Vitamin D Information: Discover The Essential Winter Vitamin

Last summer seems a long time ago now, so the typical summertime advice to coat yourself with sunscreen, wear a hat, and wrap yourself from ankles to eyebrows to avoid the sun's rays has been put on the back burner for a few months.

In the meantime, a recent item in a major medical journal provides an important reminder of just how important it is to let some sunshine into your day.

Why you should let a little sunshine into your life
As I've told you in several e-Alerts, the sun is not an enemy to our health. On the contrary, sunlight exposure is essential to good health. The key is balance. Too much sun is just as unhealthy as too little.

This concept is generally not embraced by the mainstream medical establishment, so it was refreshing to find confirmation of the health properties of sun exposure in a letter published in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The author of the letter is Professor Cedric F. Garland of the University of California. And his opinions about sun exposure come from his participation in more than two decades of research on this subject.

Prof. Garland's letter is in response to an earlier editorial in BMJ in which the authors advised avoiding sun exposure to reduce the incidence of cancer. But Prof. Garland says that a recommendation of moderate exposure to the sun would be more prudent.

He explains that 'Solar exposure is the main source of vitamin D,' and goes on to cite specific studies that demonstrate how vitamin D has been shown to reduce the risk of several cancers, including colon, breast, and prostate. He adds that the body can only store vitamin D for a few weeks, so those who live in northern latitudes would be helped by vitamin D supplements.

And you don't have to be a polar explorer to find yourself vitamin D deficient. Prof. Garland says that people living in the UK are unable to synthesise vitamin D from November to March.

From Phoenix to Boston
In a study that appeared in the journal Cancer last year, the lead author, Dr. William B. Grant, set out to determine an association between premature deaths from cancer and insufficient ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation. Comparing UV-B data with cancer mortality rates in the US between 1970 and 1994, Dr. Grant found a clear correlation between low UV-B radiation exposure and mortality due to 13 different types of cancer.

These cancers include the cancers mentioned in Prof. Garland's research, as well as pancreatic, stomach, kidney, lung, and other cancers.

More specifically, Dr. Grant found that the rates of these cancers are almost twice as high among those who live in north-eastern states compared to residents of the southwest. He concludes that many lives could be saved by 'increased careful exposure to solar UV-B radiation.' He also recommends supplementation with vitamin D3 (vitamin D from fish liver oils), especially in late autumn and winter.

The Wright way
US physician Dr. Jonathan Wright also realises the importance of vitamin D: 'Although the final proof isn't in (and probably won't be in our lifetimes), it's very likely that if you're over 40 and supplement your diet with a generous amount of vitamin D, you can lower your risk of prostate, breast, and bowel cancer along with your risk of 'essential' hypertension, osteoporosis, and tuberculosis. Young adults can lower their risk of multiple sclerosis as well.'

Dr. Wright recommends a daily vitamin D intake between 1600 and 2000 IUs - and as much as 4000 IUs for those over 40. According to Dr. Wright, it's impossible for most people to get enough vitamin D from the sun alone, and he discourages the use of dairy products because of the many other health concerns they raise. Instead, he suggests other food sources like salmon and sardines, or even good old-fashioned cod liver oil, which provides more than 1300 IUs of vitamin D per tablespoon.