Born Smart

In 2004, Professor Michael Holick was asked to resign from his post at Boston University for encouraging “sensible sun exposure” in his book “The UV Advantage”. Holick argued that whilst reducing sun exposure protected you from skin cancer, vitamin D deficiency increase your risk of heart disease, colon cancer and breast cancer.

In one of his studies he found 76% of mothers and 81% of babies deficient in vitamin D. Holick said, “The recommendation that you should never be exposed to the sun is putting many people at risk for vitamin D deficiency. While in the sun, it’s important to cover the face but okay to expose the arms and legs for 10 minutes or so without sunscreen. If you’re going to be out in the sun for 5, 10 or 15 minutes don’t be paranoid.”

Fast forward four years and a paper published in August 2008 by Professor Anthony Norman at University of California Riverside listed 36 organs in the body that respond biologically to vitamin D (included are bone marrow, breast, colon, intestine, kidney, lung, prostate, retina, skin, stomach and the uterus). Norman said, “It is becoming increasingly clear to researchers in the field that vitamin D is strongly linked to several diseases.” Norman recommended an average daily intake of at least 2000IU for adults. He goes on to say, “More than ever we need to increase the amount of research on vitamin D… to meet the challenge of preserving or improving the health of everyone on the planet.”

Soon after this paper was published the American Academy of Pediatrics doubled the amount of vitamin D recommended for infants, children and adolescents. A summary of the new recommendations can be found on this link or here

Since then several other studies have emerged linking vitamin D deficiency to Parkinson, weight gain and stunted growth in girls, increased rate for cesarean sections, immune system deficiencies, diabetes, cognitive impairment and even two that suggested vitamin D can protect against low levels of radiation, and placental infection,

Ruth A Lawrence MD, Editor in chief of Breastfeeding Medicine for the Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry said, “Vitamin D is a hormone not a vitamin and it is not just for kids anymore. Perhaps the most startling information is that adults are commonly deficient in modern society. Vitamin D is now recognized as a pivotal hormone in the human immune system…”

The problem is that very few foods contain vitamin D, with only small amounts in cheese and milk. A pregnant mother must eat either sardines or salmon very regularly, not only for omega 3 but because these two foods are the only ones that contain enough vitamin D to meet daily requirements. If you have young children and struggle to get them to eat fish, buy a vitamin D fortified milk.

And finally you have to ask the question. Is the reason the flu virus are so dominant during the winter months, because a lack of sunshine on top of chronic deficiency in vitamin D is leaving our immune system defenseless?