Summer Time Is Sun Time for Vitamin D
The Benefits of Skin Exposure to Sunshine Outweigh the Dangers
May 19, 2009
Dr. Michael Holick got caught up in quite a controversy with his book, The UV Advantage. Based on years of research into vitamin D, his book recommends a sensible amount of skin exposure to sun for increasing the body's production of vitamin D. Along with other researchers and health practitioners, the importance of vitamin D from sunshine and the consequences of its lacking have been carefully monitored and researched for several years. A shocking revelation, perhaps?
Addressing the Shock
Dr. Holick addresses any controversy over his book with the following statement in an interview by MIke Adams of Natural News, "... excessive exposure to sunlight increases risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer ... . "But there’s very little evidence ... that sensible, moderate sun exposure increases your risk of the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma. . . . there’s good evidence to suggest that it may decrease your risk."
John Cannell. M.D. of the Vitamin D Council quotes Aldous Huxley: "Facts do not cease to exist just because they are ignored." This was quoted as a direct reference to the sun's importance regarding vitamin D in his 02/02/05 article featured on Dr. Mercola's website .
How Sunlight Helps Create Vitamin D
Vitamin D is actually not a vitamin. That label was assigned out of ignorance in the early 1900s and has stuck since then. Because it can be created by the skin's exposure to the sun and then distributed throughout the body's organisms, it is technically a prehormone.
According to the article by Dr. Cannell, first Vitamin D (the prehormone) is created by the sun's interaction with precholesterol molecules in the skin. Then it is converted by the liver into a form called calcidiol and stored in the blood or fat. The kidneys use calcidiol to maintain calcium blood levels. But tissues throughout the body convert calcidiol into a very potent steroid hormone known as calcitriol.
This steroid hormone activates enzymes and proteins in the body at a the genetic level. This process is vital to the immune system's ability to ward off disease. Fortunately, if one stores up enough vitamin D through sun exposure before winter, that storage could carry one through the winter.
The Importance of Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with many of modern man's health issues. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or the "winter blues or blahs" occur doing seasons of very little sunshine. So vitamin D deficiency is associated with depression. Some researchers claim schizophrenia is often associated with vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D is important to synthesizing calcium, and that helps prevent osteoporosis. There is gathering evidence that Vitamin D helps prevent various forms of cancer, diabetes, rickets, and even obesity. Vitamin D deficiency is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia because of similar symptoms with low energy and bodily aches and pains.
Getting Enough Vitamin D
A fair skinned person should expose at least 10% of bare skin to strong sunlight for 10 to 20 minutes three or four days a week. Dark skinned people may require twice as much. Getting sun through glass while in a car or through a skylight in a house results in reduced UV rays and much less vitamin D.
Supplementing the sun's production may be necessary for people in some areas. Cod liver oils or krill oils that are not mercury contaminated are recommended. According to Dr. Cannell, Vitamin D supplemental pills should be pure cholecalciferol without vitamin A added.
On average, at least 1000 IUs per day of vitamin D intake is recommended. So have fun in the sun and get lots of free vitamin D for better health!
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