How would your garden look without sunshine? ‘Blah’ may be a good word.  Just as a plant turns sunshine into energy through photosynthesis, your skin uses UV light from the sun to manufacture vitamin D. If you are deficient in this nutrient, it may be one of the primary reasons you feel so ‘blah.’

Study after study continues to support vitamin D as being a chief prerequisite to a healthy immune system, as well as a primary defender against numerous cancers including lymphoma, prostate, ovarian, lung, breast, skin, and colon cancer.

In the February 2006 edition of the American Journal of Public Health, it was reported that taking sufficient amounts of Vitamin D could lower cancer risk by as much as 50 percent.

Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a Harvard University professor of medicine, says, “I would challenge anyone to find an area or nutrient or any factor that has such consistent anti-cancer benefits as vitamin D.”

In areas such as Canada with a sun-starved  latitude, it may be a wise to invest in a vitamin D producing home tanning bed. I would strongly recommend that anyone struggling with health issues be tested for vitamin D levels. It can easily be tested during a routine blood test (25-hydroxyvitamin D), but unfortunately it rarely is. If you’re not well and your doctor is not testing you for vitamin D, it may be wise to force the issue or find a doctor who is more proactive.

Serum 25-D levels should be between 50 to 80 ng/ml. This is optimal for both cancer prevention and to support healthy immune system function.

Although I recommend having your serum levels tested, signs of vitamin D deficiency are:  weakness, tired legs, muscle pains, lowered immunity, fatigue, frequent infections and depression.

When sunlight is sparse and immunity is down, it is prudent to supplement. The best form of vitamin D is D-3 or cholecalciferol.

The D-2 synthetic version is often added to ‘fortify’ foods but falls way short of the effectiveness of D3, which is the form your body converts from the sun. Most multivitamins only have small amounts of D-2 and also include vitamin A, which can counteract many of D3′s benefits.

Here is a list of the best healthy food sources of vitamin D

• Milk (Vitamin D usually added)
• Salmon
• Mackerel
• Sardines
• Cod liver oil (great source)
• Sun-dried mushrooms

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is stored in fat cells.  In people who are overweight or obese, there are more fat cells to absorb the vitamin D.  Therefore, there is less vitamin D available to be utilized by important organs like the intestines and kidneys.

It’s becoming more and more evident that the benefits of vitamin D far outweigh any risk of skin cancer caused by the sun. In the scientific journal Cancer (3/02), it was reported that there is a strong inverse relationship in regards to cancer and sunlight, meaning the less sunlight, the more prevalent the cancer rate, especially breast, colon and ovarian cancers.

Sunscreens with an SPF of around 8 or more will block the UV rays that generate vitamin D. Nearly all fatal forms of skin cancer related to sun exposure are cases of frequent abuse and overexposure. The

A majority of us now spend close to 90% of our lives indoors and have been led to believe that sun is bad for us, which isn’t true.  The fact is, like your garden, it is a giver of life… and vitamin D.

For more information on the facts and benefits of vitamin D, visit www.vitamindcouncil.org

Tags: vitamin d, wellness