Recent studies have shown that a deficiency of vitamin D caused an increased risk of diabetes,as well as cancer and heart attack. Getting enough of vitamin D is free: all you have to do isget an exposure of 20minutes to the sun, and you’ve got enough for your daily needs.

Vitamin D is produced when UVB acts on natural precursors in the body. Fair-skinned persons can get 20,000IU with 20min exposure to the afternoon sun. More exposure ends up in sun damage to the skin. Darker-skinned people need more exposure (about 3 – 5 times longer) to get the sameamount of Vitamin D.

Until recently vitamin D was viewed primarily as a protective agent against problems affecting the bone such as osteomalacia (rickets in children), and osteoporosis (a situation whereby the calcium content in bone is reduced, causing an increased tendency to fracture of the bone even with minor injuries).

Vit D deficiency is thought to be due to modern lifestyles where most activities are indoors. Fear of skin cancer and the increasing use of sunblock is a contributory factor.

Not every scientist agrees that vitamin D is that crucial to a person’s wellbeing, and it is not generally agreed upon as to what constitutes an adequate level of the vitamin in the blood, however the trend is towards recommending a higher intake than before.

Current recommended level of vitamin D: about 30 nanogram per mL. New recommended level: 50 -60 nanogram per mL. In the US, scientists say the great majority of the US population is lacking in vitamin D, if one uses the 2nd level as a guide.

Based on earlier studies the daily recommended intake of vitamin D was about 400 international units (IUs) for adults and children, and about 800 IU for the elderly due to lesser exposure to the sun.

Most researchers in the field now recommend taking vit D supplements of about 1,500IU per day. Maximum allowable dosage is 4,000IU, beyond which toxicity is common.

Dietary sources of vitamin D: milk, oily fish.

Adequate levels of vitamin D can be achieved by the above foods, vitamin supplements, or more sun exposure, the third method being frowned upon by dermatologists, who feel that the risk of getting skin cancer is more.

A report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from 2007, says the number of Americans is about 24 million people, or about 8 percent of the US population. In the past 2 years the number has risen by about 3 million people, an increase of about 14 percent. Another 57 million people are pre-diabetic, that is they have blood sugar abnormalities which lead them to have a higher risk of becoming diabetic.

Part of the reason for this rise is because of increased awareness of this illness. Among adults, the elderly are most susceptible to this illness. Race-wise, American Indians and Alaskan natives had the highest incidence of diabetics (16.5%), followed by blacks (11.8 %) and Hispanics (10.4 %), which includes rates for Puerto Ricans (12.6 %), Mexican Americans (11.9 %), and Cubans (8.2 %), Asian Americans (7.5 % ) and whites (6.6%).

heart attack

Tip of the Day: The presence of albumin in the urine is predictive of a heart attack or stroke in the future.