Why 42% of Americans are Deficient in Vitamin D
- Limited or too much sun exposure: Vitamin D is produced by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. However, many people in the United States spend a lot of time indoors and do not get enough sunlight to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D. For many people, sunlight exposure is not an issue but after about 20 minutes the sun begins to destroy vitamin D in your body.
- Darker skin: Melanin, the pigment that gives color to the skin, reduces the skin’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight. People with darker skin need more sun exposure to produce the same amount of vitamin D as people with lighter skin.
- Diet: Vitamin D is not found in many foods naturally and the foods that do contain it are often not consumed in large enough quantities to meet daily needs.
- Age: The ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight decreases with age. Additionally, older adults tend to spend more time indoors and have thinner skin, which reduces the amount of vitamin D produced from sunlight.
- Obesity: Vitamin D is stored in fat cells, and people who are overweight or obese may have a higher risk of deficiency because the vitamin D stored in their fat cells is not as readily available for use by the body.
- Medications: Some medications can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb or use vitamin D, leading to deficiency.
- Chronic illnesses: People with chronic illnesses such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and cystic fibrosis may have difficulty absorbing vitamin D from the diet, leading to deficiency.
