Vitamin D Summary
- Colder weather means more time indoors, which can have health implications such as spreading germs and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
- Vitamin D is essential for proper bone development and preventing heart disease, cognitive decline, and cancer.
- It can be obtained through skin exposure to sunlight or animal-based products like fish, eggs, or milk.
- Recommended dosage of vitamin D ranges from 5 – 10 thousand international units daily with potential benefits including improved sleep & mood as well as better skin & bone health.
- Before starting any supplements it’s important to consult a physician first.
Full Text
As the weather turns colder, we spend much more time indoors. This can have some significant health implications. We’re more likely to spread germs indoors than outdoors.
Less sunlight can lead to a condition called seasonal affective disorder where some people experience more fatigue or depression or anxiety. This time of year low vitamin D levels are associated with less light exposure in the winter.
And with changes in our diet common to this time of year, vitamin D is essential for proper bone development and helps prevent heart disease, cognitive decline, and even cancer. We get vitamin D when our skin synthesizes it after sunlight exposure or through animal based products like fish, eggs, or milk, there are varying recommendations for how much vitamin D is safe.
Anything lower than 10,000 international units per day would likely be safe being too low, as much more common than getting too much. I recommend 5,000 to 10,000 international units daily. With these amounts of vitamin D.
You may see improved sleep and mood, better skin and bone health, but before starting any supplements, you should confer with your physician.
I’m Dr. David Long, and that was the long story short.
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