Why Does Sockeye Offer a Surfeit of Vitamin D?
We received this perceptive inquiry from a reader perplexed by an aspect of last weeks article on vitamin D and bone health: “So, do we know how salmon become vitamin D rich? I was surprised to hear the skinless fish was so rich in vitamin D, since it is stored in fat. They probably dont process sunshine. Is their liver making vitamin D?” Curious, Peggy Sockeye and vitamin D: case solved Peggys question was a good one, and we weren’t certain of the answer, so we sought a scientific explanation for the unexpectedly high vitamin D levels in our skinless sockeye fillets. Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so it concentrates in the fat under the skin of fish, and in their fat-rich livers. Yet, as the chart in our last issue shows, lab tests show that our sockeye salmon contains more vitamin D than fattier Vital Choice fish such as sardines, sablefish, and king salmon. (See Vitamin D Graph in question no. 5. above) Why would our skinless sockeye fillets test higher in vitamin D than fillets of fish
