The Skin Cancer Foundation revises daily intake for vitamin D
Vitamin D
The Skin Cancer Foundation is revising its vitamin D recommendation for adults who have limited sun exposure or who practice photoprotection from 400 to 1,000 international units (IUs) of vitamin D daily.
For children under the age of 18, including infants, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 400 IU of vitamin D per day.
The Foundation recommends that vitamin D should be obtained from a combination of dietary sources and supplements.
“Based on current data, we feel comfortable recommending this increase,” said Warwick Morison, chairman of The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Photobiology Committee. “We know it is well within the safety limits set by the US Food and Nutrition Board and it may help alleviate vitamin D deficiency, which has been a growing concern for people.”
Vitamin D is essential for bone health and has been shown to have other important health benefits. Inadequate levels of vitamin D have been associated with immune-related disease such as type I diabetes, hypertension and rheumatoid arthritis as well as certain cancers.
However, it should be emphasized that no causal relationship has been established between vitamin D levels and these diseases.
There are three sources of vitamin D: exposure to UVB radiation, certain foods and vitamin D supplements.
Ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun and tanning beds is a proven human carcinogen and is responsible for DNA damage that can result in skin cancer, as well as depressed immunity and photoaging. About 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with UV from the sun and many cases of melanoma have been attributed to UV radiation.
At the same time, ultraviolet B (UVB) is the portion of sunlight that stimulates human skin to produce vitamin D. The limited benefits of exposure to UVB radiation cannot be separated from the harmful effects. Therefore, the safest and recommended way to obtain adequate vitamin D is through a combination of diet and vitamin D supplements.
Vitamin D can be obtained from oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines) and cod liver oil, as well as from fortified orange juice and milk (both with 100 IU per 8oz), yogurts and some cereals, such as Kashi, Grape Nuts and Total (100 IU per serving).
Supplements are readily available and inexpensive.
Practicing a comprehensive sun protection regimen to avoid the risk of skin cancer is essential. The Skin Cancer Foundation’s prevention guidelines include: seeking shade between 10 am and 4 pm, daily use of an SPF 15 or higher sunscreen and wearing sun-protective clothing including wide brimmed hats and uv-protective sunglasses.
For the full guidelines, visit www.skincancer.org.
Frequently asked questions
Can too much vitamin D (via supplements) cause problems?
Vitamin D can be toxic in high doses. According to the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board, an intake of 2,000 IU per day is the upper limit for safety. If you are concerned you might be getting too much vitamin D, consult with your doctor.
A blood test that measures vitamin D levels (assessed as 25-OH Vitamin D) is widely available.
If I use sunscreen, will it make me deficient in vitamin D?
Proper sunscreen use and other photoprotection practices may decrease vitamin D synthesis. However, there are significant proven benefits from protecting your skin from the harmful effects of UVB radiation. The safest and recommended way to obtain adequate vitamin D is through a combination of diet and vitamin D supplements.
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Supplement this. Pills for everything, when will it end?
Good stuff about moderate uv exposure can be found on sites such as http://www.uvtalk.com
The 1000 IU is too low for far too many. And the
2000 IU upper limit is wrong and should be
greater than or perhaps equal to 10 000 IU.
In healthy young persons replete in vitamin D the daily “burn rate” has been shown to be a little under 4000 IU per day.
And it takes 6000 IU per day in a nursing
mother to yield milk with enough vitamin D
for the infant. Obese persons have a higher
“burn rate” of the vitamin.
Given how little vitamin d there is in food, and the fact that you cannot make vitamin d from the sun in the winter, when it is raining, if there is significant air pollution and at any time when the sun is not high in the sky (greater than 45 degrees). The only option is supplements, even for those who go in the sun. The average person does not get out in the sun enough to make the minimum of 5000IU needed to maintain the body at a reasonable level. From personal experience another advantage is that 5000IU a day reduces the risk of sun burn, as the skin does not fade to a moon tan.
I personally have been on 15k iu/day for the past 3 months and 5k day for at least 2 years prior to that. My serum levels were checked last week and came in at 42ng/ml which is acceptable but according to the best researchers in the field, the optimal range is between 50ng/ml and 70 ng/ml. Persons who are deficient will need to take more to obtain these levels. Remember, every cell in the body has a vitamin D receptor. The recent level increase is still too low. The body will produce, with adequate exposure, between 10k and 20k iu and maintain that level. The minimum daily amount should at least be in that range.
[...] The Skin Cancer Foundation revises daily intake for vitamin D Othello Outlook – Othello,WA,USA There are three sources of vitamin D: exposure to UVB radiation, certain foods and vitamin D supplements. Ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun and … Good – although written by a doctor there is only just enough to accept this in the good category. However, it does give excellent, but easy to read, information on the role of the sun’s UV light and our bodies producing vitamin D. [...]