Health News
Wherever one looks these days, vitamin D is labeled as practically the Holy Grail of good health. But the natural source of vitamin D is from the sun, which causes a dilemma for us all. Too much sun can mean courting skin cancer, but not enough may cause a vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in dark-skinned African Americans and anyone with similar skin tones. The reason is that melanin limits the amount of sunlight exposure penetrating the skin.
And not having enough vitamin D could raise your risk of developing several conditions including cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis, says Asha Thomas, M.D, the director of the Sinai Hospital Division of Endocrinology.
Think swallowing a daily multi-vitamin means you are covered? Think again.
?Multi-vitamins typically have 400 units of vitamin D,? Dr. Thomas says. ?That might be appropriate if you already have normal levels of vitamin D. But we are finding most people are deficient. So many people are way too low.?
Only relatively recently did people even know what their vitamin D level was. ?Physicians just recently started checking people?s,? says Dr. Thomas.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 36 percent of Americans are vitamin D deficient. Researchers believe that number could be double for African Americans. In fact, vitamin D deficiency has been called ?the hidden epidemic? for darker-skinned people.
?There is a higher incidence of vitamin D deficiency in African Americans starting in puberty and older,? Dr. Thomas says. Reasons could be because it is the time young people stop playing outdoors or other lifestyle reasons, she says.
Getting your vitamin D from the sun or supplements is a personal choice and both will work. But check with your doctor to find out where you stand with vitamin D and how much sun to get or supplements to take.
-Sandra Crockett
- Study Indicates That Vitamin D Can Help Prevent Early Death From Cardiovascular Disease And Cancer
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- Revisiting Vitamin D
...
- Don?t Skip The Sunscreen!
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Now that we?ve entered the winter holiday season, you might think it?s an odd time to talk about sunscreen. Most of us are mindful in the heat of summer to slather on sunscreen at the pool or beach, since the sun ?feels? so strong....
- Should Women Be Taking Vitamins?
By Dr. Madelyn Fersntrom You might have heard about a recent study reporting that women taking vitamin/mineral supplements died at slightly higher rates compared to women who did not rely on supplements. Can this be true? This study, and the surrounding...
- Vitamin D: Are You Getting Enough?
By Holly Hosler Ever since I went to Sinai Hospital Grand Rounds last week, which featured a talk on vitamin D by John Hopkins Bayview Hospital endocrinologist Suzanne M. Jan de Beur, M.D., I?ve been tempted to spend a little time outdoors during my lunch...
Health News
The Vitamin D Advantage
Wherever one looks these days, vitamin D is labeled as practically the Holy Grail of good health. But the natural source of vitamin D is from the sun, which causes a dilemma for us all. Too much sun can mean courting skin cancer, but not enough may cause a vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in dark-skinned African Americans and anyone with similar skin tones. The reason is that melanin limits the amount of sunlight exposure penetrating the skin.
And not having enough vitamin D could raise your risk of developing several conditions including cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis, says Asha Thomas, M.D, the director of the Sinai Hospital Division of Endocrinology.
Think swallowing a daily multi-vitamin means you are covered? Think again.
?Multi-vitamins typically have 400 units of vitamin D,? Dr. Thomas says. ?That might be appropriate if you already have normal levels of vitamin D. But we are finding most people are deficient. So many people are way too low.?
Only relatively recently did people even know what their vitamin D level was. ?Physicians just recently started checking people?s,? says Dr. Thomas.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 36 percent of Americans are vitamin D deficient. Researchers believe that number could be double for African Americans. In fact, vitamin D deficiency has been called ?the hidden epidemic? for darker-skinned people.
?There is a higher incidence of vitamin D deficiency in African Americans starting in puberty and older,? Dr. Thomas says. Reasons could be because it is the time young people stop playing outdoors or other lifestyle reasons, she says.
Getting your vitamin D from the sun or supplements is a personal choice and both will work. But check with your doctor to find out where you stand with vitamin D and how much sun to get or supplements to take.
-Sandra Crockett
- Study Indicates That Vitamin D Can Help Prevent Early Death From Cardiovascular Disease And Cancer
Elderly people with a vitamin D deficiency are more at risk for death from cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to a large-scale study by the Mount Sinai health system of New York and a group of international collaborators, published...
- Revisiting Vitamin D
...
- Don?t Skip The Sunscreen!
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Now that we?ve entered the winter holiday season, you might think it?s an odd time to talk about sunscreen. Most of us are mindful in the heat of summer to slather on sunscreen at the pool or beach, since the sun ?feels? so strong....
- Should Women Be Taking Vitamins?
By Dr. Madelyn Fersntrom You might have heard about a recent study reporting that women taking vitamin/mineral supplements died at slightly higher rates compared to women who did not rely on supplements. Can this be true? This study, and the surrounding...
- Vitamin D: Are You Getting Enough?
By Holly Hosler Ever since I went to Sinai Hospital Grand Rounds last week, which featured a talk on vitamin D by John Hopkins Bayview Hospital endocrinologist Suzanne M. Jan de Beur, M.D., I?ve been tempted to spend a little time outdoors during my lunch...