Soak Up the Sun

Welcome to the first day of summer, and what a day it is! With the weather getting warmer, there is a great opportunity to really do something good for our bodies. During the winter months, we tend to stay inside and cover up with layers of clothing when we do go out. While this is great for keeping us comfortable, it does little for our biological need for sunlight. Our bodies require sun exposure to function at their best. One of the main reasons sunlight is so important is that when it hits our skin, we produce a very important hormone known as Vitamin D. Without adequate sun, we lose our base levels of Vitamin D in the body, and things can start going wrong.

The Breakdown

Vitamin D plays several key roles in your body. The two most important actions Vitamin D takes are to support the immune system and assist in the absorbing of the minerals calcium and phosphorus. The latter is a key reason why Vitamin D is important for people with osteoporosis. Studies show that calcium and vitamin D together can help to increase bone density. Vitamin D also helps with other disorders associated with weak bones, like rickets. Vitamin D deficiency may cause other problems including hormone imbalances, muscle weakness, and muscle pain.

The best source of natural vitamin D is sunlight. Only 20 minutes of noon time sun exposure without sunscreen would give you adequate vitamin D each day. Unfortunately, almost no one these days is lucky enough to get that type of exposure. To combat vitamin D deficiency, taking two 2000 IU capsules each day should be enough to bring you back to a healthy range. This may be more than you have heard before, as the RDA for vitamin D is 400 IU per day. Unfortunately, while this level will help to prevent rickets, it will do little to balance your hormones, strengthen your immune system, or help your bones absorb calcium and phosphorus. Add to this that the 20 minutes of sunlight that was recommended above would provide you with 20,000+ IU! The 4000 IU per day is only a fraction of this, and will keep you healthy and help to build back up your standing levels of vitamin D.

Where to Start

While most people will need some help in increasing Vitamin D levels, I do recommend having your Vitamin D levels measured during your usual blood work early on to know where you are starting from. If you see that you are significantly low, you may want to increase your dosage even further. If you are below 30 ng/ml (the standard measure of Vitamin D levels), I would take 1000 IU per 25 lbs. of body weight for 2-3 months. After 3 months, have your blood tested again and if you are above 50 ng/ml, reduce your dosage to 4000 IU. If you decide to use a supplement, make sure you buy Vitamin D3 (not D2), as it more accurately replicates what we produce from sun exposure. Vitamin D can interact with many medicines, such as drugs for high blood pressure and heart problems. If you take daily medicine, ask your doctor if it's safe for you to take vitamin D supplements.

Now, you do not HAVE to use a supplement. I would much rather you took the effort to get outside for 20 minutes a day to get some sun, but I know this is not going to happen for everyone. For those of you that are interested, the best way to increase your vitamin D production from sunlight is to go out when the sun is at its peak, and show as much skin as possible. If you can do this for 20 minutes every day, you will see some improvement. I would still monitor your levels to make sure that the sun is enough to sustain 50 ng/ml or greater, and if it is not, you may want to add a supplement. We would all do well to add a little sun to our lives, so get out there, show some skin, and boost your bone and immune health while getting a tan!