While consumers should always beware of supplements plagued by contamination with harmful ingredients, stand-alone supplements of vitamin D—a substance believed to help protect against cancer, dementia, and heart disease, among other ailments—get high marks in third-party quality-assurance tests, according to a new report by a consumer-watchdog group. Keep this field blank Enter your email address You may unsubscribe at any time. Just as good, the vitamin can be dirt-cheap if you know what to look for. ", an independent company that evaluates health-and-nutrition products. "It's good news all the way around, not like some new, superexpensive vitamin. You shouldn't have to pay very much to get a vitamin D supplement." survey, conducted annually to gauge what dietary supplements people are using, found that vitamin D use jumped 30 percent since last year. The D surge is undoubtedly a result of dozens of studies linking low vitamin D levels to health problems.
Nearly half of the 6,000 people surveyed took vitamin D daily. Dr. Cooperman's lab also tested 27 different brands of vitamin D supplements last year, randomly purchased from pharmacies, natural health stores, and vitamin stores. tested supplements at manufacturers' requests, for certification purposes. Researchers checked that vitamin D, vitamin D plus calcium, and vitamin D plus vitamin K products weren't contaminated with harmful substances like lead; that they contained the amount of vitamin D they advertised; and that they broke down accordingly, allowing proper absorption. WHAT IT MEANS: As scores of studies are finding health problems associated with vitamin D deficiency, more consumers are flooding store aisles to get their hands on the vitamin. That's because it's not readily available from food sources in meaningful amounts, other than in wild-caught salmon, mackerel, and some shiitake mushrooms. But the interest in vitamin D is leading some supplement makers to add vitamin D to all sorts of other herbal and supplemental concoctions, which opens the door for contamination.
Here's how to get your hands on the best vitamin D supplements without breaking the bank: • First off, get enough. Most people in the United States aren't getting enough vitamin D, a substance our bodies naturally manufacture when sun hits our unprotected skin during warmer months. But because so many people are wearing sunscreen to protect against skin cancer, they're not getting the benefit, since the product blocks the beneficial process as it blocks the sun. And in northern latitudes, the angle of the sun isn't sufficient to spur such production, for much of the year anyway. Vitamin D expert Michael Holick, PhD, MD, professor of medicine, physiology, and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine and author of the upcoming book The Vitamin D Solution: A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problem (Hudson Street Press, April 2010), suggests that all children receive at least 400 International Units (IU) and up to 1,000 IU of vitamin D a day (the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 400 IU);
for adults, Dr. Holick suggests 1,500 to 2,000 IU a day. That's well above the current official recommendations of 400 IU for adults, but most doctors agree that that amount is woefully low and doesn't bring patients' blood levels of vitamin D up to adequate levels. Before taking vitamin D supplements, ask your doctor for a routine blood test to see where you stand, and then supplement accordingly. And during the warmer months, consider letting the sun hit your unscreened arms and legs for 15 minutes or so, to spur some natural D production. • ID the D. There's a lot of fuss over which form of vitamin D is better—D2 or D3. One camp says the latter is more effective, although Dr. Holick contends both will work to effectively raise the amount of vitamin D in your blood. The point is if your supplement label simply reads "vitamin D" without identifying whether it's D2 or D3, it's probably not a reputable source.The demand for vitamin D has the supplements industry seeing dollar signs, so they're putting it in all sorts of products.
But Dr. Cooperman contends it's best to get your D from a stand-alone supplement. "There are all types of formulas out there, and some of them justify a higher price. If you want vitamin D, just stick to vitamin D, and maybe vitamin D plus calcium," suggests Dr. Cooperman. "Don't go for formulas throwing in herbs and other ingredients. There are more contamination issues." • Sneak it to your kids. Any parent knows it's tough to coax a kid into taking a pill. 's quality-assurance tests, and notes that it's cheap formulation, too. Each drop contains of 400 IU of D3. A bottle contains 365 drops—one for every day of the year—for an annual cost of less than $20. The drops have no taste, so you can sneak it into your kids' food. For adults who don't want to deal with pills, Dr. Holick suggests Wellesse Vitamin D3 Liquid 1000 IU. The price breaks down to about $.45 an ounce. • Find more quality D on the cheap. Most national brands are good, affordable sources, says Dr. Holick, including Costco's Kirkland brand and Nature Made, two brands that also passed third-party quality-assurance testing.
For instance, Nature Made 1,000 IU Vitamin D costs about $6 per 100 tablets. recommends Nature's Bounty Vitamin D 1,000 IU Softgels, the cost of which breaks down to about a nickel per dose, or GNC's 1,000 IU Vitamin D3 ($9.99 for 180 tablets). vitamin D when you’re catching up on summer rays. It’s sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” because it’s produced in your skin in response to sunlight. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin in a family of compounds that includes vitamins D-1, D-2, and D-3. It can affect as many as 2,000 genes in the body. has several important functions. Perhaps the most vital are regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorous, and facilitating normal immune systemGetting a sufficient amount of vitamin D is important for normal growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as improved resistance doesn’t get enough vitamin D, you’re at risk of developing bone abnormalities such as soft bones (osteomalacia) or fragile bones (osteoporosis).
to its primary benefits, research suggests that vitamin D may also play a role your risk of multiple sclerosis, according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Associationdecreasing your chance of developing heart disease, according to 2008 findings published to reduce your likelihood of developing the flu, according to 2010 research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shown that vitamin D might play an important role in regulating mood andIn one study, scientists found that people with depression who received vitamin D supplements noticed an improvement in their symptoms. study of people with fibromyalgia, researchers found vitamin D deficiency was more common in those who were also experiencing anxiety and adding vitamin D supplements to your diet if you’re trying to lose weight or study, people who took a daily vitamin D supplement did not lose a significant amount of weight, but were able to
improve their heart disease risk markers. In another study, people taking a daily calcium and vitamin D supplement were able to lose more weight than subjects taking aThe scientists said the extra calcium and vitamin D had an produces vitamin D naturally when it is directly exposed to sunlight. can go a long way. All you need is 10 minutes a day of midday, pre-sunscreen sun exposure, especially if you have fair skin. getting vitamin D through sunlight, you can also get it through certain foods and supplements to ensure adequate levels of the vitamin in your blood. lifestyle and environmental factors can affect your ability to get sufficient amounts of vitamin D through the sun alone. in big cities where buildings block sunlighthaving factors contribute to vitamin D deficiency in an increasing number of people. That’s why it’s important to get some of your vitamin D from sources besides of a vitamin D deficiency in adults include:
general tiredness, aches and pains, and a general sense of not feeling wellsevere bone or muscle pain or weakness that may cause difficulty climbing stairs or getting up from the floor or a low chair, or cause the person to walk with a waddling gaitstress fractures, especially in the legs, pelvis, and hips diagnose a vitamin D deficiency by performing a simple blood test. a deficiency, your doctor may order X-rays to check the strength of your bones. diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency, your doctor will likely recommend you take daily vitamin D supplements. If you have a severe deficiency, they may recommend you take high-dose vitamin D tablets or liquids. You should also make sure to get vitamin D through sunlight and the foods you eat. contain vitamin D naturally. Because of this, some foods are fortified. means that vitamin D has been added. Foods that contain vitamin D include: hard to get enough vitamin D each day through sun exposure and food alone, so
taking vitamin D supplements can help. been some controversy over the amount of vitamin D needed for healthyRecent research indicates that you need more vitamin D than wasNormal blood serum levels range from 50 to 100 micrograms perDepending on your blood level, your vitamin D intake needs may be The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences reports new intake recommendations based on international units (IUs) per day. IUs are a standard type of measurement for drugs and vitamins. IUs help experts determine recommended intake, toxicity, and deficiency levels for each person. One IU is not the same for each type of vitamin. determined by how much of a substance produces an effect in your body. recommended IUs for vitamin D are: up to age 70: or breastfeeding women: 600 IU suggest that considerably higher daily amounts of vitamin D — as high as 2000 IU per day — are needed. exact amount may be in question, the importance of vitamin D is not.