I rarely think about my daily vitamin D consumption, but vitamin D is an essential nutrient. Vitamin D deficiency can increase one's risk for rickets and stress fractures.
How do we get vitamin D? We can, in fact, absorb this nutrient directly from the sun. Dangerous risks of sun exposure may outweigh the benefits, however, in the form of sun burn and skin cancer.
Other potential sources of vitamin D include milk (although, as it turns out, even fortified milk provides only a fraction of what scientists now think we need per day), cod liver oil, and other fatty fish and fish oils.
There are not a whole lot of other natural dietary sources of vitamin D from foods, so if you don't drink milk or eat fish AND you work in an office all day, chances are you are suffering from a vitamin D deficiency.
You are not alone. According to the article, scientists now think that the majority of Americans are now suffering of vitamin D deficiencies. This makes sense, as many of us work in offices, out of the sun. Although parents may give their children milk to drink, most adults don't consume a large amount of fortified milk themselves, and most of us don't eat a huge amount of fatty fish or take cod liver oil daily.
A vitamin D deficiency could put athletes at a significant disadvantage. The article states:
"In one of the studies, four Russian sprinters were doused with artificial, ultraviolet light. Another group wasn’t. Both trained identically for the 100-meter dash. The control group lowered their sprint times by 1.7 percent. The radiated runners, in comparison, improved by an impressive 7.4 percent."
In other studies, those higher vitamin D levels in their system could jump higher and had lower incidents of stress fractures than those with lower levels. Equally compelling, research also is showing that athletes have higher oxygen intake capacity during summer months (when vitamin D levels from sunlight are higher) which drop off sharply as the fall and winter months roll in.
Are you getting enough vitamin D? Get a home blood test kit for vitamin D at The Vitamin D Council Website.
Can one get too much vitamin D? Yes, although cases are rare. Talk to your doctor (and to your coach, if you are an athlete) about vitamin D to determine how to get the appropriate amount of vitamin D for you. If you determine you are suffering from a vitamin D deficiency, talk to your doctor. Your doctor may recommend dietary changes or vitamin D supplements, and other supplements, such as calcium for bone strength.
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