Living in Shade

Vitamin D has become the new buzz word in the health industry these days it seems. Everyone I turn there’s people talking about the great benefits of vitamin D and how our modern society is lacking in it. These people are calling for the government to raise its daily suggested intake numbers for vitamin D. Next week there will be a conference where this hot topic issue will be discussed.

I read an article in the Los Angeles Times entitled “It may be Vitamin D’s day in the sun”, that talks a lot about the different benefits associated with the vitamin.

Vitamin supplements have been both heralded and hyped over the years, only to ultimately fall from grace once research proves them to be little more than placebos in our quest for longer life or better health. But at least one substance may have true merit — vitamin D.

Long considered just a supplement consumed with calcium for bone health, this humble vitamin may have untapped potential in fighting or preventing disease, suggests an explosion of new research. Not only has it shown promise in reducing the risk of, among other things, diabetes, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, but it also seems to improve infertility, weight control and memory.

Obviously this is a vitamin that you definitely should incorporate into your diet. So now the question comes just how to go about it. This is where the sun comes in. When exposed to sunlight your skin makes Vitamin D itself. I know that now your thinking, these same people told me all those years that the sun’s rays were bad for me. Remember, that its all about balance.

If you live north of say Atlanta, then forget about it in the winter because the sun does not get high enough in the sky for the UVB rays you need to penetrate the atmosphere. It said that for a fair skinned person to go outside in the midday sun ,wearing shorts and a tank top, for 10 minutes without any sunscreen, you will produce 10,000 IU’s of Vitamin D. This is well above any of the suggested daily numbers, the old one or the new one their talking about. So it doesn’t take a very large amount of time in the sun, and does not justify roasting yourself for a tan. Its a whole different ballgame we’re talking here.

That little bit of sunlight though can do a whole lot of good. Its a fine edge that has to be drawn though. Here you are being told to wear sunscreen when you plan to be out in the sun, but then that is going to leave you lacking in Vitamin D.

A study of 13,000 Americans, published in March in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that 50% to 75% have suboptimal levels by current standards. A level of 20 nanograms per milliliter of 25-hydroxyvitamin D — the form most commonly measured in blood — has traditionally been considered sufficient.

Most people 50 and older aren’t meeting the current recommendations, Weaver says.

Like anything else in life, it’s all about balance. Too much of a good thing is bad, and none of it is bad as well. If you plan on spending a whole lot of time out in the sun, then definitely you should wear some sunscreen. You also though should pop out every once in awhile to soak up some sun the old fashioned way.

For older people, I would suggest just going for a quick walk to the corner every day, that should do it for the vitamin D you need. In our modern society its true that a lot of people that work in an office might not get the amount of sun they need on a daily basis. These people can find their Vitamin D in some other areas. Foods that are high in Vitamin D include milk, some fortified cereals, and salmon.  For the majority of us though, its not too hard to pop outside for 5-10 min a day. The benefits are extraordinary.