Vitamin D deficiency, thanks to the development of cost-effective technology to measure levels of the hormone, has been studied extensively for the past 15 years. And as these studies were completed, the extent to which our population is affected has become clear. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32 percent of children and adults in the U.S. are vitamin D deficient. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found even higher figures: they found that 50 percent of children ages one to five, and 70 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 are deficient or insufficient in vitamin D levels.
Research has also noted that adults who always use sunblock -- which blocks vitamin D absorption and production -- or who limit outdoor activity are at an increased risk for vitamin D deficiency. Also at risk are people with increased skin pigmentation (those whose ancestry traces back to Africa, the Middle East or India), whose bodies can require up to 10 times as much sun exposure to produce the same amount of vitamin D as a fair-skinned counterpart. Estimates show that as much as 95 percent of American senior citizens may be deficient in vitamin D, both because they don’t have as much sun exposure and because vitamin D production decreases in old age.
If the benefits of spending an hour a day in the sun aren’t enough to get you to spend your lunch hour outdoors or go for a morning jog or afternoon walk, here are some signs that you might be vitamin D deficient that may get you out of your office:
You Have a Dark Skin Tone
The melanin (the body’s primary skin pigment) you have in your skin acts as a natural sunscreen. Those with higher levels of melanin, including African Americans, Indians and those with heritages tracing back to the Middle East, may need as much as 10 times the sun exposure as a fair-skinned person to create the same amount of vitamin D.