Sunshine and Vitamin D

Our bodies have a significant need for the SUNSHINE VITAMIN — Vitamin D. The reason Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin is because when rays of sunlight penetrate one’s skin, Vitamin D is created within the skin. Studies show that Vitamin D is one of our body’s most important nutrients, furnishing health benefits as listed in the box below:

To begin with, there is an extremely high degree of correlation between Vitamin D levels and degenerative disease. Medical scientists and researchers have found that serum Vitamin D levels are low in 90% of people with degenerative disease such as heart disease, cancer and autoimmune disease.

Scientific researchers have assembled data showing that autoimmune diseases and cancer are largely absent from areas close to the equator. These scientists believe that this is because the angle of the sun is more direct near the equator and therefore stimulates a comparatively much larger production of Vitamin D in the human body than in areas further from the equator.

Science shows that in terms of episodes of flu and colds, one is much less likely to get sick when he or she supplements with Vitamin D.

There is so much scientific evidence documenting the essential roles of Vitamin D in supporting our health that for one to not ensure optimal intake of Vitamin D is foolhardy. Going without Vitamin D for an extended period of time will result in cellular membrane damage that is not easily undone. Truly, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The majority of people today in industrialized nations are under supplied with Vitamin D, usually getting 10 to 20 times less Vitamin D than their bodies could use.

The average North American diet furnishes only 200 to 250 units of Vitamin D daily as opposed to an optimal intake of at least 4,000 units.

Serum Levels of Vitamin D

Optimum serum Vitamin D levels are between 125 to 200 nanomoles per liter, or 50 to 80 nanograms per milliliter (depending on the reporting measurement being used).

Lifeguards and farmers have average serum Vitamin D levels of 165 and 130 nanomoles, respectively. But, the rest of us in North America and Europe are almost always below 75 nanomoles per liter. In fact, the majority of North Americans and Europeans are below 40 nanomoles per liter and a significant number are below 30 nanomoles per liter.

We recommend that everyone read one or more of the Vitamin D reference articles listed at the end of this page. You may be astounded by what you learn.

Unfortunately, some people may think that they are getting enough Vitamin D through the diet, but the truth is that sunshine and supplements are far more effective.

There are only trivial amounts of Vitamin D in food as shown by this chart:

Food Amount Equivalent to Milk 8–ounce glass, fortified 100 IU 45 seconds of sunshine Whole egg 20IU 8 seconds of sunshine Butter, 1 tablespoon 8 IU 3 seconds of sunshine Fish, canned or fresh 200 - 400 IU 1 to 3 minutes of sunshine Cod Liver Oil, tablespoon 1,360 IU 8 minutes of sunshine Average American Diet 200 - 250 IU 1 to 2 minutes of sunshine

Our bodies were designed to get Vitamin D from sunshine.

As direct sunlight reaches the skin Vitamin D is created (similar to plant photosynthesis) almost instantly and in large quantity. Just 1/2 hour of daily mid-day sunshine in Florida or other tropical latitudes will get a person all the Vitamin D his or her body needs. The problem is that many of us don’t get that much mid day sunshine on our skin in a month, let alone each day.

Factors that interfere with the human body’s ability to make Vitamin D include:

1. The further we are from the equator, the more difficult it is to get enough Vitamin D from the sun. At the equator, full body exposure to sunlight produces 1,000  to 20,000 units of Vitamin D per hour (depending on skin complexion - fair skin produces the most Vitamin D). If, however, one is more than 30 degrees north or south of the equator it can take from two to ten times longer to get Vitamin D from sunshine.
    
2. Sun blocking lotions prevent people from getting Vitamin D from the sun. Anything over an SPF 8 all but stops Vitamin D production. A good practice is to go in the sun for 1/2 hour before applying sunblock, so you get Vitamin D from the initial sun exposure, but don’t burn.
    
3. Sunlight is most effective at producing Vitamin D between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. After that the angle of the light isn’t direct enough to stimulate much production of Vitamin D.
    
4. The darker one’s skin the more exposure to sunlight is required for the production of Vitamin D. This is due to the melanin stopping the penetration of the UV rays that stimulate Vitamin D production. Dark skinned people need 10 to 20 times more exposure to sun to produce the same amount of Vitamin D in the skin. This means that darker skinned people need to be in the sun many hours per day or take Vitamin D supplements.

Our educational system needs to teach the critical role of Vitamin D in human health.

Most people have been taught in their health education classes at school that minimal doses of Vitamin D prevent rickets. Health education needs to teach that larger amounts of Vitamin D from sunshine or supplements, not only help make strong bones, but also help prevent the formation of cancer and other tumors, help create a strong immune system and generally promote good health.

Vitamin D supplements are a good alternative to getting Vitamin D from sunshine.

By now you may recognize your need to supplement with Vitamin D. In choosing a supplement, you should choose Vitamin D3 supplements since Vitamin D3 is the active form of Vitamin D and the most efficient form for the body. Vitamin D2 has to be converted to Vitamin D3 by the body.

Supplementation with Vitamin D3 is:

1. Extremely inexpensive
2. Well absorbed
3. Furnishes exactly the same chemical as what we would get from sun exposure

Therefore, there isn’t much of an excuse for not getting sufficient Vitamin D. We can go outside and get sunshine for free or buy the sunshine vitamin for less than 20 cents a day.

Research now shows that daily doses between 4,000 and 6,000 units are desirable for most average sized adults (who don’t otherwise get Vitamin D) to consume on an ongoing, daily basis. Many believe that even higher levels can be taken safely — as much as 30,000 units daily for up to a month or even longer in order to help strengthen the body’s ability to fight off illness. Even hundreds of thousands of units of Vitamin D may be used in therapeutic doses to quickly bring up serum blood levels of Vitamin D. This, however, should only be done for a short period of time, as it is possible to get too much Vitamin D with continued high doses.

Many wellness experts recommend that when one starts to come down with a cold or flu, it is a good idea to increase one’s intake of Vitamin D to as much as 20,000 units per day for a few days.

You can buy Vitamin D at low cost from Amazon.com. ($8.00 for 60 capsules of 5,000 units of Vitamin D3. That’s a two month supply, so the cost is less than 15 cents a day. There is nothing one can do that is better for one’s health at such a low cost.

• The Uncensored Guide to Family Vitamin D
• Vitamin D and HIV
• Vitamin D - Cancer
• Vitamin D in a New Light
• The Miracle of Vitamin D
• The Miracle of Vitamin D - is it for Real?
• Vitamin D Science
• Low Vitamin D Linked to High Mortality Rate
• The UV Advantage