SHEDDING SOME LIGHT ON VITAMIN D

As I lay in my bed with my first cold of the season, I couldn’t help but regret not taking my vitamin D supplements before the beginning of the cold and flu season. When I say “lay in bed,” I mean at 6:00AM in the morning with two sick toddlers jumping on me. Their colds don’t seem to slow them down one bit. This of course wakes up the baby in my tummy who starts to kick me excessively. This gets me thinking, how much vitamin D should I be taking right now?


Research on this topic has changed doctor’s opinions dramatically over the last few years. I’ve read articles that say adults need 400 IU a day and others that say 4,000 IU for pregnant women. I’m not about to recommend to you how much vitamin D you should be taking, this is something you should talk to your doctor or naturopath about. (Although I’d be sure to mention the recent studies in the past couple of years just in case your doctor isn’t up on it.) Each person is different and your vitamin D consumption will depend on such factors as how much sun you get to how dark your skin is. What doctors seem to be in agreement on is how important getting the right about of vitamin D is.


Researchers have concluded that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a person’s poor immune system. This makes it more difficult to recover from infection and makes it more likely to develop autoimmune diseases. (1) Other health problems could include heart disease, chronic pain, Fibromyalgia, hypertension, arthritis, depression, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, PMS, Crohns Disease, cancer, MS, and other autoimmune diseases. (2) It seems that every month there is new research being published on the dangers of being vitamin D deficient. Common sense would tell you that decreasing your immune system could contribute to numerous health problems.

You may be thinking, great Michelle, now that you have me paranoid that I may be vitamin D deficient, what do I do now? Like almost anything, you can get your vitamin D levels tested and truly find out where you stand. I personally wouldn’t make an appointment solely for that, but the next time you see your doctor it wouldn’t hurt to get tested. Previous recommendations included 200 IU for kids and 400 IU for adults. Some recent recommendations have stated 1,000 IU for kids and 2,000 IU for adults. During last year’s cold and flu season, I was taking 2,000 IU’s a day. Since I’m pregnant this year, I’ll be talking with my doctor about how much he thinks I should be taking. My little guys are getting 400 IU right now, but I’d like to increase that to 1000 IU after talking to their doctor. The brand I use is Nordic Naturals and I’ve been very happy with it. I highly recommend talking with your doctor or naturopath and find out what’s best for you.

Working in the court system with those who have been charged or convicted of crimes, is like bathing in a petri dish of cold and flu germs. I just might start handing out vitamin D supplements to the regulars. Throw two toddlers in the mix and I’m prime target for getting sick. This doesn’t mean I won’t go down with a fight.

(1) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/64932.php

(2) http://www.fightingfatigue.org/?p=1220 I found this statement to be true from numerous other medical articles and used this one for concise purposes.

(3) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind (General information from Mayo clinic)