Fatty Fish Can Provide Much-Needed Vitamin D, Especially in Winter - October 2003

Did you know that fatty fish such as salmon are the best natural source for Vitamin D? In fact, one serving provides 90% of a day’s recommended allotment, whereas one cup of milk provides 25%. Millions of Americans may not be getting enough of the vitamin, which is a nutrient essential for strong bones. And the problem gets worse in the winter, when the sun’s rays are not intense enough in most parts of the country to help bodies make “the sunshine vitamin.” And it’s even worse for individuals with dark-pigmented skin. Vitamin D deficiencies in children are leading to a shocking return of rickets, a soft-bone disease that many thought was eliminated decades ago. And as we age, Vitamin D deficiencies may make us even more vulnerable to osteoporosis.