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People Need More of the 'Sunshine Vitamin'
By Dr. John Morley, www.stltoday.com
September 3, 2009
When dermatologists convinced us to protect our skin from the sun lest we get cancer, we saw an example of a great public health success.
Some years ago Dr. Michael Hollick, a Boston University medical professor, began to point out the importance of sunlight in providing us with vitamin D, which protects us from a number of diseases. He recommended that we get 15 to 30 minutes of unblocked sunshine every day.
Over the last 20 years as people have heeded the warnings of dermatologists not to go out into the sun, we have seen an epidemic of hip fractures. Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, is necessary to build bone and helps in maintaining muscle strength. Those who have low vitamin D also don't function as well as those who have normal vitamin D levels.
Low vitamin D levels are linked to problems with thinking and remembering, two recent studies show. Low levels of vitamin D also are associated with heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus. Vitamin D also appears to protect the body against infections while decreasing reactions that lead to some autoimmune diseases.
Given all these positive effects of vitamin D, it's not surprising that low levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased death rate. Replacing vitamin D decreases deaths.
There is an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. Seven out of 10 young children are deficient in vitamin D. The vast majority of older persons I see in my clinic are vitamin D deficient.
So, how do we reverse this epidemic? First, those 50 and up — and younger if they don't get enough sunlight — should have their levels of vitamin D checked through a blood test called the 25-hydroxy vitamin D test.
If the level is 30 ml or less, you need to take a vitamin D supplement. Start by taking at least 50,000 units every week for 12 weeks, and switching to a weekly maintenance dose of between 1,000 and 2,000 units.
Because the ''sunshine vitamin'' clearly has become the modern "fountain of youth," ask your doctor to make sure you have enough of this important vitamin.
SLUCare physician John Morley is director of geriatrics at St. Louis University and a geriatrician at St. Louis VA Medical Center. Email him at morley@slu.edu. The Aging Successfully column for seniors rotates each week with XX Files, a women's health column.
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