What You Don't Know About Vitamin D

What You Don't Know About Vitamin D: From GovGab: "I'm Carolyn K., not to be confused with just Carolyn, who also writes for our GovGab blog. I'll be "guesting" on the blog now and then, sharing my passions, resources, and mistakes (some of the best information can be found in the mistakes of others - and I'm a pro at mistakes - see below).


Pale is the new tan. As a fair-skinned girl who varies in color between ivory (on a good day) and Casper-the-ghost pale (on a sans-makeup day), I once avoided the sun, my arch nemesis, like a vampire. Yes, I knew the sun’s glorious rays delivered a healthy dose of Vitamin D. Yes, I even knew that lack of Vitamin D could cause serious health problems, including osteoporosis, depression, anxiety, and cancer. But, I thought, my diet was well-rounded enough to prevent any serious vitamin deficiencies. After all, this is America, not a deprived third-world country, rife with hunger and malnutrition. Plus, “I Got Milk”, so I’m protected, right? Wrong!

After years of suffering from a variety of serious health ailments, including extreme fatigue, mood and sleep disorders, and broken bones, 8 months ago, my new and improved doctor ordered a series of blood tests to measure my stored vitamin levels. Having been subjected to a slew of blood tests over the years, to me, this new “vitamin” test was merely an exercise in medical mediocrity – yes, my confidence bordered on arrogance.

Yep, you guessed it! Joke’s on me. My test results showed that I was severely deficient in Vitamin D. Any stored blood level of under 150 is deficient; anything under 100 is severely deficient. My levels = 5. 5 points away from a big goose egg.

Alarmed by my test results, my doctor called me on a Friday night (yes, good doctors still exist) to deliver the bad news and prescribe a mega-dose of 50,000 IU of Vitamin D to be taken twice a week. As you can imagine, I was shocked, embarrassed, and relieved (hopeful) all at the same time. I started researching Vitamin D and discovered a few myths and facts that had led to my undoing.

Stuff I didn’t know about Vitamin D:

• Vitamin D does not penetrate glass, e.g. car windows. Note: While the good rays do not penetrate your car windows. Just my luck - the wrinkle rays (UV) do.
• Sunscreen blocks Vitamin D.
• Vitamin D is not found in dairy products, only fortified dairy.
• Vitamin D is rarely present naturally in food.
• Overweight individuals manufacture less Vitamin D.
• It is nearly impossible to get adequate amounts of vitamin D from your diet. You would have to drink ten glasses of vitamin D-fortified milk each day just to get 1000IU of vitamin D from your diet.
• Chronic Vitamin D deficiency cannot be reversed overnight. It takes months of supplementation and sunlight exposure to rebuild the body’s bones and nervous system.

Yes, I’m still a porcelain shade of Victorian white, but now, after many months of vitamin D treatment, and a "modest" amount of sun exposure, I feel amazing, both physically and mentally -- a brand new Carolyn.

Have you experienced a significant change in your health with the change of one nutrient or vitamin? I would love to hear about it. Ignorance is not bliss - it's poor health. I can't wait to hear your suggestions!"