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Wealden Times | WT213 | November 2019 | Gift supplement inside

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Health & Wellbeing<br />

Vitamin D:<br />

How much is enough?<br />

Henrietta Norton explains what we can do to<br />

ensure we meet our bodies’ daily needs<br />

One in five of us in the UK are<br />

estimated to have insufficient<br />

blood levels of Vitamin D for good<br />

health; we simply can’t produce enough of<br />

it from sunshine alone and especially those<br />

of us in Northern Europe. The half-life of<br />

this vitamin is 3-6 weeks, so even gathered<br />

stores over the summer rapidly decline by the<br />

time we get to the deeper winter months.<br />

Additionally, sunscreens, longer office<br />

working hours, medications such as statins<br />

and our age can affect our levels further.<br />

Our dietary habits have changed somewhat<br />

too and Vitamin D rich foods such as oily<br />

fish and whole-fat dairy as part of our<br />

daily diets have fallen out of favour.<br />

The Department of Health recommends<br />

that everyone over the age of four should take<br />

10 micrograms (400iu) of vitamin D every<br />

day, particularly from October to March.<br />

All pregnant, breastfeeding women and atrisk<br />

groups should take a daily <strong>supplement</strong><br />

containing 10 micrograms (400iu) of an<br />

easily absorbed form of Vitamin D. However,<br />

consider that many people in the UK do not get<br />

good access to consistent sunlight due to work<br />

(offices) and typical British summer weather.<br />

All babies from birth up to one year of age<br />

should take 8.5 to 10 micrograms (340iu to<br />

400iu) of vitamin D per day (particularly<br />

those being breastfed). Babies fed infant<br />

formula will not need vitamin drops until<br />

they are receiving less than 500ml (about<br />

a pint) of infant formula a day, as these<br />

products are fortified with vitamin D.<br />

Children between the age of one<br />

and four should take 10 micrograms of<br />

vitamin D <strong>supplement</strong>s all year round.<br />

People aged 65 years and over and people<br />

not exposed to much sun should also<br />

take a daily <strong>supplement</strong> containing 10<br />

micrograms (400iu) of vitamin D.<br />

Why do I need vitamin D? Virtually every<br />

cell in the body has a vitamin D receptor,<br />

which, when bound to this vitamin, can<br />

influence the expression of more than 200<br />

genes. Previous concerns about vitamin<br />

D deficiency have been associated with poor<br />

bone health, most notably the development<br />

of rickets, a condition which is again on<br />

the increase according to national statistics.<br />

However, the observations from the most<br />

recent large cohort studies have unravelled<br />

other key physiological roles of it and a<br />

causative relationship between vitamin D<br />

deficiency and an increased risk of cancers,<br />

pre-eclampsia, diabetes, CVD, autoimmune<br />

diseases, autism and the flu.<br />

What vitamin D <strong>supplement</strong>s should we<br />

use? Choose wisely, opting for high-quality<br />

well-absorbed forms. More natural food<br />

forms provide both the active and stored<br />

forms, ready for your body to use easily.<br />

A study conducted showed that Food-<br />

Grown® vitamin D includes both the ‘stored’<br />

(25-hydroxy) and biologically ‘active’ (1-25<br />

hydroxy) forms of vitamin D3. The body<br />

will always need to convert any ‘stored’ form<br />

of vitamin D3 into the ‘active’ form for it to<br />

do its various jobs like supporting calcium<br />

absorption. This makes <strong>supplement</strong>ing<br />

in the ‘active’ form preferential. A highly<br />

absorbable and biologically active form may<br />

also minimize the need for ‘mega-dosing’.<br />

Don’t be tempted to think more means<br />

more. You should always check with a<br />

qualified nutritionist / nutritional therapist<br />

if you are unsure what dose to take. As<br />

with many nutrients, vitamin D follows a<br />

U-shaped curve, meaning that high levels<br />

can be just as problematic for health as low<br />

levels. An excessive intake is associated with<br />

increased risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney<br />

stones and low bone density. The latter is<br />

especially important to recognize as many<br />

will self-diagnosis with high strength vitamin<br />

D <strong>supplement</strong>s to reduce osteoporosis<br />

risk but may, in fact, be encouraging the<br />

‘leaching’ of important nutrients for bone<br />

density out of the bone matrix. Look for<br />

<strong>supplement</strong>s with your recommended daily<br />

allowance and better absorption instead. I<br />

formulated Wild Nutrition Food-Grown®<br />

Vitamin D range for this reason.<br />

Vitamin D rich foods<br />

Seafood – Seafood is one<br />

1 of the best sources. If<br />

you eat fish, aim to have two<br />

or three portions per week.<br />

Choose trout, halibut, sardines,<br />

herring, salmon and mackerel.<br />

2Whole milk – Organic<br />

full-fat milk contains much<br />

more than semi-skimmed milk<br />

and is less likely to have had<br />

anything added or removed.<br />

Unfortunately, the most popular<br />

form of milk is semi-skimmed,<br />

which contains significantly lower<br />

amounts of fat-soluble vitamins.<br />

3Eggs – Eggs are a great source<br />

and are so versatile and easy<br />

to make. Ensure you eat the yolk<br />

as this is where you’ll find it.<br />

Mushrooms – Some<br />

4 mushrooms have the ability<br />

to produce vitamin D when<br />

exposed to sunlight. The normal<br />

button mushrooms you find in<br />

the supermarket will contain<br />

very little of this. Opt for a<br />

selection of portobello, maitake,<br />

morel, chanterelle and oyster<br />

mushrooms for a higher content.<br />

Avoid foods that have been<br />

artificially fortified. Instead, opt<br />

for food that contains vitamin<br />

D naturally from the list above.<br />

To understand your individual<br />

need, consider getting the<br />

guidance of a well-trained<br />

nutritional therapist or<br />

functional medicine practitioner<br />

or requesting a Vitamin D<br />

blood test with your GP. Our<br />

team of Qualified Nutritional<br />

therapists at Wild Nutrition<br />

are on hand to offer advice<br />

enquiries@wildnutrition.<br />

com or call on 01273 477898.<br />

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