Groundhog Day Means 9 More Weeks Without Any Vitamin D From Sunshine

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today.  Six more weeks of winter.  But NINE more weeks before we can get ANY Vitamin D from the sun in Iowa.  Here the sun is high enough off the horizon only 5 months of the year.  Even in the summer very few Iowans make enough of their own Vitamin D.

In all of 2013 I saw fewer than ten patients with good vitamin D levels from only:  Multiple Vitamins & Minerals, Calcium Plus D Supplements, “Vitamin D Enriched” Milk, and Sunshine combined.  Every other patient needed an additional 1000 IU to over 5000 IU Vitamin D3 supplements daily.

We live too far north.  We spend too much time indoors.  We wear too much clothing.  We avoid the mid-day sun.  We use Sun Block to prevent Skin Cancer, which prevents us from making Vitamin D.  And, sadly, most of us are no longer in our 20’s.

Without a high enough Vitamin D level, you cannot absorb Calcium properly.  Without testing, you do not know what your level is, except that:  “It’s February.  It’s Iowa.  8 to 1 you are low on Vitamin D.”

Take Control of Your Bone Health.  Test for 25-hydroxy Vitamin D level.  Take enough Vitamin D3 supplements to get your level above 40 ng/ml.

Jay Ginther, MD

Categorised in: Nutrition, Take Control Naturally