Vitamin D is a fat soluable vitamin that is manufactured by our bodies in
the presence of enough UV light and appropriate vitamins and fat in the
diet.  During the winter months if you are N. of the 45th parallel (in N.
Hem, vice versa in S. Hem), you will not make vit D.  Mother nature provides
quite nicely though in that fat soluable vits take months to deplete.
Babies are born with adequate stores of vit D to take them through at least
6 months of life.  Interestingly, all the sunscreen that we apply now, while
good for preventing skin cancers, is creating a problem in these areas.
People are simply not storing enough during those times when the angle of
the UV rays is conducive to vit D manufacturing.  Interestingly, the RDI for
vit D is the same for lactating, pregnant and non preg-nonlactating women (5
nano grams until you get to be 51 and then it goes to 10 and at 70 it's
raised to 15).  During the months of viable production, a half hour per week
of exposed, unsunscreened skin is all it takes to meet your needs AND store
some.

It is interesting to note that the text NUTRITION:  CONCEPTS AND
CONTROVERSIES (by Whitney and Sizer pubished by Wadsworth)t I use to teach
for Nutrition class states the following: "Vitamin D is the most potentially
toxic of all vitamins.  Chronic ingestion of exceses can cause appetite
loss, nausea, and vomiting.  A severe form ofpsychological depression may
also result from the effects ont eh CNS.  If overdoses continue, vit D
raises the blood mineral level to dangerous extremes, forcing calcium to be
depositied in soft tissues such as the heart and kidneys.  Calcium deposited
in critical organs may cause them to malfunction, with potentially serious
consquences to health and life.  THE LIKELIEST VICTIMS OF VIT D POISIONING
ARE INFANTS WHOSE WELL-INTENTIONED BUT MISGUIDED PARENTS THINGK THAT IF SOME
IS GOOD, MORE IS BETTER. " p.217.

Has anyone on LN tried to contact Betty Crase (the former
Director-extrodinaire of the LLLI Center for Breastfeeding Information)?
Betty has been working for AAP for over two years now and has said they are
starting to put bf on the front burner.  Betty, if you're luking, care to
comment?
Warmly,
Chris Hafner-Eaton, PhD, MPH, CHES, IBCLC    [log in to unmask]
mom, wife, educator, lactation consultant, researcher, scientist, author,
organic gardener, photographer, lapidary creator, lousy cleaner.

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