"Fall Behind" "D Ahead"

Pretty soon it will be time to change our clocks.  You know what they say Fall Behind - Spring Forward.  Well, I just got this from my friend Dr. Chaney and his take on how this relates to our Vitamin D needs.  Seems like great timing, because through October 17th you can get Vitamin D at 15% off!  Just click here.  Want to know exactly how much you should be taking?  Use the Vitamin D-Ology quiz.

To Your Health,
Lisa


In just a few weeks we will be told to "fall behind" - set our clocks back one hour as we go off Daylight Savings Time.

That's also a good time to "D ahead" - to increase our vitamin D intake.

That's because our bodies just don't make vitamin D as well during the winter months.

The very first step in making vitamin D occurs when our skin converts a metabolite of cholesterol to vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol - and that reaction depends on UV (ultraviolet) radiation from the sun.

From there the vitamin D3 travels to our liver where it is converted to 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 (the form of vitamin D that is measured in our blood).

And the 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 travels to our kidney where it is converted to 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 - the active form of vitamin D that is responsible for building strong bones and conferring all of the other health benefits associated with vitamin D.

But the very first step in the process occurs in our skin and is absolutely dependent on exposure to UV radiation.

And when the sun is low in the sky, our UV exposure decreases significantly even if we spend just as much time outdoors and expose just as much skin surface - both of which are unlikely for the cold winter months.

So just remember each year when you are told to "Fall Behind" (set your clocks back) it's time to "D forward" your vitamin D intake - an increase of 1,000 IU/day will usually be sufficient.

And in the spring when you are told that it's time to "Spring Forward" (set your clocks ahead) it will be time to "D Behind" - decrease your vitamin D intake by about 1,000 IU/day.

To Your Health!

Dr. Stephen G Chaney