Spring Break
Getting enough vitamins can improve students' lives
OSU nutritionist recommends students take multivitamins with vitamin D, get sunshine
Katy Weaver
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: News
Many students don't have enough time to eat, let alone worry about getting the right vitamins and minerals in their diets. But how concerned should these students be?
"Good nutrition helps prevent chronic problems including heart disease, diabetes and cancer," said Ann Marchant, registered dietitian and nutrition consultant at OSU.
Marchant is a strong believer in getting vitamins through natural food sources. However, she does recommend that students take a daily multivitamin as well.
"I think it is probably a good idea for most students to take one multivitamin a day that includes vitamin D," Marchant said. "Then, I want students to pretend they are not taking it and act as if they are getting everything from food."
Marchant specifically mentions vitamin D due to its many positive impacts on the body, which include preventing osteoporosis and multiple forms of cancer.
"Vitamin D is a potent force in regulating cell growth, immunity and energy metabolism," according to David Feldman of the Stanford University School of Medicine in a Science News article.
However, Marchant also points out that vitamin D deficiency is common in many people who live in northern states such as Oregon.
"Vitamin D is not supposed to be a vitamin; it's a hormone that your body makes when exposed to the sun," Marchant said, "Low levels of vitamin D are far more common than we realized."
In the past, scientists have told people they should not go out in the sun unprotected for fear of skin cancer. Now their views have changed.
Marchant and others recommend that people expose their back and arms to the sun for 20 minutes without sunscreen several times a week. After 20 minutes, sunscreen should be applied.
"This is really important in preventing osteoporosis and cancers," Marchant said. "We are also finding vitamin D is not nearly as toxic as we feared - people can have a lot more than we originally thought without getting into problems."
"Good nutrition helps prevent chronic problems including heart disease, diabetes and cancer," said Ann Marchant, registered dietitian and nutrition consultant at OSU.
Marchant is a strong believer in getting vitamins through natural food sources. However, she does recommend that students take a daily multivitamin as well.
"I think it is probably a good idea for most students to take one multivitamin a day that includes vitamin D," Marchant said. "Then, I want students to pretend they are not taking it and act as if they are getting everything from food."
Marchant specifically mentions vitamin D due to its many positive impacts on the body, which include preventing osteoporosis and multiple forms of cancer.
"Vitamin D is a potent force in regulating cell growth, immunity and energy metabolism," according to David Feldman of the Stanford University School of Medicine in a Science News article.
However, Marchant also points out that vitamin D deficiency is common in many people who live in northern states such as Oregon.
"Vitamin D is not supposed to be a vitamin; it's a hormone that your body makes when exposed to the sun," Marchant said, "Low levels of vitamin D are far more common than we realized."
In the past, scientists have told people they should not go out in the sun unprotected for fear of skin cancer. Now their views have changed.
Marchant and others recommend that people expose their back and arms to the sun for 20 minutes without sunscreen several times a week. After 20 minutes, sunscreen should be applied.
"This is really important in preventing osteoporosis and cancers," Marchant said. "We are also finding vitamin D is not nearly as toxic as we feared - people can have a lot more than we originally thought without getting into problems."
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