Eat right, Stay well

Vitamin D deficiency can cause weakened bones and lead to osteoporosis. Recent research has now linked a vitamin D deficiency to breast-cancer progression. Think about your diet and your average daily time in the sun, and then talk with your doctor about whether you might need a supplement.

With all the recent news about vitamin D's protective powers, you may be thinking you have to start taking a supplement immediately. But here are a few things to consider before you jump on the supplement bandwagon.

Multivitamins and most calcium tablets usually contain a healthy dose of vitamin D. So if you're currently taking other vitamin supplements, check their labels to see how much vitamin D you're already getting. Both children and adults, by the way, should ingest no more than 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day.

The reason we need more vitamin D as we get older is that, as the body ages, the skin is less able to make vitamin D from the sun, and also the kidneys become less able to convert vitamin D to a form the body can use. You can get your vitamin D from sunlight, food, and supplements. Many people can produce sufficient amounts of vitamin D by getting out in the sun twice each week, without sunscreen, for 5 to 30 minutes each time, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.