Healthline Today: Vitamin D

In this week’s Heathline Today, Dr. Jim Lenhart has some important information on the sunshine vitamin.

The American Journal of Cardiology recently reported important news on Vitamin D.

Researchers at the University of Kansas evaluated data on 10,000 patients and found that 70% were deficient in Vitamin D and those deficient in the vitamin were at significantly higher risk for developing heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

And listen to this, vitamin D deficiency nearly doubled the likelihood of pre-mature death, while correcting the deficiency with supplements lowered that risk by a whopping 60%.

According to the lead author, Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a number of illnesses, but few studies have demonstrated that supplements could prevent the adverse outcomes.

After adjusting for factors like medical history and medications, the researchers found that people with levels of less than 30 milligrams percent were twice as likely to have diabetes, 40% more likely to have high blood pressure and 30% more likely to develop heart muscle disease than people with normal levels.

So what is your level? Has your doctor even tested it? What should you do if you are deficient?

The primary source of vitamin D is sunlight. What you may not realize is that sufficient ultraviolet light exposure to maintain recommended levels requires 20 minutes of full body exposure daily.

Who gets that in the winter months?

So the authors recommend getting your vitamin D level checked and then supplementing to push levels into the ideal range. The Linus Pauling Institute at the Oregon State University recommends supplementation with 400 to 800 international units daily for most people and even higher doses for those deficient in the vitamin.

But wait. You can take too much and vitamin D toxicity results in bone loss, kidney stones and calcified organs so the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has declared the safe upper limit of vitamin D supplementation no greater than 4000 international units daily in most circumstances.

For questions or comments email drjim@drjimshealthline.com Be healthy! Be happy! And I’ll see you next time on Healthline Today!

(DISCLAIMER): Opinions on this station and the web of Dr. Jim Lenhart are educational and informational and are not a diagnosis, treatment or substitute for professional medical advice. Consult a physician or health care professional for your health or medical needs.