Free online Vitamin D calculator

AussieLass wrote:

Is there such a thing as getting too much free Vitamin D?

It's a question of balance. There certainly are dangers to too much exposure to sunlight which has a direct effect on skin cancers. In fact, there are more skin cancer deaths in the UK than in Australia, even though Australia has more cases of the disease. However this is to some extent due to Brits' ignorance and stupidity. It has become traditional for a certain section of Brits to holiday abroad with the intention of getting as !!!!!!, sunburnt and laid as much as possible and then return home and expect the NHS to sort out the inevitable consequences of these activities.

The point in posting the calculator was to demonstrate that for several months of the year even going out in the UK around midday without a hat, suncream and make up on you will not get sufficient benefit from the sun to affect your Vitamin D requirement. For the rest of the year about 15mins of direct exposure to sunlight, without suncream, make-up or a hat, will enable you to obtain your daily requirement of Vit D naturally but the research shows that there is an almost universal vitamin D inadequacy among elderly patients admitted to UK hospitals for hip fractures.

So the message is to ensure your elderly relatives (particularly those living in Scotland) do get out around midday most of the year and either supplement their Vit D or ensure adequate supplies in their diet between September and April.

Iona_Penny wrote:

I'm no expert but I think vitamin D levels may help the absorption of the calcium from the milk but does it have high levels itself?

The Food Sources link shows that Adults above 70 years need at least 15 micrograms Harvard School of Public Health states
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Vitamin [/font] If you live north of the line connecting San Francisco to Philadelphia, odds are you don't get enough vitamin D. Multimap Boston latitudeThe same holds true if you don't, or can't, get outside for at least a 15-minute daily walk in the sun. African-Americans and others with dark skin tend to have much lower levels of vitamin D, due to less formation of the vitamin from the action of sunlight on skin. A study of people admitted to a Boston hospital, for example, showed that 57% were deficient in vitamin D.(18)

Vitamin D helps ensure that the body absorbs and retains calcium and phosphorus, both critical for building bone. Laboratory studies also show that vitamin D keeps cancer cells from growing and dividing.

Some preliminary studies indicate that insufficient intake of vitamin D is associated with an increased risk of fractures, and that vitamin D supplementation may prevent them.(19) It may also help prevent falls, a common problem that leads to substantial disability and death in older people.(20) Other early studies suggest an association between low vitamin D intake and increased risks of prostate, breast, colon, and other cancers.(21)

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Optimal Intake:[/font]The current recommended intake of vitamin D is 5 micrograms up to age 50, 10 micrograms between the ages of 51 and 70, and 15 micrograms after age 70. Optimal intakes are higher, though, with 25 micrograms (1000 IU) recommended for those over age 2. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Good sources include dairy products and breakfast cereals (which are fortified with vitamin D), and fatty fish such as salmon and tuna. For most people, the best way to get the recommended daily intake is by taking a multivitamin, but the level in most multivitamins (10 micrograms) is too low.

I think a better source of vit D is cod liver oil. Anyone help us out here?

It is a good source of Vitamin D.

However Cows Milk also contains Calcium. A cup of cow's milk supplies 24.4% of the daily value important vitamin. A problem is that These figures are for an average adult and an elderly person need 3 times that amount. Trying to ensure they consumed 2 cups of milk a day would be reasonable but 4 (normal adult needs) impossible and 12 cups (to provide the minumum needed for someone over 75) ridiculous.

Which is why supplements are needed in winter and exposure to sunlight for 15 mins a day at least between April and September necessary for those who live above Boston US Latitude 42 or the Costa Brava Lat 42
So it more than applies to me and all UK citizeins as I live north of Boston Lincs UK Lat 52.5 Plymouth at Lat 50 is still well north of Lat 42.

Savvy_Sue wrote:

How do I find out my height above sea level? I'm close to the banks of a river which is navigable to the sea, so do I assume I'm near as dammit at sea level?

Ordnance Survey GetaMap The brown lines are contours and go up/down every 5 meters so if the nearest contour line is 30 thats 30mtrs above sea level.