Things you’ll need: Yourself and Sunshine

by · January 10, 2012

  2. Continuing along the line of my New Year’s resolution health tips, I thought we’d chat about sunshine…
  3.  Vitamin D is also known as the “sunshine vitamin.” because your body manufactures the vitamin after being exposed to sunshine. 


    I just found out that a lot of people have a low Vitamin D level so I thought I would share some research with you.


    Kind of my own little public health announcement!


    The benefits of Vitamin D:

    Vitamin D is critical to the proper formation of the skeletal structure. Osteoporosis is strongly associated with low Vitamin D. Maintaining normal storage levels of Vitamin D in your body helps keep bones strong.

    The lack of Vitamin D may contribute to chronic fatigue and depression:
    Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a mood disorder caused by the lack of light in winter, is a specific type of major depression.


  4. So why are we running low on Vitamin D?

    We’re not spending as much time outdoors these days and when we do, most of us wear SUNSCREEN!

    Studies have found that by blocking ultraviolet rays, sunscreen limits the vitamin D we produce.

    No one is suggesting that people fry on a beach. But many scientists believe that “safe sun” — 15 minutes or so a few times a week without sunscreen — is not only possible but helpful to health.

A new proposal from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could pave the
way to promote the health benefits of dietary supplements containing both vitamin D and
calcium.
Under the proposal, companies could tout the benefits of using supplements to ward
off osteoporosis, a dangerous disorder that severely weakens the bones. Health officials
now believe that adding more calcium – and vitamin D – to a person’s diet could better
protect the body’s internal framework and halt the onset of osteoporosis.

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