ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Vitamin D in the summer

Now that the glorious sunshine is back, most people assume they no longer need to take a Vitamin D supplement. Does soaking up the summer sun cover your daily dose of vitamin D? The answer is: Maybe.

Every cell in your body has a receptor site for vitamin D, which makes it more like a hormone than a vitamin. A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis and impact your mood. Vitamin D supports your immune system and is critical for people with autoimmune disorders.

The best source of vitamin D is the sun. However, the sunlight is strong enough in only 3 to 4 months out of the year to stimulate the skin to produce enough of the vitamin D your body needs. In fact, even in these months your extremities would need to be fully exposed without sunscreen during peak hours of sunlight for 20 to 30 minutes per day. Most people do not receive enough vitamin D from sunlight as the primary source.

Here are my recommendations:

If your vitamin D levels were in the optimal range before the summer (above 50) and you are outside most days during peak hours (without sunscreen), you can probably take time off from the use of supplements. There is an App for your phone called DMinder. It lets you know the peak daytime hours for UVB rays necessary for Vitamin D production. You enter your personal information including skin tone, diet, supplementation, past test results (if you have them), and it calculates how long you need to expose your skin to the sun to get your daily dose of Vitamin D.

If your vitamin D levels were low (below 50) before the summer, or if you are not outside much without sunscreen during peak hours, you should continue your supplement use.

Most professionals suggest 2000 IU per day of vitamin D as the minimum amount to maintain your levels. If you are trying to raise your levels, double the dose to 4000 IU per day for three months or until your test results change.

The only way to know your Vitamin D status is to test it. Your doctor can order a blood test, or you can order a finger prick test kit that you mail in for results. Your health care professional can help you choose the correct supplement dose based on your test results.

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For more information, contact Dr. Wendy Cunningham at drwendy@haydenhealth.com.