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Daylight Savings Time Change Increases Vitamin D Deficiency

Daylight Savings Time Change Increases Vitamin D Deficiency (1:24)

For many of us, the end of Daylight Savings Time means a vitamin D deficiency, which boosts your risk for osteoporosis, diabetes, and high blood pressure. In this video, Dr. Vonda Wright shares tips to ensure you get your vitamin D all winter long.

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Hi, I'm Dr. Wright. The extra hour of sleep you get when daylight savings ends in November is great, but the short, dark days that come with time change mean a lot of us will be low in Vitamin D. Even in Summer, few North Americans get enough sun to activate your skin's D3 factory for long and in Winter, Vitamin D deficiencies are even worse.

So this time of year, do everything you can to ensure you get all the Vitamin D you need. It helps protect you from osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and even some cancers. Here's how you can stock up on your D. Start with food. Canned salmon is terrific. Three ounces have 500 international units of D. Canned tuna and Vitamin D enriched OJ, and non-fat milk are other good sources.

Take a supplement. You need 1,000 international units of vitamin D3 a day, and 1,200 after age 60. I'm Dr. Wright. For more tips to stay well this winter, watch all our Health Smarts videos, right here.