Vitamin D Health Boosters
It might be time to get a little more natural light in your life as researchers suggest that vitamin D, which is produced by sun exposure, has a number of profound health benefits.
U.S. researchers have found a direct link between vitamin D and cancer prevention. Their four-year clinical trial found that women taking the vitamin had a 60-per-cent reduction in cancer incidence compared to those not taking it.
Reports that vitamin D deficiency have been linked to cancer, multiple sclerosis, juvenile diabetes and osteoporosis should have people rushing to change their lifestyle. Supplementation is particularly important in temperate climates.
Optimise Your Vitamin D Levels:
1) Have a blood test to determine, then monitor, your vitamin D levels three or four times a year. Check for 25 Hydroxy Vitamin D levels, which should be between 125 and 150 nanomoles per litre.
2) Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D. How long you should stay outside depends on how much sun block your skin creates naturally. Fair-skinned people, especially blonds and redheads, need only about 20 minutes a day to produce the recommended levels. Those with darker skin could need five to 10 times longer. Never allow the skin to burn, Dr. Cannell advises. Vitamin D production is maximized before skin turns pink, and further exposure does not increase levels.
3) Only a few foods have naturally occurring levels of vitamin D, and usually in insignificant quantities. An adult would have to drink about 40 glasses of milk a day to get the recommended dose of vitamin D. Milk is a more adequate source for children.
Fatty fish like salmon, sardines and herring contain vitamin D, as do egg yolks, shiitake mushrooms and reindeer meat. Some juice and cheese companies also fortify their products with vitamin D. It is more effective for adults to go outside than to modify their diet.
4) Vitamin D3 cholecalciferol pills are available over the counter in most pharmacies and health-food stores. Take 2,000 international units of the supplement per day, and no more. It is possible to have too much vitamin D.