Lizards lie in it, cats nap in it, plants need it to grow. But over 60% of North Americans are not getting enough of it. Vitamin D from the sun is critical to our health. The “cover-up and slap on the sunscreen” messages have worked too well along with young people spending time indoors instead of being outside in the sunshine.
We are near the end of our 2010 winter season here in New Zealand. My husband is a dentist and we both do not believe in flu vaccines. This winter I began taking extra Vitamin D3 – 1000iu daily. My husband just took his normal dose that is contained in the nutritional supplements we both take. My husband got the flu – possibly the H1N1 because I have never seen him so unwell. He is a man who normally shrugs off colds and flus, but not this one. He had to take time off work, pulled a muscle from his violent coughing and even stayed in bed. Meanwhile, as soon as he came down with the flu, I increased my D3 dose to 2000iu daily and I have stayed well.
Anyone keeping up-to-date with health news over the last few years will be aware that more and more research is uncovering the significance of Vitamin D and its effect on our health. The “cover-up and slap on the sunblock” campaign has helped to reduce skin cancer risk but in doing so, Vitamin D deficiency has affected the health of millions of people worldwide. Vitamin D affects over 200 genes in our bodies and about 6% of the human genome.
It is healthy to have bright sun exposure to our bodies for 15-20 minutes per day. People who live in temperate zones (latitude 37 degrees north and south of the equator) will not get the sun exposure required for our bodies to make the 15,000 to 20,000iu of Vitamin D it needs each day. However, overexposure to sunlight does cause skin cancer and wrinkles.
Can we overdose on Vitamin D? It’s not possible to overdose from the sun source because the body can inactivate excess Vitamin D. The body can also store excess Vitamin D in our tissues and use it as required.
So what about food? The Vitamin D that is available in food is insignificant compared to what the synthesis of the sun can provide. The principal source of Vitamin D is through sun exposure on our skin.
For instance, the following is a list of foods that we would have to consume on a daily basis to get the equivalent of 15,000 to 20,000iu Vitamin D from the sun:
Sardines – 30 cans per day or
Milk – 100-200 glasses per day or
Fortified cereal – 100-200 bowls per day or
Egg yolks – 500-1000 per day or
Wild salmon – 2 kilos or 4.5 lbs per day
I would not recommend any of the above to be consumed in such quantities on a daily basis.
Vitamin D has been shown to prevent the following diseases:
Heart Disease
Cancer – Breast, Ovarian, Colon, Prostate, Bladder, Uterus, Esophagus, Rectum, Stomach
Diabetes
Obesity
Dementia
Influenza – upper respiratory infections have shown to be reduced by 90% by supplementing with 2000iu of Vitamin D3. By boosting our Vitamin D3 to 5000iu in the flu season, we do not need to have the flu vaccine.
Bacterial Infection
Depression
Insomnia
Muscle Weakness
Fibromyalgia
Osteomalacia –soft and weak bones, makes you more prone to fractures.
Osteoarthritus
Rheumatoid Arthritus
Osteoporosis
Psoriasis
Hypertension
Multiple Sclerosis – if we do not have enough exposure to sunlight in the first 10 years of our life, we are more pre-disposed to getting MS. So if you grow up in a temperate zone you have a 100% increase in the risk of getting MS.
In summary: If you live in temperate zones it is advisable to take a Vitamin D3 supplement every day and boost it to 5000iu in the flu season. Expose yourself to bright sun 15 to 30 minutes day as much as possible, before applying sunblock to your body. I recommend that you do not expose your face and neck though. Avoid over-exposure to sunlight. If possible, get your Vitamin D levels tested annually by your doctor to ensure that you are not deficient.
Further Reading
The Vitamin D Council is a respected source of up-to-date information about Vitamin D.
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Helenw,
Thank you for the reminder!! VN ladies, listen up!!
helenw, Been taking 2500 daily, plus being in sun 20 mins. Something natural that GOD as provided free…TRACK
Well done Track! It’s all there for us for free but some people fail to see it.
I was tested several years ago, and found to be deficient. I now take 4000iu daily. Vit D3 though, as reg Vit D or D2 does not absorb as well.
Hi She Cat – good point about taking D3. Thanks. Helen
My cycnicism is on the rise this morning. Have lived in Calif. and now N>M> and get tons of sun on a daily basis!! Someone said 323 days of sunshine in NM. My cynicism arizes from being told that ‘everyone’ should take vitamin D — which I do!!! But I wonder, deep down, if this is yet another promotion and profit geared ploy by the pharmas??? I am a believer in natural, and in vitamins and good food. By the way that chart of yours is most helpful and very funny — re the amounts of food, etc.
So, I will continue to be cynical, take advise which seems to benefit me and hope for the best. Never had a flu shot — or a pneumonia shot. Seems impractical to inject a little bit of a germ to prevent a larger germ. My own peculiar approach.
Been to New Zealand — loved it so much. Especially the meteor showers on the South Island. We do have them in NM which is wonderful and which viewing throws me back to N.Z. Thanks for your updates on health!!!
Hi Maggie,
Glad you like NZ – the South Island is pretty special.
If you are getting plenty of sun on a daily basis then you most likely do not need to take Vitamin D – I would say ‘everyone’ needs to have their levels checked rather than ‘everyone’ needs to take Vitamin D. And do stay cynical and learn as much as possible! Mother Nature/God gave us sun for a reason… Cheers, Helen
I live in Northern Canada and for the last 4 years I have been taking vitamin D3, 6000 iu daily.
What was it that made you decide to take D3? How did you decide how much to take? And how has your health been regarding colds/flu’s???
it is also a help for one,that has blater leakage.
I live in the NE and have always felt that the sun was a more natural way of doing anything! I don’t use sunscreen at all and will tan a bit in the summer. It’s during the winter months that I have a rougher time of getting my sun exposure, but still do try.
Have never had a shot to prevent any flu, and, unless something drastically changes in my life, I won’t.
I’m with Track on this one – the sun is a natural! God gave it and we are told we should hide from it? Sheesh!
HelenW,
Thank you for your important message. Wish I had read this months ago. My daughter has been struggling with debilitating health issues. After months, we finally discovered a thyroid issue. When her thyroid stabilized and she still wasn’t getting better, only then did her doctor test for vitamin D, and we discovered she had the lowest levels he’d ever seen. She lost almost 2 years of her life because of low energy, depression, aches, etc. If only we had been better informed about vitamin D.
One note, however, according to our research, it is possible to overdose…
The thyroid is so important for our health! What a terrible experience for your daughter. I had a friend whose 17 year old daughter came down with a virus and when they tested her Vitamin D levels she was deficient. She had 6 months off school and then it took another 6 months to recover.
So a good tip is, if energy levels are down for any unexplained cause, get your doctor to check your vitamin D levels. And yes, while it is not possible to overdose on Vitamin D from sunshine, it may be possible to OD on Vitamin D3 supplement – so again, it is best to get levels checked by your doctor.
Some news from Doctor Mercola http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/20/the-real-truth-about-the-top-10-health-myths.aspx?aid=CD945
5: Sun Causes Skin Cancer
There are many misconceptions about melanoma – the most dangerous type of skin cancer that accounts for more than 75 percent of skin cancer deaths. But despite all the bad press linking sun exposure to skin cancer, there’s almost no evidence at all to support that stance. There is, however, plenty of evidence to the contrary.
Over the years, several studies have already confirmed that appropriate sun exposure actually helps prevent skin cancer. In fact, melanoma occurrence has been found to decrease with greater sun exposure, and can be increased by sunscreens.
In my interview with vitamin D expert Dr. Robert Heaney, he explains how the conventional recommendations are in fact causing the very health problem they claim to prevent.
How does sunlight prevent, rather than cause, skin cancer?
In short, it’s the vitamin D formed in your skin from exposure to sunlight that provides this built in cancer protection.
The vitamin D goes directly to genes in your skin that help prevent the types of abnormalities that ultraviolet light causes. Unfortunately, if you follow the conventional recommendation to avoid sun exposure or always use sunscreen, your skin will not make any vitamin D, leaving you without this built-in cancer protection.
Statistics confirm the truth of these findings, as melanoma rates have increased right along with sun avoidance and increased use of sunscreens. If avoiding the sun actually was the answer, then melanoma rates should have decreased exponentially over the past couple of decades…
Instead, sun avoidance and the excessive use of sun screen are actually the two primary reasons for the rise in melanoma.
Further Vitamin D news.
(NaturalNews) Regularly exposing your skin to natural sunlight is arguably the best way to maintain optimal levels of vitamin D. But according to researchers from the Arizona Cancer Center (ACC), not everyone gets enough vitamin D from the sun, which means they may need to supplement in order to maintain optimal levels. http://www.naturalnews.com/029792_vitamin_D_sunlight.html