Truth is we’ve been delaying this article for a while until we had enough information & facts to allow us to enlighten our readers. Hopefully by the end of this article you’ll have no doubts about this subject.
What Is Vitamin D All About?
Vitamins are special nutrients that the body needs but cannot make, so they must be obtained from what we eat or by supplements. In about 1920, people noticed that children who took cod liver oil rarely got rickets. When our ancestors stopped working in the fields and entered factories or schools, rickets began to be a problem — in fact, it was commonly seen during winter months, especially in northern locations.
Why Is There A New Focus On Vitamin D Today?
Recent research has stressed the importance of Vitamin D — not just for good bone health, but also for possibly preventing chronic disease when we are older. Even the healthiest of diets will probably not provide a child with adequate Vitamin D.
Changes in lifestyle have also played a part. Few children walk to school on a regular basis.
Many popular sports, such as basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics, are indoor sports. Milk intake by children has steadily decreased in favor of soda or juice. It is well-documented that fitness levels among children are on the decline and obesity levels are rising.
Children should have at least 35 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day. In addition to affecting kids’ fitness levels, spending so much time indoors has affected the amount of Vitamin D their bodies make. Our skin makes a lot of Vitamin D when we spend time in the sun.
Sunscreen does, however, block our skin’s ability to make Vitamin D.
If A Healthy Diet And Playing Outside Will Not Provide Children With Enough Vitamin D, Then How Do We Make Sure They Get It?
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Most foods do not contain any vitamin D. Foods fortified with vitamin D have a variable amount present and cannot be depended on as a sole source of vitamin D nutrition. Aging, sunscreen use and the change in the zenith angle of the sun can dramatically affect the cutaneous production of vitamin D3. Vitamin D insufficiency and vitamin D deficiency is now being recognized as a major cause of metabolic bone disease in the elderly.
Abstract
Osteoporosis is associated with increased morbidity, mortality and significant economic and health costs. It is well-established that prolonged and severe vitamin D deficiency leads to rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Sub-optimal vitamin D status has been reported in many populations but it is a particular concern in older people; thus there is clearly a need for effective strategies to optimise bone health.
Osteoporosis is often considered to be an inflammatory condition and pro-inflammatory cytokines have been associated with increased bone metabolism. Vitamin D, therefore, may influence fracture risk via a number of different mechanisms.
How Much Vitamin D Should You Get?
The amount you need depends on your age: 600 IU (international units) a day for people ages 1 to 70, including women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
800 IU a day for anyone over 70 Some experts think that these recommendations are too low, especially for people who are more likely to get the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.
Ask your doctor how much vitamin D is best for you. It is possible to get too much vitamin D. Doses above 4,000 IU a day can be harmful for people ages 9 and older.