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The Sunshine Vitamin (D)
By Amy Nickerson, MS, RD
VT Dept. of Aging & Independent Living
Vermont's cold winter days with little sunlight make it difficult for your body to make vitamin D. Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, is required for healthy bones, and more. It helps your body absorb and use the calcium from food to build and maintain strong bones. Vitamin D also acts like a hormone. It plays a role regulating cell growth, the immune system and blood pressure; and is also involved in the production of insulin (another hormone) and many brain chemicals. It may also be linked to many chronic diseases.
Vitamin D does not occur naturally in many foods. Here are some recommended sources:
Exposure to the sun. When your skin is exposed to the sun's ultraviolet light waves, vitamin D is produced. People living in northern areas (like Vermont) don't get enough sun during the winter to make vitamin D. Use of sunscreen blocks vitamin D production. And increasing age interferes with vitamin D synthesis. Just 10 minutes of careful sun exposure daily may provide significant amounts.
Fortified milk. Milk sold in stores must be fortified with vitamin D.
Oily fish. Salmon, mackerel and sardines.
Supplements. Multi-vitamin supplements and calcium/vitamin D combinations.
Miscellaneous fortified foods. Certain breakfast cereals and yogurts are fortified with vitamin D. Read product labels.
The recommended intake increases with age. Everyone needs at least 200 international units (IU) per day. After the age of 50, it rises to 400 IU daily. Beyond 70 years, 600 IU daily is recommended. Many health professionals recommend up to 1,000 IU daily through a combination of safe exposure to sunlight, vitamin D containing foods and vitamin D supplements. Since vitamin D and calcium work together, get 1000-1200 mg/day of calcium from calcium rich foods or calcium supplements.
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Who's Who at Bugbee Senior Center
From time to time, we like to publish a list of the people who work at the Bugbee Senior Center and the positions they hold.
Kathy Avery -- Executive Director
Judy Adams -- Program Director
Ransom Ackerman, Jr. -- Volunteer Coordinator
Melanie Cash -- Senior Advocate
Eleanor Zue -- Paralegal
Emily Santaw -- Administrative Assistant
Carl Magnus -- Van Driver
Pam Stone -- Cook
Sharon Strong -- Assistant Cook
Vivian Rosen -- Kitchen Aide
Peter Haubrich -- Bookkeeper
Cliff Avery -- Buildings & Grounds Manager
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Telephone Scam Alert
Verizon has issued an alert concerning a telephone scam, originating from correctional institutions around the country, that is being perpetrated on unsuspecting consumers. The results are unauthorized calls that appear on consumers' phone bills.
The latest scam goes like this…..You receive a collect call originating from a prison or other correctional facility. You know the call is from a correctional facility because of a greeting, usually automated, that identifies the call as coming from a specific facility. If you accept the collect call, an inmate comes on the line and for your assistance in reaching someone. The inmate is often very adept at gaining your sympathy.
The inmate will ask you to press *72, followed by a telephone number. When you do as instructed by one of these scam artists, it allows the scam artist to make unlimited calls to a particular number at your expense, because it activates a service known as Call Forwarding.
Protect yourself! If you don't know anyone at the correctional facility, refuse the call and hang up. If you aren't sure, you can take the call but don't offer assistance to someone you don't know (and remember, you will have to pay for the call as it is a collect call.)
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