and anchovies or sardines, egg yolk and liver oil. So picture yourself sitting on a sunny patio with your arms and legs exposed to the sunshine while you eat a plate of delicious salmon.  Now I don’t see anything d-ficient about that!

Here’s to getting more Vitamin D!

Molly
Test Cook and Research Specialist for Orange Tree Lane
                   
(1) (2)  http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vitamin-d/index.html
(3) http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/prevention/vitamin-D
(4) http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vitamin-d/index.html

“Being “D-ficient” may increase the risk of a host of chronic diseases, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, some cancers, and multiple sclerosis, as well as infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and even the seasonal flu.”  http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vitamin-d/index.html

Molly