6 things you should know about vitamin D

Figuring out all the factors that can affect your vitamin D level is complicated. Your body makes vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin. You can also get the vitamin from food (mainly because its been added; few foods are natural sources of vitamin D) or by taking a supplement. The process by which the body makes vitamin D is complex. It starts when the skin absorbs rays in the invisible ultraviolet B (UVB) part of the light spectrum. The liver and the kidneys also participate to make a form of the vitamin that the body can use. A number of factors influence a persons vitamin D levels. Here are six important ones. 1. Where you live. The further away from the Equator you live, the less vitamin Dproducing UVB light reaches the earths surface during the winter. Short days and clothing that covers legs and arms also limit UVB exposure. 2. Air quality. Carbon particles in the air from the burning of fossil fuels, wood, and other materials scatter and absorb UVB rays, diminishing vitamin D production. In contrast, ozone absorbs UVB radiation, so pollution-caused holes in the ozone layer could end up enhancing vitamin D levels. 3. Use of sunscreen. Sunscreen prevents sunburn by blocking UVB light. Theoretically, that means sunscreen use lowers vitamin D levels. But as a practical matter, very few people put on enough sunscreen to block all UVB light, or they use sunscreen irregularly, so sunscreens effects on vitamin D might not be that important. An Australian study thats often cited showed no difference in vitamin D between adults randomly assigned to use sunscreen one summer and those assigned a placebo cream. 4. Skin color. Melanin is the substance in skin that makes it dark. It competes for UVB with the substance in the skin that kick-starts the bodys vitamin D production. As a result, dark -skinned people tend to require more UVB exposure than light-skinned people to generate the same amount of vitamin D. 5. Weight. Body fat sops up vitamin D, so its been proposed that it might provide a vitamin D rainyday fund: a source of the vitamin when intake is low or production is reduced. But studies have also shown that being obese is correlated with low vitamin D levels and that being overweight may affect the bioavailability of vitamin D. 6. Age. Compared with younger people, older people have lower levels of the substance in the skin that UVB light converts into the vitamin D precursor. Theres also experimental evidence that older people are less efficient vitamin D producers than younger people. To really optimize your diet, keep these two additional tips in mind. 1. Limit liquid sugars. Soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and other sugar-sweetened beverages can deliver up to 12 teaspoons of sugar in a single serving, with no other useful nutrients. These beverages offer no health or nutritional benefits. Worse, regular consumption of these drinks can increase your chances of becoming obese or developing diabetes both of which raise your risk for heart disease and other chronic conditions. Unsweetened coffee or tea or sparkling water are better choices. 2. Cut back on refined carbohydrates. White bread, many breakfast cereals, packaged snack foods, and potato chips and French fries deliver mainly pure starch which the body converts to sugar

with few other nutrients or fiber. Better choices are whole grains, breads made with whole grains, high-fiber breakfast cereals, brown rice, steel-cut oats, fruits and vegetables, and beans. A good general rule is to choose foods that have at least one gram of fiber for every 10 grams of carbohydrate. Even better, aim for a gram of fiber for every 5 grams of carbohydrate.