Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin

why we need vitamin Everything you need to know about Vitamin D O where it comes from, ® why we need it and © what it means if we don't get enough. the sunshine vitamin Our body can make vitamin D from sunlight when the UV index is higher than 3. UV index >3 Sun cream protects our skin from burning but it also blocks vitamin D production. It's not always possible to make vitamin D from sunlight particularly in winter when the UV index is low. what does vitamin D do? Ca The basic function of vitamin D is to regulate blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, helping to build strong bones and healthy teeth. пеw research indicates that this is only the tip of the iceberg We get more colds in the winter It is also suggested that lower when we are exposed to less levels of vitamin D reduce the sunlight. This might be due to brain's production of serotonin, low levels of vitamin D. which lowers mood. UV exposure [D] vitamin D production immune system mood vitamin D deficiency A study of nearly 300 hospital patients (of all ages) found that 57% of them did not have high enough levels of vitamin D. 3 RDA 200IU The EU recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D is 2001u per day. As our ability to make vitamin D – like many things-declines with age, there are new recommendations from America suggesting intakes should increase as we get older. 4 Risks of deficiency are increased if: You live at high altitude You have dark You are obese skin pigmentation An intake of 800–1,0001u is well tolerated and longer term studies suggest this is likely to be close to new recommended levels" - Professor Adam Carey incidence of Besides reducing the incidence common cold 170% of the common cold by 70% over three years, vitamin D supplementation has been shown risk of dying from heart disease to reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 30% in patients 30% with known risk. Sources DESIGN: WWW.MADEBYPAZ.COM 1 Ginde AA et al. Arch Int Med 2009; 169(4):384-390 Lansdowne AT et al. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1998;135(4):319-23 Thomas MK et al. New England J Medicine 338(12):777-783 (Mar19, 1998) Ruxton CHS, Derbyshire E. Nutrition Bulletin 2009;34:185-197 6 Li-Ng M et al.Epidemiol Infect. 2009 Oct;137(10):1396-404. Epub 2009 Mar 19 Tami L Bair et al. Circulation. 2009;120:S455. Nutrition for a healthy lifespan. Healthspan www.healthspan.co.uk