Low Vitamin D Can Ruin Your Health
- Updated on: 2019-11-17
- Read original article here
At a recent nursery (aka preschool) drop-off the teacher politely inquired if I had put sunscreen on my child. I hadn’t. It was 9am, mostly cloudy, high of 60F, and he was wearing long sleeves. I raised my older children in the heat of South Carolina. Barely 60 is still long-sleeve weather to me.
Many lovely British mums have their children in water splash parks at 65F, my children are in sweaters.
I realize this makes me stick out here even more than the accent, the eight children, and my saying the word ‘crap’ — which appears to be a vile word. It’s hard for me to be nervous regarding an hour of sunshine on my (“he’s quite fair, though!” — preschool teacher) child.
Am I hurting my children with my fear of vitamin D deficiency?
In my American life, I was a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). Most CPMs, myself included, only do homebirth and pride themselves on being all about evidence-based medicine.
One of my senior midwives had told me about vitamin D being her secret weapon against illness. I’d known her during two of my pregnancies and throughout my apprenticeship and she was rarely sick. Even with constant exposure to patients’ kids, terrible sleep deprivation and a coffee-dependent lifestyle she managed to stay healthy.
Fringe doctors, rarely taken seriously, turned vitamin D into a regular topic in the early 2000s.
As my midwifery career wrapped up in 2016, vitamin D was a routine part of the prenatal panel bloodwork. Adequate vitamin D levels protect mom and baby. When I was expecting my 7th child my vitamin D levels were low even though I lived on a small hobby farm in the south and regularly went to the beach. I’d actually just returned from a two week beach vacation prior to testing and was in the 20s. I supplemented and was thrilled that in a short amount of time my dismal number had doubled and was well within the optimal range for pregnancy.
A study sounded the warning bell over a “statistical error” resulted in vitamin D recommendations being too low and more people being at risk for deficiency. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28768407)
During my time as a midwife, NONE of my clients were naturally in a healthy vitamin D range even if they spent loads of time in the sunshine. The only people to ever be in the optimal range are those who took supplements. Not a single blood test came back with good results unless they were taking a separate vitamin D supplement (the level of vitamin D in many multivitamins is way too low). Some even came back in the low teens.
Quote from the study:
“The role of vitamin D in innate and adaptive immunity is critical. A statistical error in the estimation of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D was recently discovered; in a correct analysis of the data used by the Institute of Medicine, it was found that 8895 IU/d was needed for 97.5% of individuals to achieve values ≥50 nmol/L. Another study confirmed that 6201 IU/d was needed to achieve 75 nmol/L and 9122 IU/d was needed to reach 100 nmol/L.
The largest meta-analysis ever conducted of studies published between 1966 and 2013 showed that 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels <75 nmol/L may be too low for safety and associated with higher all-cause mortality, demolishing the previously presumed U-shape curve of mortality associated with vitamin D levels. Since all-disease mortality is reduced to 1.0 with serum vitamin D levels ≥100 nmol/L, we call public health authorities to consider designating as the RDA at least three-fourths of the levels proposed by the Endocrine Society Expert Committee as safe upper tolerable daily intake doses.
This could lead to a recommendation of 1000 IU for children <1 year on enriched formula and 1500 IU for breastfed children older than 6 months, 3000 IU for children >1 year of age, and around 8000 IU for young adults and thereafter. Actions are urgently needed to protect the global population from vitamin D deficiency.”
How do our vitamin D levels impact our health?
○ “Greater cumulative UV exposure appears to be associated with better cognitive function in elderly adults.” (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29790199)
○ “Higher levels of serum 25(OH)D was associated with a lower risk of dementia and AD, but we have no conclusive evidence regarding serum 25(OH)D levels of >35 ng/ml. The lower risk of dementia was observed at serum 25(OH)D of ∼25 ng/ml, whereas the risk of AD decreased continuously along with the increase of serum 25(OH)D up to ∼35 ng/ml.” (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29447107)
○ Prenatal vitamin D screening and treatment program is an effective approach in detecting deficient women, improving 25(OH)D levels and decreasing pregnancy adverse outcomes. Adverse pregnancy outcomes including pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus and preterm delivery were decreased by 60,50 and 40% in the screening site. A D3 injection in addition to monthly 50,000IU maintenance therapy contributed the most to achievement of sufficient levels at delivery.” (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29788364)
○ “Our results suggest that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of sensitization to food allergens and that atopic dermatitis may be more severe in infants with vitamin D deficiency.” (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25108543)
○ “Vitamin D deficiency is associated with childhood AD and high total IgE. Serum 25(OH)D levels correlate inversely with both long- and short-term AD severity.” (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24383670)
○ “In humans, observational data frequently demonstrate a link between poor vitamin D status and a large number of major human diseases such as cancer, muscle weakness and falls, infections or autoimmune diseases, hypertension and cardiovascular risks and events, obesity, diabetes and all aspects of the metabolic syndrome, and other health problems.” (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29597236)
Health depends on proper consumption or production of vitamin D. Did sunscreen avoidance help my children’s natural production for vitamin D? Probably not. While they’re undoubtedly getting some vitamin D production during the summer months the amount is likely minimal. We live too far north and usually most of their skin is covered due to our moderate and rainy climate. (I like to joke that the default setting for our area is 55F with rain likely.)
There are three ways to get the vitamin D that you and your family require for a healthy life. Sun, food, and supplements.
The most natural way to get vitamin D is through sunlight to get ultraviolet B (UVB). The sticky widget is you can’t tell someone exactly how long it will take and it only happens at certain times of the year, especially for those of us living in northern areas.
According to this study: “Low-dose summer sunlight exposures confer vitamin D sufficiency in light-skinned people concurrently with low-level, nonaccumulating DNA damage. The same exposures produce minimal DNA damage but less vitamin D in brown-skinned people. This informs tailoring of sun-exposure policies.” (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27411377)
o Expose your arms and face, but large areas of skin like your back are actually the best. The more skin you expose the more Vit D your body will produce.
o Use a hat or clothing as a barrier (recommendations later in this article) and don’t rely only on sunscreen. Sunscreen does protect against squamous cell carcinoma but has no effect on your risk of basal cell carcinoma. Sunscreen will block most vitamin D production. It is also not recommended for children < 6 months old due to the absorption of the chemicals.
o Get a tan or burn, it isn’t necessary. Your body can only produce a certain amount (10,000–25,000 IU) of Vit D daily and that happens in half the time it takes to burn.
o Exposure refers to having 1/4 of your body uncovered.
o Lighter skin makes vitamin D more quickly, for some people this means they can produce all their daily vitamin D in just 15 minutes. For darker skinned people it can take up to two hours or simply not be enough at all according to this study (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21918215)
o “Sunlight-exposure recommendations are inappropriate for individuals of South Asian ethnicity who live at the UK latitude. More guidance is required to meet the vitamin D requirements of this sector of the population.”
o Midday is the best time of the day for production, yet it’s also the time most likely to fit in the window (10am to 2pm) when everyone tells you to cover up.
o Your location — the further away you live from the equator the harder it is to get enough UVB. Floridians can get enough almost year round. Folks in the UK can’t get enough UVB from October through April due to the earth’s angle. Dark skin? That range is even larger.
o Age: Your skin produces less vitamin D as you age.
o Pollution: There’s never an upside to air pollution but another downside is pollution reflects UVB or draws it in which means even less vit D production from skin exposure.
o Glass: Windows block UVB, so sitting in a sunny window isn’t going to help.
· Infants burn easily and have delicate skin. It is best to give them a quality vitamin D oral supplement and avoid sun exposure.
· Older children can follow the same guidelines as adults. Half the time it takes to burn is considered safe for sun exposure — after that it is time for a hat and SPF clothing!
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food — Hippocrates”
This quote appears often on social media due to the almost compulsive worship of healthy foods. While obviously it does have its merits, we also need to realize our lifestyles are drastically different. We spend a lot of time indoors or with our skin covered outdoors.
Foods can help, or hurt, our health. That is true. While vitamin D is added into many foods (cereal, milk, orange juice, formula) the reality is the average person is unlikely to get enough vitamin D from food. The amounts are too small. Foods that naturally contain small amounts of vitamin D are liver, egg yolks, and fatty fish.
Sunshine can be unreliable or downright impossible for many people. Food rarely is enough.
Vitamin D is often found in two forms — D2 and D3.
Pharmacies sometimes only have this type available, so it may be prescribed by your GP.
Can be found in vegetarian forms.
This is the type of vitamin D your body produces with sun exposure.
Most over the counter (OTC) vitamin D supplements are D3.
Not available in vegetarian forms.
Supplements can come in capsules, pills, or liquid form. It’s also relatively inexpensive. The good news is it doesn’t matter which form you choose, all are considered effective. You can also take vitamin D at any time of the day and with or without food. For those of us who have a tricky time remembering this is a huge bonus. I keep our bottle of oral drops in the bathroom so it’s super easy to give to the children AND to remember for myself!
Quote from the Vitamin D Council: “Vitamin D toxicity, where vitamin D can be harmful, usually happens if you take 40,000 IU a day for a couple of months or longer.”
I’m unlikely to change my ways. I believe the multitude of health risks, including cancer, from low vitamin D outweigh the non-tanning nor burning amount of sun exposure my children experience here in the UK. Obviously, if we head to the beach or will be in the sun for long periods we will use SPF clothing, hats, and sunscreen as necessary.
Numerous studies have confirmed that moderate sunshine doesn’t increase the risk of skin cancer and for much of the year the amount of UV present here is extremely low. Your mileage will obviously vary depending on where you live.
Vitamin D is easy to get, cheap to buy, and has a multitude of benefits. It is right up there with making sure your kiddo brushes his teeth or gets enough sleep. It’s also important for you so you can function at your best — decreased illness (from annoying colds all the way to harmful disease), better brain function (buh-bye brain fuzz!), and stronger bones.
BLP Taylor is a former sociology major and Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). A stereotypical homeschooling mom turned midwife turned freelance writer when an international move required a career change. Her blog (blptaylor.com) and podcast focus on topics she finds interesting to suss out as well as encouragement to other women who want to make a change in their life.
