Sunshine month : Benefits of Vitamnin D

[dlutemp]

D: What you need to know!

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With the nice change of weather we will turn out attention to the benefits of Vitamin D, a.k.a. the sunshine vitamin.
Technically a hormone and not a vitamin because of the way vitamin D is mobilized in our bodies, there are many great benefits regardless of what you call it:

• Keeps bones and teeth healthy and strong
• Reduces inflammation
• Perhaps the biggest benefit is tied to immune system support. Your immune cells have receptors for Vitamin D that helps activate certain cells to fight off pathogens. Vitamin D has been linked in fighting off a variety of cancers including colon, breast, ovarian and prostate. Vitamin D is also connected with fighting off colds and flu. Is it any wonder why cold and flu “season” occurs with very little sunlight?

For decades, well centuries really, we have been hunter-gatherers and have spent a great deal of time outdoors. Today, many of us are hardly outdoors.
This means less time in the sun.
And this means less time making Vitamin D. (Eventually converted in our bodies from UVB rays).
Is there really a problem? The Life Extension Foundation has a target of 50 ng/mL of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, and in a recent 2008-2009 study of over 13,000 subjects they found 85% of people did NOT meet this target. (http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010...min-D-Levels-in-Life-Extension-Members_01.htm)
If you recall from our last blog post that Vitamin D is important for bone health, inflammation, aiding against auto-immune disorders and playing a role in the immune system, a deficiency is not good.
So how do we know if we are getting enough? The most accurate way is of course to check your blood levels. It’s best to ask for the 25(OH)D test, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D. You can look to get your levels up to at least 30 ng/mL, if not aiming for the 50 ng/ml mark.
Getting enough also ties into sun exposure.
Other sources, like oily fish or fortified milk do not compare to the sun. For example, some oily fish might provide 1,000 IUs per 100 gram serving.
20-30 minutes of summer sun (with about half body exposure) can provide about 10,000 IUs of Vitamin D. This will apply for most of Canada and the US. Amounts will decrease outside of summer months, where supplementing can become very beneficial. If you do supplement, look for D3 (not D2), as this is the natural form we really use.
Everyone’s required exposure for a certain production of Vitamin D varies. Typically, when your skin (without sunscreen, more facts and notes on this next time) becomes a light pink, you have reached your max limit for producing Vitamin D that day. Some fair skinned people may only need 15-20 minutes, while those with darker complexions have a built in SPF, so they need more time. (For some I can hear the cries about sunscreen; again, stay tuned over the next couple of days!)
You are only as strong as your weakest link – don’t let it be Vitamin D!

Sunscreen: Can this be hurting us?​

Let’s put our thinking hats on a quick minute and think outside the box. Remember, thinking outside the box is thinking inside your head.
We are going to think about the religious recommendations to lather on sunscreen every 5 minutes and never let so much as a pinkie finger see the sun “unprotected”. We will look at some practical guidelines for getting Vitamin D from the optimal source, the sun. And to be fair, we will conclude with some “smart” tips for using sunscreen.
Recall that we talked about how 20-30 minutes of summer sun (with about half body exposure) can provide about 10,000 IUs of Vitamin D.
We've also learned how everyone’s required exposure for a certain production of Vitamin D varies. Typically, when your skin (without sunscreen) becomes a light pink, you have reached your max limit for producing Vitamin D that day. Some fair skinned people may only need 15-20 minutes, while those with darker complexions have a built in SPF, so they need more time.
Additionally, obese individuals may have less ability to produce Vitamin D, and may also require more time as well.
Now we get into some facts about sunscreen and SPF.
Our bodies go through a process to make Vitamin D from the sun's UVB rays.
Surprising fact 1: Did you know that over 90% of UVB rays can be blocked from even a low (say SPF 15) sunscreen?
About 96% of the sun’s rays are UVA, which penetrate deeply into the skin and have been linked to cancers and immune suppression. The other 4% are UVB rays. (To be fair, UVB rays cause the burns on skin which can also be cancerous). Sunscreen users have been found to have less incidence of squamous cell carcinoma, a slow-growing tumor that is readily treatable by surgery, but studies are mixed about melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer.
UVA rays are fairly constant at all times during the day, while UVB rays are low in the morning and evening.
Surprising fact 2: So, UVB rays, which are our primary source of Vitamin D, are highest at midday.
Time for the thinking caps:

• What does all of this mean?
• Could using sunscreen every single second we are exposed to sun be limiting our ability to make Vitamin D? (recall the great benefits of Vitamin D from an earlier blog here)

So, you might be thinking that at least some exposure to the sun without sunscreen would be a fantastic idea to get Vitamin D.
Scared about not using sunscreen even for a minute? Let’s consider some common sense questions:

• How many living things (animals, including us, or even plants) rely on sunlight for life?
• If the sun is so bad, how did we survive for millions of years?
• Has sunscreen use (and marketing) increased or decreased over the past few decades?
• Have skin cancer rates gone up or down over the past few decades? (hint: up)

Granted the ozone is less than it was a long time ago, although this does not change our Vitamin D requirements.
Surprising fact 3: According to Zoe Diana Draelos, editor of Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2010 “Sunscreens were never developed to prevent skin cancer. In fact, there is no evidence to recommend that sunscreens prevent skin cancer in humans.”
What are some Guidelines for going without sunscreen?

As noted above, we can make up to 10,000 IUs of Vitamin D in 30 minutes of sun exposure. This may be more or less depending on various factors like where you live, time of day, and skin pigment. Intuitively, we have the ability to recognize how much is too much. For example, when the skin just starts to change hue.
Be mindful of total exposure. THE KEY IS NOT TO BURN. (Severe burns greatly increase risk of cancer, especially if you got one as a kid).
Paradoxically, having sufficient stores of Vitamin D can help us avoid burns.
Sunscreen Tips

Are there times when sunscreen is a must?
After we’ve gotten some sun exposure, sunscreen can be a good idea to avoid burns. The following are some examples:

• Fair skinned individuals who burn easily
• Going on a vacation where sun exposure will increase significantly over baseline and you haven’t had a gradual build-up of exposure
• Working outdoors or otherwise outside for long periods of time

Other sunscreen tips:

• Choose “safe” (i.e. non-toxic) ingredients. You can search your product on the Environmental Working Group’s database at http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/#
• Consider “broad spectrum” sunscreen which blocks both UVA and UVB, but even this is a gamble as it’s not regulated and there is much controversy surrounding this matter (there is not as much UVA protection as UVB protection in many brands)

Comments from other sources:

• The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has stated that “sunscreens should not be the first choice for skin cancer prevention and should not be used as the sole agent for protection against the sun.”(IARC 2001). They have also stated the sunscreen users may have a false sense of security and remain in the sun longer, leading to an increased risk of cutaneous melanoma. Lastly, they also advocate the use of hats, clothing, timing, and shade as primary sources of protection.
• Supermodel Gisele Bundchen as spoken out against “conventional sunscreens”, calling them poisons for the ingredients contained within. Check out the story at http://www.naturalnews.com/031247_Gisele_Bundchen_sunscreen.html

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[leos_mama]

Thanks dude, tons of good important info there.

 

[ponderingincanada]

Thanks again Dr. Bosco.

 

[Bell Bell]

Appreciate you posting it here, thanks.

 

[Billy Ray Joe Bob]

Darn there is no vitamin D in beer :

 

[LucyBabes]

“Sunscreens were never developed to prevent skin cancer. In fact, there is no evidence to recommend that sunscreens prevent skin cancer in humans.”



Yikes :shock: So who came up with those words?.

 

[eldude]

They are a marketers dream are they not?

 

[Neo Patrick Harris]

Is excess vitamin D stored by the body, is it possible to get too much?

 

[Pompal 09.]

No, never enough and never too much. My Doc told me that.

 

[even]

Dr. Bosco thanks for the informative article on Vitamin D.

 

[kneady]

Thanks for the article

 

[alexander m]

Yes and we are the suckers that believe everything they tell us.

 

[Bryan A]

Maurice what do you think about this?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4532547...ch-can-harm-your-heart?GT1=43001#.TsTtIVb4J6R

 

[JASPER]

Well first off, I would like to be able read the actual study but of course that isn't given.

Instead they hit is with this statement ''The study, which followed 132,000 patients at a Utah based medical center''.

I wonder who these subjects were and how were they selected? Did they have per-existing heart problems?

I do agree with this statement though ''However, because everyone absorbs these supplements differently, blood levels need to be tested to make sure they’re in the safe range, Bunch explained. ''

But then who determines the ''safe range''. The National Institute of health is a politically skewed entity that is effected by big pharma and it's lobbyists. In short they would rather sell you a prescription drug than have you investigate any alternative therapy.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I put this in the category of too much of anything is going to have an adverse impact of some kind . While the article said that the risk jumped threefold it didn't say what the actual numbers were. In other words, To make up an example, if they tested 132,000 people and 3 people with normal levels developed the heart issues and 9 with high levels developed it I wouldn't be terribly concerned as the overall risk was low.

There was a similar study which linked the use of Vitamin E supplements in men over 50 to an increase in prostate cancer. http://www.theatlantic.com/life/arc...ou-the-problem-with-vitamins-minerals/248450/

 

[Lee333]

[video=youtube;foc9gil8OLM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foc9gil8OLM[/video]

Vitamin D is good!

 

[Channy]

[video]Vitamin D is an essential vitamin required by the body for the proper absorption of calcium, bone development, control of cell growth, neuromuscular functioning, proper immune functioning, and alleviation of inflammation. A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to rickets, a disease in which bones fail to properly develop. Further, inadequate levels of vitamin D can lead to a weakened immune system, increased cancer risk, poor hair growth, and osteomalacia, a condition of weakened muscles and bones. Conversely, excess vitamin D can cause the body to absorb too much calcium, leading to increased risk of heart attack and kidney stones. The current U.S. RDA for vitamin D is 600 IU (international units) and the toxicity threshold for vitamin D is thought to be 10,000 to 40,000 IU/day.2 Vitamin D is oil soluble, which means you need to eat fat to absorb it. It is naturally found mainly in fish oils, fatty fish, and to a lesser extent in beef liver, cheese, egg yolks, and certain mushrooms. Vitamin D is also naturally made by your body when you expose your skin to the sun, and thus, is called the sun-shine vitamin. In addition, vitamin D is widely added to many foods such as milk and orange juice, and can also simply be consumed as a supplement. Below is a list of high vitamin D foods.[/video]

 

[Eric Madison]

Thank you for the info. It's all confusing sometimes...some days I think I should be taking everything, some days I think I should take nothing. :neutral:

 

[Larin]

Yes thanks Maurice and Hof, info well taken.