Why the “Sunshine” Vitamin is so Important for Menopausal Women

Vitamin D is one of 13 vitamins our bodies need to function properly, according to the American Dietetic Association. It’s a fat-soluble vitamin that promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and helps deposit these minerals in bones and teeth to make them strong. It’s so important to our well-being that a group of prominent scientists have formed The Vitamin D Council, a non-profit organization with a mission to educate the public and professionals about Vitamin D deficiency and its numerous associated diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, depression).

It’s known as the “sunshine” vitamin because our bodies can only produce it with enough sun exposure – a couple of hours a week is often sufficient.  Foods such as cheese, eggs, fortified milk, breakfast cereals and some fish (such as salmon and sardines) are also good sources for this important nutrient.  If you’re between 51 and 70, the FDA recommends 400 IU daily (and 600 IU thereafter). However, some physicians (including mine) don’t think that’s enough.  As reported in the American Journal of Clinicial Nutrition, physicians at the Boston University School of Medicine recommend that in the absence of exposure to sunlight, a minimum of 1000 IU of Vitamin D is required to maintain healthy concentrations in the blood.

Vitamin D supplementation is beneficial throughout our lives, but it is particularly important for women in mid-life. Why? Because it…

• aids in the absorption of calcium, which helps prevent osteoporosis

• is a critical factor in bone health

• enhances muscle power

• promotes normal cell growth throughout the body- a key factor in maintaining hormonal balance and a healthy immune system

• may protect against some cancers

• helps women fight fat in menopausal years (when combined with calcium)

There has been a lot of research and discussion about the benefits of Vitamin D (search Google for “vitamin D and menopause,” and you’ll see 423,000 articles on this topic), and I have been asked by more than one doctor if I’m taking enough of it.  It does seem to be the new “it” vitamin: remember how we were inundated with data about Vitamins A (for skin), B (for energy), and C (for colds) – we’re clearly teed up for a barrage of information about the merits of D and we’ll be seeing more and more foods in the grocery store that are fortified with it.

P.S.   For more information about the importance of Vitamin D in our diets, be sure to read Jane Brody’s “Personal Health” column of 2/19/08, “An Oldie Vies for Nutrient of the Decade.”