Topic; Nutrition Analysis Project Part 2

David Ruiz
DFM 253 Tuesday/Thursday 12:35-1:50
Professor Kathrin Spoeck
Due: December 3, 2013

Introduction
One thing that people generally lack is enough vitamin D in their diets. Vitamin D is a fat
soluble vitamin that can be easily made without food with the help of sunlight and cholesterol in
the body as the precursor. It can also be obtained in the diet by consuming plenty of dairy or
fortified products that arent dairy such as almond milk or soy milk if the person is lactose
intolerant. Since it can be made in the body, it is a nonessential vitamin but 10 percent of the
U.S. population is deficient and 25 percent are marginal. (Whitney & Rolfes, 2013, pg.348). If I
keep eating how I eat and not consume enough vitamin D or get it from sunlight, I can
potentially get osteoporosis.
Mechanisms
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that can be made from sunlight, from dairy, fortified
foods, egg yolks and some fatty fish. Even though Vitamin D is called a vitamin, it is really a
hormone that is carried by a binding protein to the bones, kidneys and intestines. (Whitney &
Rolfes, 2013, pg. 347). Vitamin Ds main role is in the absorption of calcium in the bones but it
also helps raising blood concentrations. It does this by allowing the absorption of minerals to be
more efficient when the body has enough of the needed minerals and it also gathers the needed
minerals from areas in the body when the diet doesnt provide enough of the minerals needed.
(Whitney & Rolfes, 2013, pg. 348).

Without adequate vitamin D to help in the absorption of calcium, the bones wont be
strong enough and weak which can lead to osteoporosis. With osteoporosis people can easily
break or fracture bones with a simple fall that a person with normal bones can take and not break
the bone. With the lack of vitamin D, calcium absorption fails to create new bone and causes the
body to recycle too much old bone and not make enough of the new bone. (Shiel, W.
www.emedicinehealth.com). Its normal for adults to begin losing bone mass as they get older
and it usually happens between the ages of 30 to 40. It is estimated that 44 million people are
affected by osteoporosis in the United States. (Whitney & Rolfes, 2013, pg. 389).
Osteoporosis also happens without enough vitamin C in the diet. Calcium is responsible
for making up the human skeleton and 99% of the calcium is found there. It is known to be the
greatest mineral in the body. (Whitney & Rolfes, 2013, pg. 385). Calcium is responsible for bone
structure and proper muscle attachment as well as providing calcium from the bones to the blood
as needed. People generally gain and lose minerals from their bones as an adult but when you
lose more minerals than gain is when osteoporosis occurs. Vitamin D and calcium go together in
which vitamin D helps the absorption of calcium in the intestines. Vitamin D is also responsible
for the stimulation of the reabsorption of calcium in the kidneys and the stimulation of osteoclast
cells involved in bone break down in order to allow calcium into the blood stream. (Whitney &
Rolfes, 2013, pg. 386). The big problem with osteoporosis is that it is undetectable since it
causes no symptoms and no pain and it also doesnt show up in blood work. Bone density isnt
usually checked until later in life and by that time, the person may already have osteoporosis.
Lack of Vitamin D can also cause the painful bone disease known as osteomalacia. This
disease causes the bones become very soft, delicate, bendable and deformed. (Whitney & Rolfes,
2013, pg. 349). Most of the pain is directed in the hip area and is where the more common
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fractures occur. There also is a tendency of muscle weakness and bone fractures can occur with
no damage and can be cause by movement. Other symptoms from low calcium are numbness
around the mouth, the feet and hands and also muscle spasms. (Topiwala, S.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). With adequate vitamin D and calcium, osteomalacia can be cured in
about 6 month and sometimes weeks.
Solutions and Recommendations
In order for me to prevent getting osteoporosis I would have to make some changes to my
diet. I will have to consume more yogurt since its the only dairy product besides cheese that
doesnt upset my digestive tract due to being lactose intolerant. I do take calcium supplements
with vitamin D to help with my intake of the vitamin because of the lack of dairy in my diet. I
also eat egg yolks and occasionally have salmon which has vitamin D. Since vitamin D is a fat
soluble vitamin, I dont need to consume it daily since fat soluble vitamins are stored within the
body.
Another thing I can do is increase my sun exposure. The ultra violet rays from the sun
helps make the necessary vitamin D in the body. I am not outside for long periods of time and
where I live tends to be cold and foggy most of the time. Usually when I am outside, I am
walking my dog, playing with my dog or just getting from one place to the other. I would have
to be outside in a short sleeve shirt on days that the sun is out in order to benefit from the sun. I
have a darker complexion than some other people so I would need more time outside in order to
absorb adequate amounts of sunlight in order to get enough vitamin D. People with darker skin
have to be exposed to the sun for longer periods of time without sunscreen in order to get
adequate amounts of vitamin D.

Conclusion
Most Americans do not get enough Vitamin D and also not enough calcium in their diets.
Its easy to get these two in the diet with the proper nutrition. Calcium is found in dairy, dark
green vegetables, legumes and some fish whole vitamin D is attainable from the suns UV rays,
fatty fish, egg yolks and dairy. As long as we make the necessary dietary changes, we can meet
the RDA limits for both which vary in adults. Even if we dont consume certain foods, there is
also the option of supplementation which has a great deal for better absorption but with we need
to be careful due toxicity. Women are more susceptible in getting osteoporosis because they have
less bone density and smaller bones, they are more hormonal than men and have less bone mass.
(Hezy. www.healthonlineezine.info). Since my calcium levels are good, I dont need to worry
about them. With having low vitamin D in my body, I would have to worry because even with
enough calcium in the body it wont be absorbed because the body needs sufficient levels of
vitamin D. as long as I exercise regularly and consume enough vitamin D from the diet or get it
from the sun, I can prevent myself from getting osteoporosis or osteomalacia.

Works Cited
1. Whitney, E. & Rolfes, S. R. (2013). Understanding Nutrition (13th ed.). Belmont, Ca:
Wadsworth.
2. Shiel, W. Osteoporosis. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/osteoporosis/article_em.htm.
2013.
3. Topiwala, S. Osteomalacia. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001414/.
July 19, 2012.
4. Hezy. Why Women Are More Prone To Osteoporosis Than Men?
http://www.healthonlinezine.info/why-women-are-more-prone-to-osteoporosis-thanmen.html. March 13, 2011.