A Little Vitamin D Can Do a Lot of Good

It is simply not possible anymore to pick up a newspaper or turn on the television or especially to prowl the Internet without being confronted with incredible hype for this supplement or that dietary miracle. The magic bullet theory of health promotion is very seductive, and no one can be faulted for wanting it to be true. However, sometimes it’s just nice to talk about the less glamorous but more useful world of things that actually have been extensively studied and seem to be what they claim to be.

Last year, some extremely preliminary research on vitamin D and various forms of cancer got everybody all excited about vitamin D supplements, even though vitamin D is one of those substances that can be toxic when taken at high levels (over 2,000 international units a day). And nearly all the known cases of vitamin D toxicity have been related to supplement intake.

Vitamin D is a hormone manufactured by the body to help with the utilization of calcium and phosphorous. In that role, it helps to build bones and teeth and probably has a good effect on the immune system. In children, a vitamin D deficiency can cause a condition known as rickets, in which the bones don’t form properly. In adults, a deficiency may contribute to osteoporosis.

Interestingly, most people don’t even need to get their daily requirement of vitamin D from food, since it is manufactured by skin cells exposed to sunlight. And it doesn’t take very much sunlight either. Ten to 15 minutes of sun on your arms and face two or three times a week is all that most people really need, because vitamin D is fat soluble and can be stored in the body for months when you don’t get any sun.

In the good news-bad news department, sunscreen, which, of course, helps protect against skin cancer, may also keep the body from producing enough vitamin D.

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The people who are most likely to be deficient in vitamin D are those who are housebound and get little sun; vegans, who eat no animal products; and elderly people who may not get out much and also tend not to drink milk. Also, those with darker complexions (who need longer sun exposure to get enough vitamin D) or who live in northern areas, where sunlight is scarce in the winter and temperatures require layers and layers of clothes, really need to make sure that they get enough vitamin D somewhere else.

A good multivitamin is sufficient to ensure your needs. It is almost impossible to get too much vitamin D from a combination of sunlight, food and a multivitamin.

As people age, they seem to need more vitamin D, and so the recommended daily intake goes up. Adults younger than 50 need about 200 international units; those older than 60 should get 400 and those older than 70 should be getting about 600.

The food sources of vitamin D are somewhat limited but include fatty fish, such as salmon and sardines, egg yolks and fortified cereals. Probably the best dietary source for vitamin D is milk, which is fortified with enough to provide 100 IU in just a cup. Yogurt is not a good source because it is made with unfortified milk.

Milk, for all of the controversy that sometimes surrounds it, does have absolutely amazing nutritional credentials. However, the high fat content of whole milk has made it difficult to include in a heart-healthy diet for most people older than 2.

The good news is that it is possible to get all the value of milk without the fat.

Look at the following figures of half-cup measurements of various types of milk. It shows that none of the valuable calcium, protein or vitamin D is lost by lowering the fat content of milk.

* Buttermilk has 40 calories, 1 gram of fat, less than 1 gram of saturated fat, 4 milligrams of cholesterol and 116 milligrams of calcium.

* Evaporated skim milk: 78 calories, less than 1 gram of total and saturated fat, 4 milligrams of cholesterol, 290 milligrams of calcium.

* Evaporated whole milk: 134 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 29 milligrams of cholesterol, 261 milligrams of calcium.

* Low-fat 1% milk: 42 calories, 1 gram of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 4 milligrams of cholesterol, 123 milligrams of calcium.

* Low-fat 2% milk: 50 calories, 2 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 8 milligrams of cholesterol, 122 milligrams of calcium.

* Skim milk: 35 calories, less than 1 gram of total and saturated fat, 2 milligrams of cholesterol, 123 milligrams of calcium.

* Whole 3.3% milk: 61 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 14 milligrams of cholesterol, 119 milligrams of calcium.

* Whole 3.7% milk: 64 calories, 4 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 14 milligrams of cholesterol, 119 milligrams of calcium.

Because vitamin D helps the body make the most of the calcium it gets, a food like milk, which is loaded with calcium and fortified with vitamin D, can be an extremely important tool in the fight against brittle bones. This is a process that needs to be started early in life. The requirement for calcium is greatest between the ages of 9 and 18, when youngsters form almost 40% of their adult bone mass.

Studies show that 90% of adult women fail to get enough calcium in their diet. Teenagers are also at very high risk for calcium deficiency.

The only other food source of calcium that comes anywhere near milk is dark green leafy vegetables, such as kale. The problem is that you’d need 2 cups of cooked kale to equal the calcium in one glass of milk.

For people who are lactose intolerant, lactose-free milk also contains calcium and is fortified with vitamin D.

If you don’t like plain milk, try making a fruit milkshake by adding strawberries, peaches or frozen bananas to 2 cups of skim milk and maybe a dash of sugar. Blend and sprinkle with a little cinnamon.

These shakes are so good that it’s hard to believe how nutritious they are. Feel free to experiment.