From Rae Bird, RN
CUC’s Parish Nurse

It seems as though Vitamin D is the supplement of the week.  I’ve talked with several church members and was surprised at the number of folks who said they had blood work done at their doctor’s office and found out they were Vitamin D deficient.  The season may have something to do with that finding since we obtain most of our Vitamin D through sun exposure.  Sun screens with a SPF higher than 8 eliminate any absorption of Vitamin D. This fall and winter have not been great for sun exposure because of the cold temperatures and frequent cloudy days with snow.

The three sources of Vitamin D are sun exposure, supplements, and food.  The foods with the highest levels of Vitamin D are canned salmon, fresh salmon, canned tuna, whole eggs, and fortified foods like fortified orange juice with calcium, fortified milk, and fortified cereals.  The main function of Vitamin D is to aid in calcium absorption to strengthen bones and prevent or reduce osteoporosis.  On going research shows that it may also reduce the risk of some cancers (particularly colon cancer), help regulate blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and  greatly reduce chances of dying from a stroke.  Low levels of Vitamin D can cause muscle weakness and bone pain.  Before rushing out and buying a bottle of Vitamin D, I would recommend that you check with your physician, and perhaps have a simple blood test to check your level.  If you have a history of para-thyroid disease or kidney stones, it is imperative that you check with your physician.  Increased calcium absorption would be contraindicated with those conditions unless your levels were very low.

If you would like more information, check out this website http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov