Sunlight, Vitamin D and your Immunity. Who knew ?
A nutrient that could prevent bone loss, reduce cancer risk, supports cognitive function and aids in your immunities, is what we are talking about here. We are told that spending time in the sun is the best way to get your Vitamin D fix. But sunlight can be dangerous ! The sun on your face feels so good though !
We can take in Vitamin D three ways…by simply being outside in sunlight, in our diets or supplements. Yet we are still deficient in this essential nutrient. How do we balance these sources and get what we need ? Your body creates this vitamin naturally by converting ultraviolet rays of the sun into this nutrient. You might not be aware of this but Vitamin D is really a hormone and not a regular vitamin !
We’ve been told to avoid UV rays as they can be deadly, so what’s a person to do ? UV rays and tanning beds are the number 1 cause of skin cancer, and affects about 5 million Americans every year. Most of these cancers aren’t deadly, but a small percentage are melanoma, which does kill about 7,000 people a year. White Americans have 20 times more melanoma than African Americans because of their lighter skin and therefore less protection from the sun. The lighter your skin, the less melanin you have to protect you from UV rays.
Ironically, the opposite side of this in a 2006 report, 41.6% of Americans were vitamin D deficient. 82.1% for African Americans, and 62.9% Hispanics. They say it may be due to higher levels of melanin, but that’s not clear. Is it diet, or maybe how we metabolize vitamin D ?
What we do know is as we get older, our bodies become less efficient in converting UV rays to this hormone. Older folks need almost 3 times as much sun exposure as a child to produce the same amount of this precious vitamin. Agh ! Weight gain is another inhibiting factor in this equation.
Vitamin D’s uses
Besides aiding in bone density, its role in the immune system is being carefully studied as well. Researchers at Trinity College in Dublin discovered: The lower a population’s vitamin D levels, the higher the number of Covid 19 infections and also greater rate of mortality. The reason for this could be that vitamin D helps regulate inflammation and reduces inflammatory reactions, which has been a factor in many Covid 19 deaths.
Northern countries like Sweden and Finland have higher levels of the vitamin than those in southern Europe like Spain and Italy. Coincidentally, they also have lower rates of Coronavirus. Their government’s regulations require greater Vitamin D supplementation in food.
Why sunlight might be better ?
The problem with the American diet is it doesn’t really have many great sources of vitamin D. Our typical diet has only about 274 IU ( International units ) of vitamin D per day. Given this, the daily recommended intake which includes sun exposure, is 600 IU per day for adults, and 800 IU for those over 70. More than that isn’t beneficial and can even be dangerous. Calcium and vitamin D are considered threshold nutrients.. a deficiency is bad but ” Once you reach the right levels, there is no more benefit. ” claims David Hanley MD. This also includes UV rays. The skin stops making vitamin D after a certain amount of sun exposure.
Can we step into the sun ?
We wonder if we can skip the pills and go right into the sun. McMichael, claims with regards to a study, found that white Americans and reduced levels of vitamin D were not associated with using sunscreen. The deficiency was associated with staying indoors, in shade, or covering up with long sleeves. Intriguing !
Now that doesn’t mean all of us, including darker skinned individuals, don’t need sunscreen or to keep our sun exposure in check says McMichael. We need to be sensible and ask your doctor if you might need vitamin D testing or supplements. In the journal, JAMA, U.S. Preventative Services task force claimed there is little benefit for doctors to advise people over 24 to completely avoid he sun, unless they have fair skin or a family history of melanoma.
Michael Holick MD, a professor at Boston University, states, ” When you are exposed to sunlight, you produce a mechanism to repair DNA. ” which actually lowers cancer risk. ” Sunburning is the culprit causing skin cancer. “, and not small moments of sun exposure.
Bottom Line
Diets rich in seafood such as salmon, tuna, herring along with milk- cow and soy, egg yolks, orange juice, oatmeal and a few others are ways to add vitamin D to body. And Yes, everyone should use sunscreen. Try to keep this in mind.. Sunlight is more of a friend, than a foe. Go outside and soak in the Sun !
