We will soon be on the shady side of the world here in North America as we move into Fall and Winter. What that means for nearly everyone is less natural vitamin D production in the body. Vitamin D is normally produced when sunlight hits the skin and changes cholesterol into vitamin D precursors which then get activated in the kidneys and sent out into the circulation to help in all of the processes where vitamin D is necessary.
What are those processes, you ask? Good question. New research has shed light on the importance of maintaining healthy vitamin D status in all ages. A recent Harvard affiliated study published this year in the scientific journal Pediatrics stated that supplementing children with vitamin D during the winter decreased the incidence of respiratory infections by half! All of the children in the study had low vitamin D status at the beginning of the study and even the children who were still lower than optimal in vitamin D but whose vitamin D had increased through supplementation fared better than the children who had not been given vitamin D at all.
In the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine researchers this year gave their results on vitamin D effects on damage to the lungs caused by tobacco smoke. In study subjects who had adequate levels of vitamin D, the damaging effects of tobacco smoke such as decreased respiratory function were reduced. Subjects low in vitamin D had twice the decline in respiratory function. It is important to remember that all subjects experienced decline in lung function due to smoking--smoking tobacco is never a good idea. However, smokers who had adequate vitamin D levels declined in lung function at a much slower rate.
Even non-smokers can benefit from vitamin D. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences this year printed a study assessing possible vitamin D effects on mobility in people in their 70s. It was found that those who had low vitamin D status throughout a span of 6 years had a 30% higher incidence of decline in mobility (mobility being defined as the ability to walk half a mile, climb 10 steps and perform daily activities without help). Wow! a simple supplement can help protect an older person's ability to care for themselves? Although the direct effects of vitamin D on mobility are not known, it is postulated that since vitamin D is important for muscle function, protecting adequate levels of vitamin D kept people strong and active, which then protected mobility.
There are several reasons vitamin D levels decrease in winter. The obvious reason is we are not wearing bathing suit, shorts and short sleeves outside; therefore, less of our skin is exposed to the sun. Also the hours of sunlight per day are decreased and mainly fill the hours when we are indoors at work or school. Furthermore, since the sun is actually near the equator rather than directly overhead during the winter, the sun's rays must pass through more earth atmosphere before reaching our skin, similar to putting a lampshade over a lightbulb. Then there is the obvious effect of more days of rain and cloudy weather on sunlight.
Luckily, vitamin D is easy to supplement. In our office, we carry liquid vitamin D drops that can be dropped directly into the mouth or added to food (without your child knowing the difference!). At 1200 drops per bottle, one bottle will supplement a family of four at a dosage of 2,000iu per day (2 drops) for 6 months! If you'd like more information, call 360-573-2273
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