By ANNA SMITH, May 24, 2024.
Kanji Nakatsu embarked on a day-long bike ride in Cache Creek, British Columbia, to raise awareness about vitamin D deficiency. –Courtesy photoEmail: asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Senior couple Kanji and Susie Nakatsu are cycling across the country to spread awareness of a problem that afflicts the majority of Canadians. Kanji Nakatsu is a retired professor of pharmacology who taught about vitamin D deficiency, a health issue he advocates for, but says he never had a chance to study it in depth until he retired. “One thing I’ve learned in the last four years is how important vitamin D is to bone health as well as many other bodily functions. Nearly every cell in our body has vitamin D receptors,” Nakatsu said. He explained that vitamin D deficiency has been linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, viral and bacterial infections, multiple sclerosis, dementia, other neurological disorders, and poor oral health. However, Nakatsu said that most Canadians don’t benefit from enough vitamin D because of the increase in indoor work and lack of sunlight in the winter. Nakatsu explained that it’s estimated that a population that gets enough of the vitamin could save the health care system about $23 billion a year. With all these benefits in mind, the couple hit the road in hopes of getting the word out about what they’re doing. They’ll be in Alberta, touring Banff, Calgary and Medicine Hat, before crossing into Saskatchewan on Saturday. Though they had to change some of their plans due to an unexpected health issue, Nakatsu said the trip was successful in raising awareness. He encourages Canadians to look into the benefits of vitamin D and talk to their doctors about getting their levels tested. “This issue is very prevalent among Canadians and it’s costing us all quite a bit in terms of optimizing our health. We’re not as healthy as we could be. But I think there’s an opportunity here to improve the overall health of Canadians,” Nakatsu said. “And the cost of vitamin D supplements is really nominal, so the cost is very limited.” Experienced cyclists can join Nakatsu on his bike rides through town. If road conditions are safe, kids can join too. He plans to ride about 100 km per day, but maybe more if the wind is on his side. For more information, visit areyougettingenough.info or follow Nakatsu’s journey on Instagram or his Facebook.
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