Aging, Wellness, and Vitamin D
You may know that vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, so it’s added to milk and found in many calcium supplements. But did you know that vitamin D also has been shown to boost bone density in the hip, increase muscle growth and size (improving balance and reducing the risk of falls), lower the incidence of periodontal disease, and hinder the growth of cancerous tumors? It has also been linked to positive effects on the immune system, slowed progression of osteoarthritis, and reduced risk of both forms of diabetes.
Given these emerging findings, many health experts would like to see the current recommended level of vitamin D, established almost 10 years ago, raised from 200–600 International Units (IU) a day to 1000 IU. Vitamin D is manufactured by your skin when it’s exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, sp exposure to the sun can enable your body to manufacture some or all of the vitamin D you need. Depending on where you live (your latitude), the darkness of your skin, and your age, 15 minutes of sun on your face and arms twice a week without sunscreen may do it.
But you won’t achieve vitamin D production if you wear sunscreen, which is always recommended. Not to worry though, vitamin D is added to many foods because it’s not found naturally in a variety of foods the way other vitamins are. Some common foods which contain vitamin D include: salmon (360 IU in 3.5 oz.), tuna fish (200 IU in 3 oz.), Quaker Oatmeal for Women (140 IU), milk (100 IU in 1 cup), and Yoplait yogurt (80 IU in 6 oz.). Read the labels of the food you eat and use supplements as needed to reach your 1000 IU a day goal.
This post is written by Joanne Deck, CWC of Nurture You.
August 20 2008 07:10 pm | aging wellness and baby boomer diet and baby boomer health and boomer diet and boomer health and boomer wellness and food wellness and senior diet and senior health