The year is 1817, void of our current-day electronics, processed foods, and 8+ hour desk job work days. The farming and agriculture industry reigns, where 90% of the population lives on a farm and produces their own food.
This lifestyle encouraged ample amounts of sunlight to be absorbed into the skin thus, producing Vitamin D for our bodies to use. In those times, Vitamin D deficiencies were not an issue like they are today.
Vitamin D is a unique vitamin in that our bodies do produce it, but as our habits change and we age, it becomes harder to trigger its production. Natural Vitamin D food sources are very limited and only include fish and egg yolks. Some foods can be fortified with Vitamin D, but natural sources are the best way to obtain the Vitamin.
This is where it becomes problematic for us today. We are already faced at a disadvantage with such a limited number of food sources where we can access Vitamin D. Couple that with the fact that our population hardly spends time outside in the natural sunlight like we did 200 years ago. We are hit with a double whammy where Vitamin D deficiencies seem inevitable.
Vitamin D is essential for our bone, cardiovascular, and neuromuscular health. It is for these reasons that we require Vitamin D supplementation. The recommended dietary allowance of Vitamin D for adults aged 51-70 years is 600 IU. For adults over 70 the amount increases to 800 IU (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). With our modern lives that are mainly spent indoors, we simply cannot naturally produce these amounts resulting in us relying on supplementation to keep us healthy.
Make sure you are being proactive about your health and being intentional when it comes to obtaining Vitamin D and seeking out supplementation.
Be sure to speak with your health care professional before you start taking a Vitamin D supplement.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/#h2
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mens-health/vitamin-d-and-your-health
https://animalsmart.org/animals-and-the-environment/comparing-agriculture-of-the-past-with-today
