"Little miss sunshine" - Vitamin D

Welcome back Nutrinutters!!

Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, is one of the most studied vitamins at the moment, but with so many trends going around, how do we even know what is real and what is not? Like the previous vitamins we've covered, I hope to clarify some questions you might have had on the topic.

Starting with why it is called the sunshine vitamin. This nutrient is unique in the sense that although you can find it in foods, the main “source” to obtain vitamin D is through the sun. When UVB rays reach your skin, your body converts it with the help of the liver and kidneys into active vitamin D for your body to use.

Vitamin D benefits?

Some of the amazing benefits that are linked to having adequate amount of vitamin D in the body range from regulating calcium absorption, to protecting against autoimmune diseases, heart disease and cancer. The sunshine vitamin regulates calcium in the blood in 2 different ways. First by increasing the calcium absorption from foods and second, reducing the amount of calcium that the body eliminates through urine.

This vitamin’s benefits go beyond bone support, including helping increase muscle strength and promoting heart health by playing a role in controlling blood pressure and preventing artery damage. Also, it has a real neat role in regulating the immune system and having a vitamin D deficiency possibly contributes to the development of multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes.

Sources of “little miss sunshine”

Being the sunshine vitamin, the best “source” is the sun, therefore, factors such as clothing, latitude, altitude and sunblock interfere with UVB rays, and consequently, vitamin D absorption.

Other factors that affect vitamin D status include skin color (the darker the skin, the more melanin present interfering with vitamin D conversion) and age (the enzymes responsible for converting and activating vitamin D decrease in the body with age).

Although the best way to obtain vitamin D is through the sun, there are some foods that contain vitamin D such as salmon, sardines, eggs and some foods that are fortified such as milk and cereals.

How much should I have?

The public health recommendation for adult females and males is 600 IU. Since this vitamin is fat soluble, the tolerable upper intake level for vitamin D was set to 4000 IU and like previous vitamins, reaching these levels through foods is unlikely. For someone considering taking supplements, this is something to be in the lookout for, however. 

The amount of vitamin D supplement that one should have depends on where their starting point is by checking vitamin D blood levels. If you are deficient/insufficient and decide to supplement, it is very important to make sure you follow up with your practitioner and monitor blood levels of vitamin D.

Hope everyone is having a great day!!

Until next time ;)

-The Nutrinut-

The Journey Continues with Choline!

Guten tag nutrinutters!

With national nutrition month I got a bit side tracked working on the healthy tips but now the vitamins and minerals are back in business! 

This week I wanted to discuss choline – this vitamin is actually one of the newest nutrients to be added to the vitamin list, being recognized only in 1998. The reason for this is because it was once believed that our bodies produced enough choline on its own; however, research showed otherwise.

Why is Choline important?

One of the benefits linked to choline is that it is a key nutrient for the production of phosphatidylcholine, important for the construction of cell membranes. If we think back to biology class, the membrane is responsible for controlling what goes in and out of cells - pretty important function! Choline is also the backbone of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is involved in muscle control and memory.

Methylation, which is the process of giving or taking a methyl group in different chemical reactions that occur throughout your body, is yet another important function where choline plays a role in. This might not sound that important but methylation happens in many basic functions such as building DNA, signal exchange in the brain and liver detox.

Speaking of liver, fat and cholesterol are transported from the liver to the bloodstream in little “packages” called lipoproteins that need phosphatidylcholine. Without adequate amounts of choline, fat and cholesterol can accumulate in the liver.

Food sources and daily recommendation

Luckily, choline is available in a variety of foods, including the controversial egg yolk - one egg giving you about 1/3 of your choline daily needs…so eggs in moderation are not that bad for you after all!  Other good sources include shrimp, collard greens, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach!

As for the recommendation, this is one of the nutrients that the ideal amount is not fully understood yet especially since our body produces some already. A study published last month (March) in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology suggests that there is no “right” amount and that there should be no “one size fits all” in this case. Factors such as gender, life stage, race and ethnicity might influence your choline needs.

But in the meantime, the National Academy of Sciences established the following adequate intake amount for choline: adult females should have 425 mg per day and adult males 550 mg.

Well, this concludes one more vitamin! We are almost done reviewing the vitamins but don’t forget to come back because we still have quite a few exciting minerals to cover!

Until next time!

- The Nutrinut-