It's getting to be that time of year when people in the higher latitudes are going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark. Notwithstanding the generally depressing thought that is for some people, it may not be good for physical health either.
That is why Yorkton-Melville MP Garry Breitkreuz is promoting a new bill introduced to Parliament by Nanaimo-Alberni MP Dr. James Lunney that will make November 2 National Vitamin D day.
The primary way humans get Vitamin D is by making it. The body, specifically the skin, manufactures it when exposed to sunlight. Getting enough sunlight during the winter months to maintain sufficient levels of this essential vitamin is problematic for some Canadians. Even those who participate in winter outdoor activities don't get as much as they would in equivalent time in the summer due to the oblique angle at which the sun hits the northern latitudes.
Nearly 10 per cent of the population does not have sufficient levels to maintain bone health. Vitamin D is primarily known for its role in bone health because it aids in the uptake of calcium and phosphorus, but it may also be key to preventing disease from diabetes to cancer. Many experts are now recommending raising the level of what is considered optimum and using supplements to get there.
"Abundant research indicates that elevating Vitamin D levels through supplements would not only make us a healthier country, it would make us a richer one," said Breitkreuz. "The Journal of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, 2010, estimates elevating blood levels of Vitamin D3 to a safe level would save $14.4 billion in health care costs per year in Canada."
A Statistics Canada study indicated that people who drink milk regularly had generally higher levels than those who don't. Other factors are age-older people do not generally convert sunlight to Vitamin D as efficiently as younger ones-and consumption of fatty fish.
Breitkreuz says public awareness is critical.
"The purpose of Bill C-388 is not to legislate the mandatory taking of vitamins," he said. "Declaring each November 2 as National Vitamin D Day (though not a holiday) will build on what some cities across Canada from Vancouver to St. John's have already done by designating the same day as such. A National impetus would encourage more Canadian communities to promote this low cost vital vitamin-for all our good health."
