Health In Motion

For thousands of years we’ve lived in close harmony with the heat and light of the sun, and have even used it to treat serious health problems. Yet many health experts have little understanding of the sun’s broad therapeutic implications. In the past century, we have been educated to lose contact with the sun to the point that some put on sunscreen if the curtains are open.

Well, now you can let a little more natural light in your life. A four year study out of Creighton University in Nebraska suggests that the vitamin D produced by sun exposure has a number of profound health benefits. The clinical trial found that women taking the vitamin had a 60-per-cent reduction in cancer incidence, compared with those who didn’t take it. Taking vitamin D or getting enough sun exposure may reduce the risk for colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma and other diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Because of our short summers and the use of sunblock to prevent skin cancer, most Canadians don’t get anywhere near enough of this vitamin (or rather steroid hormone precursor). Ironically, the regular use of sunblock may actually increase the incidence of malignant melanoma, by allowing longer sun exposure and blocking the burning (and vitamin D producing) UVB rays, while allowing the more dangerous, and deeply penetrating UVA rays (1997 International Journal of Cancer and 2003 Annnals of Internal Medicine). It seems regular expose of un-sunblocked skin to the sun for short periods (one-third the time it takes for your skin to begin to redden, without letting it burn), is best.

Regarding supplementation, the current recommendation of 400 IU of vitamin D daily has long been thought to be too low. But some of the top vitamin D researchers in the world believe the 2000 IU per day for the tolerable upper input level may not be enough either (American Journal Clinical Nutrition January 2003). This suggestion is not overblown, since during the summer months, the human body can generate about 20,000 units of vitamin D within 20 minutes of sun exposure. This is about 50 times more than our supposed maximum allowance.

However, during winter months, the daily intake people derive from food and sun exposure falls way below the recommended amount. We need to take supplemental vitamin D3 cholecalciferol at that time. Orange juice or foods fortified with vitamin D actually contain ergocalciferol (D2), which according to the Vitamin D Council, is only a vitamin D analog not naturally present in our body. And vitamin D has to be taken with fat, so orange juice isn’t going to work. In the summer, one gram of fish oil is recommended daily for optimum mental and physical health. From fall until early spring, high quality cod liver oil is best, due to being an excellent source of vitamin D. However, keep the dose at one to two teaspoons per day to prevent getting too much.

I urge readers of this blog to consider subscribing to the Vitamin D Council newsletter at http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/. It reveals new and exciting information about the health benefits of vitamin D on a continuous basis.