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Do you deliberately avoid going out in the sun? Lack of sun exposure on your skin is one of the primary causes of vitamin D deficiency, but there are additional factors. Whenever studies are done to measure vitamin D levels in large groups, the results show that, regardless of the age or cultural background of the subjects, chronic vitamin D deficiencies are widespread.
Some of the statistics taken from these studies show consistent trends of vitamin D deficiency:
• 32% of doctors and med school students were found to be deficient
• studies estimate that 40% of the U.S. population is vitamin D deficient
• 48% of young girls (9-11 years old) had lower than normal vitamin D level
• Up to 60% of all hospital patients had vitamin D deficiency symptoms
• Up to 80% of nursing home patients had lower than normal vitamin D level
In addition, 76% of pregnant mothers were found in one study to be severely vitamin D deficient. This causes widespread vitamin D deficiencies in their unborn children, and predisposes the children to diseases such as type 1 diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia later in life.
Sun Exposure Has always Been Man's Primary Source of Vitamin D
Sun exposure has been the primary source of vitamin D for humans throughout history. Until modern times, human beings spent a great deal of time outdoors. But as ancient man migrated from subtropical to less temperate climates, this has changed dramatically.
And so, over many generations, the shift from a hunter-gatherer to an agricultural-based to an industrialized society also meant less vitamin D from sun exposure.
Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency: Avoiding Sun Exposure
Today, many of us work indoors and use our cars to get from place to place, instead of walking. Then we use sunscreen whenever we spend any time out in the sun.
While the use of sunscreen may be useful in minimizing the risks of skin cancer, sunscreens also prevent the manufacture of Vitamin D, even if you're outdoors for a long time. Applying sunscreen with even a minimum SPF factor of 8 reduces your body's production of vitamin D by 95%.
There's no question that chronic, excessive exposure to sunlight increases risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer. But there's very little evidence that sensible, moderate sun exposure increases your risk of the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma. In fact, there's good evidence to suggest that it may actually decrease your risk.
Unfortunately, there has been an ongoing campaign designed to make us scared to death about any sun exposure at all. Does this make any sense?
The other primary factor to consider when you get your vitamin D from sun exposure is the distance you live from the equator. If you live north of the 30th parallel in the northern hemisphere, or south of the 30th parallel in the southern hemisphere, the sun is not strong enough for about half of the year. The further you go away from the equator, the shorter the vitamin D season gets.
When you get more sun exposure during spring, summer and fall, your vitamin D levels are much higher than you really need. The surplus vitamin D gets stored in your body fat, to be released during the winter time. The lowest levels typically occur at the end of the winter season, when the sun's rays have been weak for several months, and your reserves get depleted.
Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency: Dark Skin Tone
African-Americans and other dark-skinned races need significantly more UV exposure to produce adequate vitamin D. This is because the higher melanin (the pigment that darkens skin) content in darker skin reduces the skin's ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight. A typical person with very deep skin pigmentation has sun protection that's similar to a sunscreen with a SPF of 15-30.
Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency: Obesity
Some studies have shown that obese individuals may be less able to effectively manufacture Vitamin D. another problem with overweight individuals is that some of the vitamin D gets stored in your fat and can't be easily released. At the same time, overweight people have an increased need for stronger bones to support a their higher weight, something vitamin D is essential for.
Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency: The Aging Process
It's important to note that we lose some of our ability to synthesize and absorb vitamin D as we age. As we grow older and our skin grows thinner, the amount of the vitamin D precursor (a derivative of cholesterol) in it decreases, too.
After the age of 60, people are more likely to have had an experience with skin cancer and subsequently to use sunscreen. With advancing age, people are more likely to stay indoors, especially those in rest homes or similar institutions.
Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency: Liver, Kidney and Bowel Disorders
We know that vitamin D is formed when your skin is exposed to sunlight. However, the complete vitamin D absorption process is a little more complex. The vitamin D first goes to your liver to become activated and modified into something called 25-hydroxy vitamin D. This is what labs measure to determine your blood level of vitamin D. It then goes to your kidneys where it gets modified to its active form.
Since Vitamin D is processed into hormones in the liver and kidneys, individuals with improperly functioning organs may suffer deficiency symptoms even if their blood levels of Vitamin D are adequate.
People with inflammatory bowel disease such as inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn's disease are also at increased risk of vitamin D deficiency symptoms, due to their inability to process vitamin D properly.
Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency: Lack of Vitamin D Absorption
Another important factor to remember is that it takes up to 48 hours for your body to absorb vitamin D after sunbathing. If you wash the exposed area with soap, you'll remove the oil-soluble vitamin D, and you won't get any of it into your system. If you shower or bathe daily, use soap only on your underarms and groin area, which emit the most body odor and don't get much sun anyway. Wash the rest of your body with plain water, which won't wash away the vitamin D.
How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?
If you have habitually avoid direct sun exposure, and don't take any supplementation, you almost certainly have low vitamin D levels. The only way to determine this for sure is to get your vitamin D levels tested. You can get a test kit that will allow you to do this at home.
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