Why Vitamin D is so critical to our health

While you’re catching some rays this summer, you can feel good about all that vitamin D does for your body. Sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” because it’s produced in your skin in response to sunlight, this fat-soluble vitamin can affect as many as 2,000 genes in the body.

Vitamin D has several important functions. Perhaps the most vital ones are regulating the absorption of calcium,  phosphorous, and facilitating normal immune system function. Getting a sufficient amount of the vitamin is important for normal growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as improved resistance against certain diseases. If your body doesn’t get enough vitamin D, you’re at risk of developing bone abnormalities such as osteomalacia (soft bones) or osteoporosis (fragile bones).

The sunshine vitamin can fight off a variety of diseases. In addition to its primary benefits, research suggests that vitamin D may also play a role in:

• Reducing your risk of multiple sclerosis, according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
• Decreasing your chance of developing heart disease, according to 2008 findings published in Circulation
• Helping to reduce your likelihood of developing the flu, according to 2010 research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Your body produces vitamin D naturally through direct exposure to sunlight. A little can go a long way: just 10 minutes a day of mid-day sun exposure is plenty, especially if you’re fair-skinned.

Besides getting vitamin D through sunlight, you can also get it through certain foods and supplements. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends that you obtain vitamin D from all three of these sources in order to ensure adequate levels of the vitamin in your blood.

Many lifestyle and environmental factors can affect your ability to get sufficient amounts of this vitamin through the sun alone. These factors include:

• Pollution
• Use of sunscreen
• Spending more time indoors
• Working longer hours in offices
• Living in big cities where buildings block sunlight

These factors contribute to vitamin D deficiency in an increasing number of people. That’s why it’s important to get some of your vitamin D from sources besides sunlight.

Vitamin D from the sun, from our diet, and from dietary supplements keeps a range of chronic and life-threatening diseases at bay, from osteoporosis and osteoarthritis to breast cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and many others.

Readers of the book, Sunshine and Vitamin D, will be ahead of the curve on one of the most exciting health stories of the 21st century. Author Frank Murray spotlights the latest research into how and why this much-maligned and misunderstood vitamin is finally coming into its own, and how to gain the greatest benefits from it.

Readers will learn:

• How and why vitamin D is crucial to helping the body absorb calcium and phosphorous, and to strengthening bones.
• How the news media often exaggerate the dangers of sunshine and downplay the benefits of vitamin D from the sun and other sources.
• How much sun exposure and/or vitamin D supplementation is needed by people of all skin types.
• Why older adults are especially prone to vitamin D deficiency and how they can best address this for optimal health.

To learn more about vitamin D and how to take your health into your own hands, visit www.basichealthpub.com

Next up: Learn about the best food sources of Vitamin D