Soak Up the Sunshine Vitamin

The natural health benefits of Vitamin D

We constantly hear the warnings against too much sun exposure. And we’re aware that long term exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause skin cancer. But did you know that there are a great many benefits associated with soaking up a little direct UV, sans sunscreen (gasp), as well? The sunshine vitamin, or Vitamin D, is truly unique. It’s the only vitamin that the body naturally produces after our skin is exposed to a little direct sunlight—which means Vitamin D is one of the few vitamins that we don’t need to consume via a food, drug or supplement. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t supplement in the colder, grayer months with some over-the-counter supplements safely purchased via Canadian pharmacies online. Safe sun exposure will do the trick in the warmer months—which is fantastic news for beach bunnies! However, sun, or vitamin D, exposure is not all created equal, for instance:

• Vitamin D is not abundant in food—our best source is safe, direct sun exposure
• Vitamin D2, which is found in most multivitamins, doesn’t deliver the same beneficial dose as the sun’s vitamin D3 form
• Vitamin D is absorbed via direct sunlight only—not through a window or a layer of sunscreen
• Things like cloud cover and air pollution can drastically obstruct the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays
• Season, time of day, geographic location, latitude, color of your skin and age all affect your  ability to produce vitamin D
• The sun is not a reliable source of vitamin D for everyone, for example:
• If you live in the Southern U.S. you can get your vitamin D from 10-15 minutes of sun exposure per week
• However, those living in colder climates synthesize 95% less vitamin D
• And, darker pigmented skin needs 5-10 times more sun exposure to synthesize the same amount of vitamin D as lighter skin
• Vitamin D protects against chronic diseases – The D vitamin has been long-used to cure rickets in children, but more recently, scientists have credited vitamin D as a guard against cancer, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and various autoimmune diseases (such as Crohn’s disease).
• Vitamin D keeps our bones strong – Calcium absorption (aided by vitamin D) builds strong skeletons, maintains bone density and thwarts low bone mass diseases like osteoporosis. (inflicting  an estimated 10 million Americans, aged 50+ each year)
• It protects our oral health too – By protecting and keeping our teeth and bones strong.

So what are the benefits of the sunshine vitamin?

 How much sunshine vitamin do we need—and how do we soak it up?

The good news is that sunlight will only ever produce as much vitamin D as you need. So if you like fun and sun on the beach, vitamin D is not only free and easy to get; the sunshine source lasts twice as long as food and supplement sources and you can’t overdose on it. However, don’t overexpose your skin to the sun and risk dangerous sunburn. There are other ways—in addition to direct sun exposure—to boost your intake of vitamin D, such as:

1. Vitamin D supplements – These are the second best source of vitamin D. Just be sure to choose a supplement that contains 1,000 IU vitamin D3 not D2 each day. You can conveniently order Canada drugs online—far cheaper than the same vitamin D supplements available in the U.S.
2. Eat food sources rich in Vitamin D – Although diet is not your best source of vitamin D, you can get a decent boost if you enjoy dairy and fish as part of your regular diet. Your top bets are fortified foods like milk, yogurt, sardines, salmon and tuna.

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