As the song goes: Ain’t no cure for the summertime blues. That was true in 1958 (when Eddie Cochran first sang it on our transistor radios), and it’s still true today. Just last night I picked up a touch of the summertime blues when I noticed how much earlier the sun is setting already. No matter how old we get, it always seems that summer goes too fast.
But the wintertime blues is a completely different matter. Because according to a new study, there may be a natural way to “cure” the wintertime blues without having to raise a fuss or a holler.
Spirits rising
In a recent issue of Nutrition Journal, researchers at the University of Toronto reported on the results of a two-part study that assessed the effect of vitamin D supplements on the sense of “winter wellbeing” in subjects who were deficient in the vitamin.
In the first phase of the study, 46 subjects were divided into two groups: One group took 600 IU of vitamin D per day (considered an adequate intake), while the second group took 4,000 IU per day (considered a high intake). Each subject completed a wellbeing questionnaire to evaluate depressive symptoms at the beginning of the study period in December 2001, and again at the end of the study in February 2002.
In the second phase, 51 subjects who were vitamin D deficient were divided into two groups to take the same doses of vitamin D supplements as in the first phase. This study period ran from December 2002 through February 2003, and the same wellbeing questionnaires were completed.
In both phases of the study, blood samples showed that vitamin D levels were considerably raised among all the subjects, and especially so in those taking the higher doses. In phase one, subjects in the high-dose group reported a significantly greater improvement in their wellbeing scores compared to the low-dose group. But in the second phase, wellbeing results were similarly – and significantly – improved in both groups.
Getting enough
As we’ve seen in many previous studies, vitamin D affects much more than our moods. In the February 2002 issue of Nutrition and Healing newsletter, Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., wrote: “It’s very likely that if you’re over 40 and supplement your diet with a generous amount of vitamin D, you can lower your risk of prostate, breast, and bowel cancer, along with your risk of ‘essential’ hypertension, osteoporosis, and tuberculosis.”
For many elderly people the vitamin D deficiency problem is compounded by the fact that as we age our skin becomes less effective in producing vitamin D from sunlight exposure. That, coupled with generally less sun exposure, sets the stage for a variety of health problems associated with low levels of vitamin D.
But how much vitamin D should we be getting from supplements? I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., for his thoughts on the Toronto study, and he was impressed that the doses were found to be safe. And he added, “I was taught years ago, even by some nutritionally ‘enlightened’ practitioners, that over 600 IU was toxic. Looks like we learn something new all the time! It’s only been relatively recently that people have started to recognize that the ‘normal’ RDA for vitamin D of 400 IU was a paltry amount. Dr. Wright has been pushing for the MINIMUM daily intake to be raised to 2000 IU for some time.”
Hello, winter
The supplement used in the Toronto study was a crystalline cholecalciferol vitamin D3 manufactured by Sigma. I asked Dr. Spreen for his opinion on this type of supplement (as opposed to vitamin D-rich cod liver oil) and he said, “Other than the ideal way to get vitamin D (solar exposure), which is difficult to quantify, I’d have no problem using the Sigma vitamin D3. And I have no fear at all of 2000 IU daily. I haven’t tried 4000, but it looks as if it not only does not adversely affect hormone levels, but it looks as if it doesn’t adversely affect hormone levels, and has no other ill side effects (not to mention the positive benefit of the current study).”
In the e-Alert “Sunny Side of the Street” (12/22/03), I told you about Dr. Wright’s recommendations for vitamin D intake: Between 1600 and 2000 IUs daily, and as much as 4000 IUs for those over 40. According to Dr. Wright, it’s impossible for most people to get enough vitamin D from the sun alone, and he discourages the use of dairy products because of the many other health concerns they raise. Instead, he suggests other food sources like salmon and sardines, or cod liver oil, which provides more than 1300 IUs of vitamin D per tablespoon.
So as summertime starts to slip away – and with it, our best source of vitamin D – it’s good to know that we have several options to help keep D levels (and our spirits) high.
Sources:
“Randomized comparison of the Effects of the Vitamin D3 Adequate Intake Versus 100 mcg (4000 IU) Per Day on Biochemical Responses and the Wellbeing of Patients” Nutrition Journal, Vol. 3, No. 1, 7/18/04, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
“High Dose Vitamin D Safe and Effective in Improving Winter Wellbeing” Life Extension Foundation, 7/21/04, lef.org
