Vitamin D3: Why the "Sunlight Vitamin" is Vital to your Health

Unless you’ve been locked away in a closet or out of the country, by now you’ve most likely read or heard about the importance of getting enough Vitamin D3.

Because D3 is made in our skin through direct exposure to sunlight, with no protective sunscreen over prolonged periods of time, the majority of the population is simply not getting that production in the body because we now are protecting our skin from the ravages of the sun’s rays because of the increased risk of melanoma and other types of skin cancer.  Don’t throw out your sunscreen though! Minimizing your skin’s exposure to the sun’s harmful rays can and does prevent the onset of these dangerous skin cancers to develop.  But since we’ve been protecting our skin with sunblock, the incidence of vitamin D3 deficiency has increased.  It is especially important in the Northeast of the United States and other locations where sunlight is not as dominant, such as in Southern California. 

Supplementing with a quality vitamin D3 is essential to your immune function and especially in the prevention of certain cancers, such as Breast, Colon & Prostate Cancer.  Vitamin D3 is also used in the prevention and treatment of anxiety, depression and other mood disorders.  You can have your blood levels measured by your primary physician when you have your annual check up.  Make sure to check your levels once annually to ensure adequate levels.  When choosing supplementation choose a pharmaceutical grade D3 in doses of 2000 iu to 5000iu per capsule.  Avoid using Vitamin D3 in soft gel form as this is typically not absorbed into the body very well. 

One of the newest studies published by the Journal of Epidemiology sited that participants that exhibited low levels of vitamin D3 had a significant increased risk of developing pneumonia compared to their peers that had more optimal levels of the ‘sunshine vitamin’. 

Source:  Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and the risk of pneumonia in an ageing general population

Heather Fitzgerald R.D.

Strategic Nutrition & Holistic Therapies