Are you getting enough Vitamin D?

Friday 30th July 2010 10:21am

sunshine Vitamin D has received a lot of attention and as its health implications become more apparent it is also becoming evident that a significant proportion of our population don’t get enough Vitamin D.

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium through the small intestine. This is important for building strong bones, muscles and teeth. Most of our vitamin D is produced when UV radiation in sunlight hits our skin. Lack of exposure to sunlight can lead to vitamin D deficiency, which can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia (a bone-thinning disorder) in older people.

Most people get enough vitamin D through exposure to sunlight during normal day-to-day outdoor activities. However, some people have very low levels of daily sun exposure. This can lead to low vitamin D and, in some cases, longer term deficiency.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods. There are very small amounts of vitamin D in some foods and drinks, but it is difficult to get enough vitamin D from diet alone. Only a few foods (such as fish and eggs) naturally contain vitamin D. Margarine and some types of milk have added vitamin D, but most people only get 10–25 per cent of their vitamin D from food.

There is increasing recognition that a significant number of Australians and people from specific groups within the community are suffering from vitamin D deficiency. While the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency varies, it is much higher than previously thought.

Health effects of low vitamin D

Low levels of vitamin D and vitamin D deficiency may have no obvious symptoms but they can have significant health effects if left untreated.

Low levels of Vitamin D can increase a person’s risk of musculoskeletal conditions such as:

Bone and muscle pain
Rickets (soft, weakened bones) in children
Osteomalacia (weak, fragile bones) in older adults
Osteoporosis

Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to various types of cancers (particularly colon cancer), heart disease, stroke, altered immunity and autoimmune diseases. Further discussion on these diseases is beyond the scope of this Hot Topic and more research is required to confirm these links.

At-risk groups

People who are at risk of low vitamin D and deficiency include:

People with naturally very dark skin. The pigment in skin (melanin) acts as a filter to UVB (Ultraviolet B) radiation and reduces the amount of vitamin D the body makes (synthesises).
People with little or no sun exposure.

This group includes:
- Older adults – people who are frail, in medium to long-term residential or aged care and housebound people.
- People who wear concealing clothing for religious and cultural purposes.
- People who deliberately avoid sun exposure for cosmetic or health reasons.
- People at high risk of skin cancers.
- People who are in hospital for long periods.
- People with a disability or chronic disease.
- People in occupations with little sun exposure such as taxi drivers, factory workers or night-shift workers.
Breast-fed babies with other low vitamin D risk factors. Breast milk is the best type of feed for babies, but it does not contain much vitamin D. Babies get their initial store of vitamin D from their mothers, so they are at risk of low vitamin D if their mother has low vitamin D.

This information is not intended as a substitute for qualified medical advice. Please consult a properly qualified health care practitioner.