The Best Vitamin D Sources

Do you know the best vitamin D sources? In case you don't, never mind because the least know this. This information gives you the chance to increase vitamin D in your body.

In MS it is still controversial whether you need dietary supplementation with synthetic vitamin D but this is not the question. What really counts is whether your level is too low and how you can increase it.

So let's talk first about the different sources of vitamin D before we talk about how you can cover your need of vitamin D.

The different vitamin D sources

There are three sources to cover your daily demand of vitamin D in multiple sclerosis.

1. In first line, it is naturally produced by sunlight shining on the skin.

Scientists assume this the reason for a lower prevalence of MS in countries around the equator, precisely between 40 degrees North and South latitude.

There, the sun intensity is higher and the daily time of sunshine year round is in average longer as well compared to countries beyond these latitudes.

In hot climate, people ware short-sleeved cloth, which increases the skin surface exposed to sun and thus the production of vitamin D.

2. The second source is diet, mainly fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, fish oil, eggs, and beef liver.

However, under certain conditions, less than 100 grams of certain vegetables deliver almost three times as much vitamin D than you need. Eating them twice to three times a week would be sufficient to cover your RDI - recommended daily intake.

3. The third source is synthetic supplements.

The normal RDI of vitamin D ranges usually from 200 to 600 IU/day.

In multiple sclerosis, vitamin D concentration in blood serum of 50 nmol/L to 100 nmol/L is usually recommended by scientists.

This requires an intake of 1000 to 4000 IU per day depending on the overall health status, age and geographical region.

An adult who spends 20 minutes in summer sunshine can produce an equivalent of 10,000 IU/day (250 µg) to oral intake of vitamin D. This will  have a positive effect on multiple sclerosis.

Thus, the suggested dose of 1000 to 4000 IU/day (25 to 100 µg) is unlikely to be toxic.

Recent evidence suggests that prolonged intake of 10,000 IU/day (250 µg) of synthetic vitamin D  (and even up to 40,000 IU/day - 1000 µg) would pose no risk for adults.

Regarding toxicity, this is only a half-truth, as you will see later. Because of that you should choose safe vitamin D sources.

How to get enough vitamin D?

• As you just saw, to achieve a high enough natural production of vitamin D in multiple sclerosis it is enough in summer if your face and hands are exposed for 20 minutes to sunshine per day.

• If your whole body gets sunshine, the time reduces to a few minutes.

• A prolonged exposure to sunlight produces a higher level of vitamin D.

Under these conditions, supplementation is unnecessary provided you can arrange getting enough sunlight per week.

In seasons with less sunshine, the time of exposure to sun must be increased. Otherwise, supplementation is required. But there is still a better alternative to synthetic vitamin D.

In winter...

you can use a tanning bed to compensate reduced sunlight in the northern and southern hemisphere.

As long as vitamin D is produced by sunshine which is the best vitamin D source of all, or derived from natural food there is no danger of overdose.

Imagine spending several hours a day at the beach. Then your body produces a multitude of the RDI.

Light skin needs less time to produce enough vitamin D than darker skin.

You see, the human organism is very wise. As soon as the skin turns a little reddish it reduces and then stops producing vitamin D. This is a self protection avoiding too high concentration of this vitamin.

This also means that the darker your skin gets the more time it needs to produce a certain amount.

Tanning lotions with SPF 8 and above have the very same effect. They reduce and eventually stops the natural production of vitamin D.

Vitamin D risk factors

Supplementation with synthetic vitamins however bears always the risk of overdosing and thus hypervitaminosis, which is well known in medicine. This applies also to vitamin D.

Toxic levels of vitamins will be easily reached with high doses of synthetic supplements, never from natural dietary sources.

Whether derived from sun, food or synthetic sources, the positive influence on MS is far from being proven.

Nevertheless, because of the importance of vitamins I recommend all and especially my MS clients to take care of a good vitamin supply and especially vitamin D and in doing so also to take into account that vitamins are only a part of diet and that...

If you have multiple sclerosis vitamin D should be examined under any circumstances. Ask your doctor to do this.

If supplementation is needed, natural sources are to prefer. Our research has shown that under certain conditions it can be completely supplemented from natural food whereby synthetic substitutes as vitamin D sources can be set aside. An exception is vitamin B12.

More Information

Vitamin D Test

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