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Vitamin D For Teenage Health

NOW MORE THAN EVER, VITAMIN D IS A KEY CONTRIBUTOR TO MAINTAINING PHYSICAL AND PSYCOLOGICAL HEALTH FOR ADOLESENTS.

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Written & Created by Jacquelyn Thompson 

M.S. in Clinical Nutrition-Spring SCNM

 May 23, 2021

With 2020 leaking into 2021 and seemingly redefining for many of us the new definition of norm... 

                                It's no wonder concerns for health mentally and physically are on the rise,

                                                                                                                    as they should be. 

With things like classrooms moving to online, family quarrels from quarantine measures, or missing friends; social distancing and less gatherings may have you feeling isolated, down, and more concerned for your own health, but you are not in this alone. So hey, don't freak out. With that being said, lets take a look at ways adding a simple nutrient may be able to help.

Why It Matters.

Wait, how did we go from Covid, to mental health, to Vitamin D? Let me explain...

Imagine this possibly familiar scenario. You're at home, but it's still lockdown, you haven't left home in how many weeks now? Months? Your mom has gone from corporate crusader to running around with the Lysol wipes every time the guy from Doordash even knocks on the door. 

How can being isolated feel so… crowded?! 

With annoying little siblings, mom working from home, less trips for random errands and groceries, this means less tagging along or in general just not being able to meet up with friends, and even has you missing the daily visits and chit chat you used to have time for between classes or hanging out after school waiting for mom in the pickup lane. If this sounds like you, or your angsty teen, Social/ lockdown cellmate, then keep reading. Distancing and quarantining has taken a toll on adolescences across the nation as a whole. Social interaction with classmates and teachers previously provided key developmental interactions for emotional growth and mental wellbeing. Breaks between class, cafeteria lines and sociable table hopping, walking the halls, and even P.E. classes all before used to provide physical activity for youth that is healthy for their mental well-being as well as physical.

The Role of Vitamin D in Development:

Vitamin D is responsible for aiding in bone mass and development. For you as a teenager, this vitamin plays a key role in maintaining and building bone density for years to come during key adolescent years. You may feel like this isn’t a big deal now, but think of it this way..

Over half of the bone mass created during your lifetime is developed during these years, 

 slowing drastically once adolescents’ transition into adulthood. Ever wish you were taller to impress a girl? About half of peak bone mass is accrued during adolescence. (Brown, 2014 pg.372). 

While calcium is the key nutrient used when making bone, Vitamin D helps put it all together. When levels are low, calcium is pulled out of the bones, or never adequately used to create more in the first place. So much like making a basket in a game of basketball or scoring a goal, the ball (calcium) can’t do much without enough team members on the team working together to make the play overall. Getting enough of this key vitamin may help ensure you don’t halt your growth potential prematurely and have you walking out of quarantine the envy of all your bros and the eye of Amanda, who you swear you saw staring at your zoom box more than a few times.

Mental Health:

Vitamin D also plays a key role in emotional well-being and cognitive development. When adequate Vitamin D levels are maintained, we feel more upbeat, happy, and content overall. Being low causes mood shifts, emotional upsets, depression, and a general lack of energy or motivation. As stated by Penckofer “those groups who are at risk for vitamin D deficiency include the elderly, adolescents, obese individuals, and those with chronic illnesses (e.g., diabetes).

Unfortunately, it is also these same groups that have also been reported to be at a higher risk for depression. (Penckofer, 2010). 

And that was before Covid! 

There are now several studies underway to assess the relationship between Covid lockdown measures, depression, and dietary habits but one thing is clear it has had a tole on us all, but there are things we can do to be proactive! (Alfawaz, 2021)

Soo... Where do I Get it From Then?

Vitamin D is provided both by the foods we eat, and from our body’s own ability to create it within our skin. Adequate time in the sun along with amounts found in food provide enough vitamin D to keep us healthy, happy, and able to keep making invaluable tissue like muscles and bones.

Ideally anyway! But, for many this scenario is just not the case. With changes in diet, eating patterns, or in terms of what foods we eat all together, on top of the somewhat limited sources of this vitamin from foods in general, (Penckofer, 2010) it’s pretty easy to see why so many are deficient in this key nutrient.

Adolescence is also a time of learning what we may like, or not like, and this applies to foods too.

Many go through diet changes, adopt new likes and dislikes, try out different diets (vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian) or simply begin eating differently based on who they are hanging out with and what those friends may eat. Chipotle anyone?

For many young adults this could look like, limiting or cutting out dairy products, eating less meat, consuming little to no fruits, veggies, whole grains, and seafood, or skipping meals and snacking on more packaged foods and sodas, all which can result in less Vitamin D coming from diet alone. But with Covid now, even this has changed leaving many limited to take out, delivery, or just what foods their parents have (or can afford) access to. A lack of a school lunch option and the ability to go out and venture in terms of trying other foods (healthy or not so much) has left many with limited food offerings, meaning limited opportunity to acquire it from diet alone and missing out on valuable time in the sunshine when doing so!

It's All About You, Boo:

Differences in body type or build, weight, and even skin color can affect the way your body absorbs and produces Vitamin D. Where you live and even what sort of seasons you experience there can play a role in how much Vitamin D you create. When accessibility to sunlight is limited, either by weather or location, or by social limitations like having access to a safe place outdoors to walk, run, jump, play, or even socialize, we too then are limited in how much access we have to adequate levels of direct sunlight itself. Furthermore, those with darker skin pigments are more limited in their ability to produce vitamin D than those with lighter skin tones.

Teens who live in northern climates, have limited sun exposure, who have lactose intolerance or milk allergy, who have developmental disabilities that may limit outdoor activity, or who have darkly pigmented skin are at higher risk for being deficient in Vitamin D. (Brown, 2014)

As stated, limits on social gatherings, changes in how education is being conducted, and change in food options with a full range of necessary nutrients, has left many young adults at a high risk for depression. This along with changes in eating behaviors, food options and availability can all have a huge effect on the health and well-being of many young adults now more than ever.

To make matters worse, many students either do not have access to, can’t afford, would rather not talk to their parents about mental health needs, or just don’t want to use prescription drugs themselves by choice.

While it is still up for debate on how much this vitamin can be used for treatment of these conditions, depending on the level of need, ensuring you get adequate amounts of Vitamin D can help alleviate some of this and in a safer (and less awkward) way of doing so. All adolescents who do not consume at least 400 IU of vitamin D per day are recommended to supplement with at least 400 IU to meet the RDA of 600 IU total daily. Luckily, quality vitamin D is affordable, and can be picked up from most any store or even ordered online, making it easier for young adults to handle at least this aspect of their health on their own (yay amazon).

Ok, you've convinced me, I think this may be helpful for me to try and work on. But what can I do about it?

Get outside and have some fun! 

Bans are finally lifting and limits are lightening up nationwide. Use this as a valid reason for mom to ease up and let you go out and get some sunshine!

Exposure for as little as 10-15 minutes a day can go far in terms of vitamin D production!

Eat up! We all know the running joke about how much food teens can pack away during a growth spurt. This is when your body needs fuel to do just that! So just be smart about it.

Lean into the whole grain cereals, milk or orange juice over soda, and chose lean proteins. Go for easy to grab snacks like tuna packets and whole grain crackers or low sugar yogurt cups. If you’re lucky enough to get treated to it go for the salmon! Don’t eat much meat? Pick whole eggs, cheese (yass) and mushrooms, which are one of the only vegetables that create vitamin D when exposed to sun much the same as our skin, so let your mom know next time you grab that mushroom & swiss, cheeseburger that you’re just making sure you’re getting enough Vitamin D! Cutting back on dairy? Reach for fortified soy milk or oatmeal!

And I get it. This sounds like a lot and some just isn’t as accessible to many on their own, but ensuring you get enough key nutrients like Vitamin D really is one of the best forms of self-care acts you can do right now and for many that does mean supplementation. Whether that means shooting it three pointer style across the aisle in the shopping cart with mom, using it as an excuse to leave lockdown because lets be real, what mom doesn’t want to hear her kid say “Hey mom, can we go pick up some vitamins?”, or going out of your way to do this for YOU and ordering some online, take the initiative for your own mental and physical well-being and make 2021 the year you do you. And lastly get outside and DIY that vitamin D- cause duh Queen, it’s 2021 and we are so overdue for a bit of hot girl summer!

Work Cited:

• Brown, J. E. (2014). Nutrition Through the Life Cycle. Stamford: Cengage Learning.

• Penckofer, S., Kouba, J., Byrn, M., & Estwing Ferrans, C. (2010). Vitamin D and depression: where is all the sunshine?. Issues in mental health nursing, 31(6), 385–393. https://doi.org/10.3109/01612840903437657

• Alfawaz, H., Yakout, S. M., Wani, K., Aljumah, G. A., Ansari, M., Khattak, M., Hussain, S. D., & Al-Daghri, N. M. (2021). Dietary Intake and Mental Health among Saudi Adults during COVID-19 Lockdown. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(4), 1653. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041653