Healthy Bones Need Vitamin D
Posted by Health articles on June 1st, 2009
Rather, what the bones need to be strong is calcium. And vitamin D makes it possible for the digestive system to absorb calcium. This sounds very simple and straightforward. But it is a complex process.
The vitamin gets carried to he liver by the bloodstream. In the liver it gets modified and hydroxilated. The easiest way to explain hydroxilating is explaining it as activating. So, now the vitamin is activated and has become 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
The bloodstream will now carry it to the kidneys. There it gets modified again and reactivated. It has now become 125-di-hydroxy vitamin D. This is the active form of the vitamin. and it is now ready to help the intestines to absorb calcium more easily, keep the blood calcium level normal and make sure the bones receive the needed calcium.
Dr.Michael Holick and a colleague were the first to isolate and identify this active form of vitamin D. They chemically synthesized it and it’s now used for bone disease. Especially bone disease associated with kidney failure.
The synthesized form of this vitamin is only available by prescription and can be taken orally or by injection.
So, what has all this to do with our exposure to the Sun?
That’s not very hard to explain. The sun is really the only way to get sufficient vitamin D.
It is extremely hard to get this vitamin through our diet. Some fatty fish like salmon and Mackerel can give us a limited amount. But we would have to eat these fish between three and five times a week.
We need 1000 IU per day. Of course milk and orange juice contain this vitamin. But there might be about 100 IU in an 8oz glass. That would mean drinking 10 glasses a day.
The only way to get plenty of vitamin D…enough to even store some for the winter months…is by exposing our skin to the sun.
White people would need to expose approximately 10% of their body to the sun for about 6 minutes three times a week. Now, that would be doable, wouldn’t it? Just 6 minutes. After that you can slap on all the sunscreen you wish.
African Americans have deeper skin pigmentation and would have to expose themselves to the sun for a longer time. On the other hand, because of this deep pigmentation they would also be protected much better than Caucasians.
Of course there are people that are darker skinned than Caucasians but not as dark as African Americans and their exposure time would differ. As a matter of fact even Caucasians as a group might have different pigmentation. Fair people would need less exposure and have less protection. Of course the same is true for African Americans too.
Dr. Michael Holick wrote a book: The UV Advantage. It’s about how we can use the UV rays safely and to our advantage. In the end of the book he has a table or list that people can check to find out what time of exposure they need. It’s all based on their complexion and where in the world they live.
I will give you the website where you can purchase the book. And no, I do not have an affiliate for this and will not be making money. But I suspect there might be readers that would be interested in reading more about Vitamin D. I suspect we all want to be good to our bones so we can use them for a long time.